78/52 (Alexandre O. Philippe, 2017, USA)
78/52 is another of Alexandre O. Philippe’s examinations of horror/cult movie classics - in this case, Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic 1960 classic Psycho . The title refers to the number of camera setups and cuts in the infamous shower sequence, which was written by Saul Bass (best known for his iconic Hollywood posters). The film delivers on the promise of examining that scene, delivering a giant cast of talking heads, including many iconic directors and other film talent, to explore the impact of Psycho and this scene in particular. As with most of Philippe’s films, this one is for the fans. It likely won’t win any new converts to the film, but for those who are already fans of Hitchcock and Psycho , it is a delight. The film also includes a significant number of tidbits and trivia that may even be new to fans of the film. Notably, a discussion of the particular melon that was used to get the sound of the knife slashing was particularly interesting. There was also an exploration of the p...
