Review: 78/52

This is pure movie geek heaven. 78/52 refers to the 78 pieces of film and 52 edits that make of the three minute famous show scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. This is a deep dive into the art of film but it's also extremely accessible and entertaining.

Alexandre O. Philippe uses this documentary to dissects every element of this influential moment in cinema history. He treats things like an investigation of a crime, recreating some moments and pouring over the details. His enthusiasm for the power and brilliance of these scene is likely to convince you that it's the most important sequence in all of film history. 

Phillippe is not alone. He enlists a wonderful cast of famous people to help share his admiration including Guillermo del Toro, Elijah Wood, Peter Bogdanovich, Janet Leigh's daughter Jamie Lee Curtis and more. Perhaps the most interesting interview come from Marli Renfro who has Leigh's body double for Psycho. She's the one who spent seven days in a shower as Hitchcock obsessed over getting just the right shots to create the amazing illusion that we see Leigh get stabbed but never actually do. She reveals so many fun behind the scenes details, confirming that Hersey's syrup is indeed what was used for blood. 

In one great sequence, editor Walter Murch slows down the scene and breaks it down into each segment, showing off how the magic trick Hitchcock and his team was assembled. Another great moment focuses on the psychological state of Hitchcock and why he chose to make the film at all. Many see Psycho as an act of aggression from the director against his fans, critics and censors. Others see him threatened by other emerging European directors and so he pushed himself out of his comfort zone. Either way, Psycho is a masterpiece and 78/52 does a near perfect job in explaining why.

4.5/5