Post by bruce on Apr 1, 2011 4:00:24 GMT -5
Wow, what a phenomenal film, it is a great shame that I was not exposed too this film sooner. IMO this film is just as good, effective, and engaging then Psycho. It should be noted this film came out several months before Psycho, which means that it was filmed before Hitchcock's film. One of the things which separates this film from Psycho is that the former drew upon a source, in this case a best selling novel written by Robert Bloch, whereas Peeping Tom is completely independent of any preconceived source. This fact makes Peeping Tom all the more impressive.
Th e movie quickly slipped into obscurity after its release, partly due to the controversy which surrounded it, it was seen as being inappropriate due to its focus on fetishism and voyeurism. Peeping Tom did what good art should do, it caused a stir, far more then Psycho had when it was released a few months later. While Hitchcock and his film garnered a few mild criticisms for its similar subject matter, the director of Peeping Tom was literally ostracized by the film industry, something which would stick with him for years after.
There are some very interesting parallels between this film and Psycho, in terms of the main character and his relation with he members of his family, particularly his father. His relationship with his father; who used his son in his experiments on fear, mirrors that of Norman Bates relationship with his mother. Both of these strained family ties turn both young men into reclusive, who can hardly function within society. As with Norman in Psycho Mark is unable to approached the opposite sex, as a result his rather limited experience with a girl had to be initiated by her. It is this relationship which ultimately leads to his downfall, if he had only but remained in his self imposed solitary, he could have remained unknown.
As with Norman Mark is a voyeur, though Marks voyeuristic trait is more pronounced seeing that he lives in a fairly large city, while Norman lives out on a deserted stretch of land, which rarely provides him with the opportunity to peep in on a woman.
Peeping Tom is considered a forerunner of the Slasher film, this is particularly evident in the camera work, for all of the hooplas regarding John Carpenter's use of the POV shots in Halloween, it is within Peeping Tom that we find one of the first uses, (if not the first) of the point of view (killers point of view).
Peeping Tom has been called a masterpiece by views and critics alike, and certainly Psycho is considered a masterpiece, the only difference is that Psycho is now extremely well known, while Peeping Tom is considered a lost classic. In the end this film is just as impactive as Psycho and in my opinion, its equal.
Th e movie quickly slipped into obscurity after its release, partly due to the controversy which surrounded it, it was seen as being inappropriate due to its focus on fetishism and voyeurism. Peeping Tom did what good art should do, it caused a stir, far more then Psycho had when it was released a few months later. While Hitchcock and his film garnered a few mild criticisms for its similar subject matter, the director of Peeping Tom was literally ostracized by the film industry, something which would stick with him for years after.
There are some very interesting parallels between this film and Psycho, in terms of the main character and his relation with he members of his family, particularly his father. His relationship with his father; who used his son in his experiments on fear, mirrors that of Norman Bates relationship with his mother. Both of these strained family ties turn both young men into reclusive, who can hardly function within society. As with Norman in Psycho Mark is unable to approached the opposite sex, as a result his rather limited experience with a girl had to be initiated by her. It is this relationship which ultimately leads to his downfall, if he had only but remained in his self imposed solitary, he could have remained unknown.
As with Norman Mark is a voyeur, though Marks voyeuristic trait is more pronounced seeing that he lives in a fairly large city, while Norman lives out on a deserted stretch of land, which rarely provides him with the opportunity to peep in on a woman.
Peeping Tom is considered a forerunner of the Slasher film, this is particularly evident in the camera work, for all of the hooplas regarding John Carpenter's use of the POV shots in Halloween, it is within Peeping Tom that we find one of the first uses, (if not the first) of the point of view (killers point of view).
Peeping Tom has been called a masterpiece by views and critics alike, and certainly Psycho is considered a masterpiece, the only difference is that Psycho is now extremely well known, while Peeping Tom is considered a lost classic. In the end this film is just as impactive as Psycho and in my opinion, its equal.