Hitchcock's Psycho generated an infinite number of sequels (the aging Perkins appeared in some) and remakes (including the color film project of Gus Van Sent almost reproducing the original frame by frame). In 1987, the NBC television channel broadcast the episode "Bates Motel" (actors: B. Cort, L. Petty, M. Gunn, G. Henry) - a prequel to the famous picture. It was presented as a pilot episode of the television series about the events surrounding the ominous motel and the identity of its manager. But the rating was appallingly low, and it didn’t go any further. But in 2013, the A&E channel announced the release of 10 episodes of the Bates Motel series (actors: V. Farmiga, F. Highmore, M. Tiriot, O. Cook, N. Carbonell) without any focus groups, pilots, or other delays.
Television Movie 1987
Richard Rothstein, simultaneously acting as a director and screenwriter, shot the television movie The Bates Motel, which was positioned as a spin-off of the Psycho movie, which did not intersect with its three existing sequels. The tape was shot in the original scenery of the first picture. The movie "Bates Motel" (the actors and roles of which were selected by each other by producers George Linder and Ken Tolopsky) was originally positioned as a pilot for a long series, which, as already mentioned, was not shot as a result. The main character - Norman Bates, appeared at the beginning of the film just for a short while. The role of this character was played by Kurt Paul, known as the understudy of Anthony Perkins in the films "Psycho 2" and "Psycho 3". Perkins, without explaining the reasons, flatly refused to participate in this project.
The plot from Richard Rothstein
After the events covered by the film Psycho, the main character Norman Bates was sent to a psychiatric hospital. There he meets a child patient, Alex West, who killed his rapist stepfather. Norman is imbued with paternal feelings for Alex, becoming the second father for the boy. 27 years pass, Norman dies, bequeathing to West his house and the ill-fated motel. Trying to realize the chance, Alex (Bad Court), along with a young girl, Willie (Lori Patty), decides to do business and open a motel. But in the still empty building, he begins to see the silhouette of Norma Bates. It is unclear whether this is a real woman or her ghost, but this entity is persistently trying to drive West out of Bates's house and not allow the guy to reopen the motel. The actors of the movie “Bates Motel”, having familiarized themselves with the script, were inspired and prophesied that Richard Rothstein’s project had more than one season and high ratings. But the reaction of the viewer was unpredictable and the predictions of the film crew were not given to come true.
Dramatic narration of childhood and adolescence by Norman Bates
The restart of the Bates Motel series, the actors who took part in the filming, called the dramatic thriller about childhood, adolescence and adolescence of the main character of Hitchcock Norman Bates and his difficult relationship with his mother Norma. All previous film works based on "Psycho" could not succeed in developing the character of the protagonist. Perhaps the reason for this was that Hitchcock was the only one to explore the fine line of madness and fear. All other authors simply tried to repeat the commercial success of the blockbuster, but only achieved what they drove like Anthony Perkins's horse. His promising and promising acting talent remained undisclosed, and Perkins remained hostage to one role. Later, the actor played either in the sequels of the original film, or in low-budget horror films. The 1987 film completely removed him from the franchise; instead of Bates, a young character acted. After a quarter of a century, they decided to return to this project, so in 2013 the first of five seasons of the television series "Bates Motel" appeared. The actors involved in the work already had world fame and an impressive filmography.
Casting cast
Young Norman Bates in the series was played by Freddy Highmore, known to the viewer as the performer of the role of Charlie from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Tim Burton. He managed not to copy the grasshopper lightness of Anthony Perkins, but periodically make references to it. In the role of his mother, which Hitchcock showed in his brainchild mummified, actress Vera Farmiga, the nominee for the Oscar, starred. She brilliantly managed to get used to the role of an imperious woman, in every possible way poisoning the life of her teenage son. The actress is known to the audience for the Scorsese film “The Departed”. The role of Dylan, the elder brother and the eldest son of Norma, was played by Max Tiriot. The guardian of dark secrets, deputy sheriff Zack Shelby was embodied on the screen by Michael Vogel, known for his roles in Pan American and Miami Hospital. Nester Carbonell, a viewer familiar with the role of Richard Alpert from Lost, had to play a suspicious and considerate Sheriff Romero. Actors of the series "Bates Motel" received mostly positive assessments of their skills from film critics and ordinary citizens alike.
Triumphal shift
Why the series has been postponed these days, no one knows, except the authors. This rather bold and elegant cinematic trick, the shift caused the most heated debate and conflicting reviews. The film industry already had a similar experience, such a feint threw Robert Altman in the film adaptation of the Chandler's “Long Farewell”. The creators of the Bates Motel series repeat this trick, embodying an atmosphere of timelessness, claiming that even if the calendar dates have changed, nothing has changed in and around the motel.