Is Psycho’s shower scene the greatest in cinema history?

A new documentary explores the most famous shower scene in history in minute detail. Tom Brook takes a closer look.

Many consider the famous shower scene from Psycho to be the greatest in film history – but one film fan took his admiration for its director, Alfred Hitchcock, a step further.

A new feature-length documentary directed by Alexandre Philippe, 78/52 (its title refers to the 78 camera shots and 52 cuts that make up the shower scene), was a Hitchcock tribute of sorts.

“I decided to make this film really because of my passion for Alfred Hitchcock,” Philippe explains, “this for me is really the greatest, most important, most extraordinary scene in the history of movies.”

And for a film released in 1960, Psycho’s two-minute scene still has the ability to shock. “The shower scene absolutely redefined cinema violence,” Philippe says. “He [Hitchcock] pushed the envelope as far as he possibly could."

Watch the video above to find out more.

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