TMC
04-18-2017, 09:00 PM
https://heatst.com/culture-wars/bates-motel-showrunners-redo-iconic-hitchcock-scene-to-eliminate-its-transphobia/
The scene from PSYCHO where Janet Leigh is murdered in the shower by a
wig-sporting Norman Bates may be one of cinema's all-time greatest moments.
But showrunners of BATES MOTEL (http://forums.previously.tv/forum/217-bates-motel/), the cable television PSYCHO remake, say
they had to alter the scene so as not to offend transgender individuals.
In an interview with Indiewire, Kerry Ehrin, who guides BATES MOTEL, said
that while the shower scene was perfectly iconic, portraying Norman Bates
as a psychotic, cross-dressing serial killer was simply too offensive for
today's woke audiences.
In the original, a destitute (and recently criminal) Marion Crane checks
into the eponymous Bates Motel with her boyfriend, Sam, befriends Norman,
who then stabs her to death dressed as his deceased mother (whose body he
keeps in his residence).
Understandably, the show-runners didn't want to simply replicate the scene,
but rather pay homage to Hitchcock's groundbreaking camera work, while
putting their own spin on the quintessential Norman Bates storyline.
But their rationale wasn't simply to exert their creative voice-- it was to
ensure that their now-woke audiences didn't get offended by Norman Bates
himself. In the original, Norman Bates is a psychotic cross-dresser, but
the showrunners say it's insulting to believe all cross-dressers (and by
extension, transgender individuals), are murderous criminals.
"We wanted to be very careful about it," Ehrin said. "In none of our minds
is that what the story is about. It's about a kid who very specifically
thinks he's his mother, as opposed to anything else. It really became about
protecting that and not letting it slip or slide into anything
transphobic."
Of course, PSYCHO is nearly always listed as one of the greatest films of
all time. Hitchcock, who regularly pushed cultural boundaries intended
Bates's character to be viewed as truly deranged, not because he wore a
wig, but because he literally took on the persona of his decaying corpse of
a parent.
The showrunners point out that, by this point in their narrative, Norman is
killing without the wig-- a sure sign that he himself is aware that his
actions could reflect badly on the progressive community.
BATES MOTEL has only four episodes left, so at least he (and they) won't
have to be so careful for very long.
The scene from PSYCHO where Janet Leigh is murdered in the shower by a
wig-sporting Norman Bates may be one of cinema's all-time greatest moments.
But showrunners of BATES MOTEL (http://forums.previously.tv/forum/217-bates-motel/), the cable television PSYCHO remake, say
they had to alter the scene so as not to offend transgender individuals.
In an interview with Indiewire, Kerry Ehrin, who guides BATES MOTEL, said
that while the shower scene was perfectly iconic, portraying Norman Bates
as a psychotic, cross-dressing serial killer was simply too offensive for
today's woke audiences.
In the original, a destitute (and recently criminal) Marion Crane checks
into the eponymous Bates Motel with her boyfriend, Sam, befriends Norman,
who then stabs her to death dressed as his deceased mother (whose body he
keeps in his residence).
Understandably, the show-runners didn't want to simply replicate the scene,
but rather pay homage to Hitchcock's groundbreaking camera work, while
putting their own spin on the quintessential Norman Bates storyline.
But their rationale wasn't simply to exert their creative voice-- it was to
ensure that their now-woke audiences didn't get offended by Norman Bates
himself. In the original, Norman Bates is a psychotic cross-dresser, but
the showrunners say it's insulting to believe all cross-dressers (and by
extension, transgender individuals), are murderous criminals.
"We wanted to be very careful about it," Ehrin said. "In none of our minds
is that what the story is about. It's about a kid who very specifically
thinks he's his mother, as opposed to anything else. It really became about
protecting that and not letting it slip or slide into anything
transphobic."
Of course, PSYCHO is nearly always listed as one of the greatest films of
all time. Hitchcock, who regularly pushed cultural boundaries intended
Bates's character to be viewed as truly deranged, not because he wore a
wig, but because he literally took on the persona of his decaying corpse of
a parent.
The showrunners point out that, by this point in their narrative, Norman is
killing without the wig-- a sure sign that he himself is aware that his
actions could reflect badly on the progressive community.
BATES MOTEL has only four episodes left, so at least he (and they) won't
have to be so careful for very long.