History Film / Hitchcock

* OedipusComplex: Noted by many male characters brought into the ''Psycho'' production. Also, Ed Gein who murdered his brother just to stay closer to his dying mother.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Ed Gein and his devotion to his long-dead mother.

-->'''Henry:''' Can you stop being a mama's boy for one second? ''(Beat)'' I'm not trying to hurt you, but Jesus, you gotta live your own life sometime. That woman can take care of her own god...

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: A small one. The last scene of the movie implies (albeit [[PlayedForLaughs humorously]]) that making [[Film/TheBirds a horror movie about birds]] was a completely spontaneous idea that Hitchcock got after making ''Psycho'', when a bird perched on his shoulder. But as any Hitchcock fan will tell you, his [[AnimalMotifs obsession with birds]] was a well-known CreatorThumbprint that showed up all over his filmography--including in ''Psycho''.[[labelnote:Specifically]] Among other things, Norman Bates is depicted as an amateur taxidermist with a vast collection of stuffed birds, he eats popcorn (i.e. ''seeds'') like a bird, the opening scene is set in '''Phoenix''', and the opening shot features the camera swooping and perching on a windowsill like a bird.[[/labelnote]]

* AdaptedOut: Hitchcock and Alma's daughter Patricia is not featured or even mentioned at all.

The cast is rounded up by Creator/ScarlettJohansson as Creator/JanetLeigh, Creator/JessicaBiel as Creator/VeraMiles, Creator/JamesDArcy as Creator/AnthonyPerkins, Creator/DannyHuston as Hitchcock contributor Whitfield Cook, and Creator/ToniCollette as Hitchcock's script supervisor Peggy Robertson.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: A small one. The last scene of the movie implies (albeit [[PlayedForLaughs humorously]]) that making [[Film/TheBirds a horror movie about birds]] was a completely spontaneous idea that Hitchcock got after making ''Psycho'', when a bird perched on his shoulder. But as any Hitchcock fan will tell you, his [[AnimalMotifs obsession with birds]] was a well-known CreatorThumbprint that showed up all over his filmography--including in ''Psycho''. [[note]] Among other things, Norman Bates is depicted as an amateur taxidermist with a vast collection of stuffed birds, he eats popcorn (i.e. ''seeds'') like a bird, the opening scene is set in '''Phoenix''', and the opening shot features the camera swooping and perching on a windowsill like a bird.[[/note]]

* TheOneThatGotAway: Creator/GraceKelly's marriage and abandoning of acting has cast a long shadow over Hitch's movies and his marriage.

** Creator/VeraMiles is shown with short hair, and has to wear a blonde wig on set. She had shaved her head for ''Film/FiveBrandedWomen'', which is why she had to wear a wig in ''Psycho''.

** The trailer makes it seem as though Alma suggests killing off Creator/JanetLeigh's character midway through the film as a grudge against Leigh herself. Not only is that not the case, but also Alma carefully compliments Leigh at the end on her "professional" behavior--that is, on her ability to resist Hitchcock's attempts to seduce her.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: A reporter drops one to Hitchcock at the premiere of his film North By NorthWest, leaving him stunned.

* TheOneThatGotAway: Creator/GraceKelly's marriage and abandoning of acting has cast a long shadow over Hitch's movies and his marriage.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Hitchcock and Alma give one to each other during a heated argument over their marriage and the work production of Psycho.
-->'''Hitchcock:''' I'm under extraordinary pressures on this picture and the least you can do is give me your full support.
-->'''Alma:''' Full support! We've mortgaged our house! I'm your wife! I celebrate with you when the reviews are good. I cry for you when they are bad! I put up with all those people who look through me as if I were invisible because all they see is the great and glorious ALFRED HITCHCOCK!
* ShowerOfLove: Hitchcock imagines catching Whitfield and Alma together in the shower as he violently method acts the stabbing for the shower scene in Psycho.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Discussed while editing the film as Alma notices a bit of nudity in a few frames of the shower scene.
** Also this StealthPun when Anthony Perkins insists on referring to Hitch as "Mr. Hitchcock":
--->'''Hitchcock:''' You may call me "Hitch." Hold the "cock."
** Hitchcock complaining of the reviews of his film North By Northwest.
--> '''Hitchcock:''' He said he found the climax to be "overdrawn".
--> '''Alma:''' Well, I doubt Mr. Weiler has had a climax in years.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Alfred Hitchcock put the decayed corpse prop used as Mrs. Bates in Creator/JanetLeigh's room. Janet screams and runs out of her room, demanding an explanation from Hitchcock, who says, "What? Mrs. Bates asked if she could take a nap in your room. I told her that would be fine." Despite the fact that Janet still looked rather mad, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she also fights to keep a grin off her face while she walks off, suggesting this trope.

* YourCheatingHeart: Hitchcock and Alma are both thinking about it, although neither has much success. Whitfield, by contrast, cheats on both his wife ''and'' on Alma.

* EnforcedMethodActing: In-universe; Hitchcock torments Creator/JanetLeigh with increasingly explicit sexual fantasies while she's filming the car scene.

* OedipusComplex: Noted by many male characters brought into the ''Psycho'' production. Also, Ed Gein who murdered his brother to stay closer to his dying mother.

* OedipusComplex: Noted by many male characters brought into the ''Psycho'' production.

* {{Squick}}: Ed Gein lying in bed cradling his dead mother's corpse in a flashback.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: A small one. The last scene of the movie implies (albeit [[PlayedForLaughs humorously]]) that making [[Film/TheBirds a horror movie about birds]] was a completely spontaneous idea that Hitchcock got after making ''Psycho''. But as any Hitchcock fan will tell you, his [[AnimalMotifs obsession with birds]] was a well-known CreatorThumbprint that showed up all over his filmography--including in ''Psycho''. [[note]] Among other things, Norman Bates is depicted as an amateur taxidermist with a vast collection of stuffed birds, he eats popcorn (i.e. ''seeds'') like a bird, the opening scene is set in '''Phoenix''', and the opening shot features the camera swooping and perching on a windowsill like a bird.[[/note]]

* {{Squick}} Ed Gein lying in bed cradling his dead mother's corpse in a flashback.
* StalkerWithACrush: Vera Miles (Creator/JessicaBiel) accuses Hitchcock of being one.

* {{Bookends}}: The film starts and ends with Hitchcock speaking directly to the audience about a production he will soon start on.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Hitchcock will occasionally speak directly to the audience as he was known to do in real life. The {{bookends}} are the most direct example.

-->'''Hitchcock:''' You may call me Hitch. Hold the Cock.

** The {{Bookends}}, as well as the closing credits music, reference ''Creator/AlfredHitchcockPresents''.

--->'''Hitchcock:''' You may call me Hitch. Hold the Cock.