More Than a Psycho the Complete Films of Anthony Perkins

Book excerpt: Anthony Perkins is best known for playing Norman Bates in Psycho. Its notoriety and success ensured he remained one of filmdom's most recognisable faces for the rest of his life... and beyond. Yet there were those (Perkins included) who felt he never truly shook the screen persona of the knife-wielding, mother-obsessed, cross-dressing psychopath, and he was often labelled on the strength of his most notorious role - thus giving a distorted view of a career which spanned four decades and almost sixty movies. In More Than A Psycho: The Complete Films Of Anthony Perkins, Dawn and Jonathon Dabell take a closer look at the actor's entire body of work. Their book provides cast and crew details, an extensive image gallery, background information and considered critical analysis for every title. Perkins was, they argue, more than just a prominent screen villain - his talent and versatility went much further, his wider oeuvre encompassing everything from romance to comedy, war to western, musical to sci-fi. With a foreword by highly regarded film and pop culture historian Paul Talbot, this is the essential guide to the career of Anthony Perkins.