Bates Motel (1987) - Archive
Ahead of my fresh look and evaluation of "Bates Motel" following
in the coming days, I will add my IMDb user comments below for the archive. This will also serve as the main synopsis for the blog so I can focus on other things in the film.
--written November 24th, 2009
"This place ain't no motel..it's a burial ground."
What's most interesting about director Richard Rothstein's Bates Motel(..besides the fact that it was actually a proposed television pilot for a series which has something to do with why it's practically impossible to find without the proper resources)is how his script(he also wrote the screenplay)disregards the other sequels, adapting a separate story from the series where Norman never left the asylum, with amiable, lovable geek Bud Cort inheriting the Bates Motel from him because of their close relationship together inside the place. So Bud gets out, heads for Fairvale, procures a loan to renovate, and the Bates Motel is open for business once again. But, of course, such a grand decision hits a snag when an ominous presence maintains around the property. Rothstein's story puts more emphasis on the setting unlike the movies which focused on Norman Bates and the situational developments which surrounded him.
There's a lighthearted side to this movie which differs from the darker nature of the series, and you can see how those involved in Bates Motel, the production, wanted to capitalize on the iconic status of Psycho without exploring the sub-textual material which made Norman such an intriguing character. Bud is as innocent and gentle as a lamb, and you never, once, consider him a threat to anyone. We witness how circumstances arise as construction continues(..such as the skeletal remains of Norman's parents, the sinister figure of a lady in black turning up to give Alex the willies)perhaps offering spooky warnings against reopening the Bates.
The cast sure is an interesting group assembled. Lori Petty is her usual perky, spunky self, attempting to educate Alex(Cort)on life outside the enclosed environment he once lived. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed her interaction with Cort's Alex, because she has pep and fire and he needs that kind of strength. And, the fact that she has nowhere to go, having lived in the Bates Motel as a squatter, only provides for reason for her to vocally worm her way into his good graces, by forming a wedge between Alex and those which might take advantage of his meager nature. Moses Gunn is an old timer whose house is to be bulldozed over due to progress(..condos and suburban communities), for which Alex seeks as a contractor to help build Bates back into a properly running establishment. Gunn brings a veteran presence that actually helps things along. Gregg Henry also shows up as a bank executive who provides Alex with a loan to build the Bates back to prominence.
While I do find the idea of building a continuing story around the Bates house and motel an interesting idea, without it's emotional core, Norman, I'm just not sure it could ever have taken off, despite the noble efforts of the cast to make it work.
Introduced towards the end of the pilot movie is aerobics instructor Barbara(..she's introduced by a matchmaker to a young Jason Bateman), a product of three failed marriages, no children, and lost dreams, desiring to be an author, contemplating suicide, renting a room at the Bates, and you can see, conceptually, what Rothstein was up to..the series would have those from all walks of life popping up at the Bates, perhaps seeking new leases on life. Kids, right out of the 50's, show up to rent rooms and party at the Bates, but there's a specific purpose for their presence and it concerns Barbara. This is rather an intrusion into the story-line regarding Alex, but, as I mentioned before, it seems to be here as a method for future potential episodes regarding characters who might stop by the Bates. The final minutes, regarding someone responsible for attempting to spook Alex away from the Bates, is executed rather clumsily. I will say that it was nice seeing this again after all these years..I hadn't seen it since the night it aired!
in the coming days, I will add my IMDb user comments below for the archive. This will also serve as the main synopsis for the blog so I can focus on other things in the film.
--written November 24th, 2009
"This place ain't no motel..it's a burial ground."
What's most interesting about director Richard Rothstein's Bates Motel(..besides the fact that it was actually a proposed television pilot for a series which has something to do with why it's practically impossible to find without the proper resources)is how his script(he also wrote the screenplay)disregards the other sequels, adapting a separate story from the series where Norman never left the asylum, with amiable, lovable geek Bud Cort inheriting the Bates Motel from him because of their close relationship together inside the place. So Bud gets out, heads for Fairvale, procures a loan to renovate, and the Bates Motel is open for business once again. But, of course, such a grand decision hits a snag when an ominous presence maintains around the property. Rothstein's story puts more emphasis on the setting unlike the movies which focused on Norman Bates and the situational developments which surrounded him.
There's a lighthearted side to this movie which differs from the darker nature of the series, and you can see how those involved in Bates Motel, the production, wanted to capitalize on the iconic status of Psycho without exploring the sub-textual material which made Norman such an intriguing character. Bud is as innocent and gentle as a lamb, and you never, once, consider him a threat to anyone. We witness how circumstances arise as construction continues(..such as the skeletal remains of Norman's parents, the sinister figure of a lady in black turning up to give Alex the willies)perhaps offering spooky warnings against reopening the Bates.
The cast sure is an interesting group assembled. Lori Petty is her usual perky, spunky self, attempting to educate Alex(Cort)on life outside the enclosed environment he once lived. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed her interaction with Cort's Alex, because she has pep and fire and he needs that kind of strength. And, the fact that she has nowhere to go, having lived in the Bates Motel as a squatter, only provides for reason for her to vocally worm her way into his good graces, by forming a wedge between Alex and those which might take advantage of his meager nature. Moses Gunn is an old timer whose house is to be bulldozed over due to progress(..condos and suburban communities), for which Alex seeks as a contractor to help build Bates back into a properly running establishment. Gunn brings a veteran presence that actually helps things along. Gregg Henry also shows up as a bank executive who provides Alex with a loan to build the Bates back to prominence.
While I do find the idea of building a continuing story around the Bates house and motel an interesting idea, without it's emotional core, Norman, I'm just not sure it could ever have taken off, despite the noble efforts of the cast to make it work.
Introduced towards the end of the pilot movie is aerobics instructor Barbara(..she's introduced by a matchmaker to a young Jason Bateman), a product of three failed marriages, no children, and lost dreams, desiring to be an author, contemplating suicide, renting a room at the Bates, and you can see, conceptually, what Rothstein was up to..the series would have those from all walks of life popping up at the Bates, perhaps seeking new leases on life. Kids, right out of the 50's, show up to rent rooms and party at the Bates, but there's a specific purpose for their presence and it concerns Barbara. This is rather an intrusion into the story-line regarding Alex, but, as I mentioned before, it seems to be here as a method for future potential episodes regarding characters who might stop by the Bates. The final minutes, regarding someone responsible for attempting to spook Alex away from the Bates, is executed rather clumsily. I will say that it was nice seeing this again after all these years..I hadn't seen it since the night it aired!
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