The Fine Art of Fear

Step inside room one at the Bates Motel. Janet Leigh's opened suitcase is on the right with white satin lingerie neatly laid on top. The bed on the left has already been turned down for the night. Today's newspaper is on the windowsill. The shower door is open and a pale silhouette is visible through the shower curtain.

This life-size reconstruction, at Paris' Pompidou Center, of one of cinema's most memorable scenes is evidence that Alfred Hitchcock's art has made it into the Western canon. Part Planet Hollywood-style memorabilia collection, part film archive and very much a study...