Vertigo Revision

Vertigo Revision

1. A film about film

   • Recurring motifs;

2. The story of a man who experiences vertigo not only physically as a result of acrophobia, but also figuratively when he falls in love with a fabricated woman

   • Throughout the film, Hitchcock accentuates the cyclical and disorienting nature of vertigo explicitly with powerful visual images and a mystifying soundtrack, and also abstractly with recurrences and symbolism.

3. “We are thus immediately introduced to the world of the eye, gaze and seeing, the world where the film takes place and about which it narrates” - Mijuskovic, Slobodan - The Power of Fake

4. The audience is bombarded with various circular, spiral, and spinning images. The opening animations, the bouquet, Madeleine/Carlotta’s hair, the chandelier in the McKittrick Hotel which Scottie keeps staring at, the cross section of the sequoia tree, Scottie’s nightmare, the bell tower staircase – all of these concrete images along with the spiraling soundtrack convey the physical symptoms of vertigo, but more importantly, they also establish the idea of recurrence, a theme used extensively

5. Pure cinema within the following sequence; just visuals + non-diegetic sound

6. Locations and events from the past constantly repeat themselves, and the characters become trapped in this cycle, this state of illusion. In the final scene, Scottie says he wants to be “free of the past”. In other words, he wants to be free of his vertigo, both physically and figuratively.

7. The opening chase scene serves as the prologue of Vertigo. When Scottie is hanging from the ledge, we see for the first time the trademark vertigo shot

8. This effect was achieved by physically pulling the camera back and zooming in at the same time, and it successfully makes the viewer feel disoriented

   • This is a strong metaphorical statement to introduce the film. Scottie is desperately hanging onto a ledge (reality, stability) but is being pulled away by a strong gravitational force (Madeleine) into a great abyss (an illusion).

9. Midge’s art studio, where Scottie is trying to balance a cane on his finger tips, another symbol of imbalance and falling. Midge represents the safety and stability that Scottie needs but does not necessarily desire. The mise-en-scene in the room clearly demonstrates this safety. The studio is well-lit and has a yellow, cream colored tone. There are no mysterious shadows or strong colors.