Vertigo - Critical Debates

The plot holes throughout the narrative such as Scottie blindly falling for Elster’s plan despite being a detective seemed to take meaning and significance away from the film. After researching Hitchcock and the text itself further, my initial response was changed because of a particular critical debate...
1. Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ is in fact a film about film itself, constructed by Hitchcock to specifically demonstrate this. Aspects of the film that, without this knowledge, may at first seem confusing are implemented by Hitchcock to further show this.
  1. Hitchcock uses his characters to mimic the ways that filmmakers work with Gavin Elster creating a narrative and directing Madeleine and Scottie to carry out his wishes. Madeleine ‘acts’ and plays a character that was created by Elster. Later in the narrative, Scottie does the same by constructing Judy to look exactly as Madeleine did down to the smallest details including changing her hair colour and wearing a specific outfit.
    1. This debate has definitely altered my initial response to the film by allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of the films meaning and why certain aspects were included that at first seemed nonsensical. The film serves as Hitchcocks own commentary on the medium of film. As well as this, Hitchocks status as an auteur has assisted me further appreciating the film as Hitchcocks fantasy.
  2. . Hitchcock was passionate about using blonde women as his leads going as far to say that “Blondes make great victims, they are like virgin snow”, Scottie shows this by forcing Judy to dye her hair from brown to blonde. This displays obsession just as Hitchcock, known to be a perfectionist, obsessed over the smallest details of his productions including his actresses.
    1. This links to Auteur theory, Hitchcock being one of if not the most respected Auteur of this time. He possessed and demonstrated his own personal style in all of his films, ‘Vertigo’ being a film in which he is self-reflexive, consciously including elements that comment on the medium of film itself.
One of the main debates which has risen from the film is that Vertigo is a film about a film. This supports that idea that Vertigo is a film created by a man for men in the way that you are able to compare Elster and Scottie to the role of a director. This is because they both construct Judy into the role of Madeline.
1. Elster can also be compared to Hitchcock in how he has fabricated a story for Scottie in order to manipulate him, similar to his Hitchcock constructs his leading ladies and the film itself for a male audience.
Critical Reception: Vertigo was considered ‘low’ art when it was first released when compared to what was considered to be ‘high’ art which, at the time in film was the genre of noir. However over time due to Hitchcock’s unique cinematic style leading to him becoming an auteur, his films, Vertigo included, are in contemporary critical circles regarded as high art.
1. In 1958 when the film was first released, the themes presented in Vertigo caused critics to write negative reviews. One such point of critical reviewing was the fact there were many plot holes in the film, which made it confusing to understand some of the plot points. However now because now Hitchcock’s canon of work is considered high art, Vertigo is now praised for leaving plot holes, causing debate and discussion amongst audiences.
2. The use of locations created a Hollywood cinematic style that a mainstream audience responded well to. For example when Madeleine is at the Golden Gate Bridge, this immediately presents a recognisable iconic place, San Francisco’ that placed audiences in a familiar location. In addition to this, the use of locations became successful to an international audience as it may have been the first time they may have seen the iconic structure that is the Golden Gate Bridge.
  1. Nowadays, the use of location it has become clichéd and more insignificant than other aspects of the film because the location is used in a plethora of movies of multiple genres.
One of the main debates that was discussed in early receptions of Vertigo was the use of objectification of women. When Scotties takes Madeleine back to his apartment after saving her, it is implied that he has undressed her and this implication is never proved nor disproved however due to the fact that she was unconscious and in the next scene she woke up with no clothes on, we know that Scottie has seen her naked.
1. This objectification caused shock and offense when audiences watched the film for the first time back in the 50s as sexual desire was taboo and not covered in mass media, however mass media has desensitised audiences therefore there is less shock when watching the film nowadays.
Madeleine and Judy’s split of personalities provided questions and debates among critics, both then and now. This debate is still contested to this day, whether during initial release and reception and contemporary analytical study. It presents a valuable juxtaposition within female, in this case Madeleine’s, identity.
1. This juxtaposition is the split between a physical and exterior personality which Judy presents which turns out to be false and only to achieve the affections of Scotty. The contrasting interior and true face of Madeleine is only presented once she becomes comfortable enough with scotty to show her true identity however Scotty counteracts this by forcing her to reprise the exterior and false character, to make her desirable to a man thus perpetuating the critical approach of the male gaze, a theory created by Laura Mulvey.
The film subverted tradition genre conventions. When Judy has transitioned into Madeleine and Scottie kisses her, the audience are confused as to whether the scene reflects a romance or horror genre as it’s presented as necrophilia.
At the time of release films were usually one genre, Vertigo goes against this by representing many genres such as psychological thriller, romance and crime thriller.
1. It has changed from a ‘low’ art form to a ‘high’ art form and audiences have recognised this through retrospective positive reviews and awards.
Vertigo’s narrative structure also subverts traditional conventions, especially with regard to structure. It goes against Todorov’s five act structure as it starts with a disequilibrium (the rooftop chase scene). This would be a very alien concept to audiences, especially those expecting a traditional Hollywood narrative and when this expectation is not fulfilled the initial response was largely negative.
1. Over time, as Hitchcock’s style has been developed and studied, a pattern of structure has been identified and now instead of being a subversion of film conventions it is now an inspiration to film makers.
  1. Vertigo’s critical reception has developed since its initial release due to further study as Hitchcock as an auteur; changing his subversions into innovations.

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	Created by Mia Norman almost 7 years ago