Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo Analysis

Vertigo: A Catalyst of the Cult Movie Following Famously known as the “best movie of all time”, (6) Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo elicits a dumbfounded reaction to the first-time viewer. Surprisingly shocking, through plot and production, Vertigo tells the story of a discharged detective and his obsessive pursuit of a young woman who he is contracted to investigate on the orders from an old college friend. However, to the second, or third, or twentieth time viewer, Vertigo serves as a shrine to Hitchcock’s work. With purposeful editing, surreal sound production, excellent acting, as well as countless other elements of Hitchcock’s genius, a cult following only makes sense to provide a testament to an almost flawless film. This obsession with the
The audience and Scottie see hints of red, almost encouragements from Hitchcock, to continue with the “chase” during the stalking of Madeline through her apartment, the flower shop, the church, and the art museum. Red roses placed in the background of the shop, and red flowers placed on graves surrounding Carlotta’s, as well as the prominent sapphire in the middle of Carlotta’s golden necklace connect the reality with the symbolic. This red hue intensifies as Scottie saves Madeleine from drowning in the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate bridge serving as a backdrop. The next shot after cuts to the exterior of Scottie’s apartment, a dark scene with only the porch light spotlighting on the red door. The first speaking encounter between the two, Madeleine wears a red robe, knowing fully well that Scottie has changed her out of her normal attire into a low cut garment. While both are waiting in the woods, Scottie wears a red tie that accentuates the outfit and shot. These color choices appear to the audience as Scottie stalks or communicates with Madeleine in some way, trying to find the reason behind his love and sexual desire for a married woman. Hitchcock utilizes this to automatically connect red with fear and love, preying on the sexual phobias of the
While Barr’s book researches the broad aspect of Scottie’s obsession with the female body, Barr uses technical terms to rationalize Hitchcock’s decisions (i.e. exact amount POV shots, exact time shooting Scottie vs. Madeleine, exact amount of dialogue exchanged) instead of unwrapping what is actually in front of the camera. Conversely, the audience of the movie, and Scottie, conceptualize what is right in front of them. In order to understand the cult following of Vertigo, technicality should not be the reasoning for the turmoil that Scottie and Judy possess because of Elster’s manipulation. Barr does give some indication to the popularity throughout the time, stating that the movie did not receive initial positive reviews because it did not “appeal to the Anglo-Saxon critical establishment that was still dominant at the end of the 1950s” (26). Throughout the past decades, Vertigo’s opinion has changed as the times have changed. Just as one of Hitchcock’s inspirations, Edgar Allan Poe, dealt with “death, suspense, and the uncanny,” (47) Hitchcock also turns taboo subjects of the time into wonderful masterpieces for audiences to cherish. Taboo, unspoken topics like sexual desire draw in an audience, and the obsession behind trying to figure out the masterminds behind the masterpieces makes them