Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo; an Interpretive Essay
Vertigo is a psychological suspense-thriller written by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958. The movie tells the story of detective John “Scottie” Ferguson. After a rooftop chase, where his acrophobia and vertigo result in the death of a policeman, Scottie retires. Scottie is asked by an old college friend, Gavin Elster, if he would have a look into his wife, Madeleine's odd behavior. Lately, she's taken to believing that she is the reincarnation of a relative (unbeknownst to Madeleine) who died many years ago and Elster is concerned for her sanity. Scottie follows her and rescues her from an apparent suicide attempt when she jumps into San Francisco bay. He gets to know her and falls in love with her. They go to an old mission church and his vertigo prevents him stopping her from committing suicide at the top of the bell tower. A subsequent trial finds …show more content…
This is suggested in the opening credits of the movie, which feature a woman’s expressionless face and a shot first of her lips and then of her nervously darting eyes. In an early scene in Midge’s apartment, Scottie appears to be a healthy stable man healing from a traumatic experience; however, that image is quickly swept away as he is revealed to be dangerous, and on the verge of insanity. Midge is calm, practical and seemingly unromantic in her responses, but in truth is passionately in love with him. After assuming Madeleine’s appearance at Scottie’s insistence, Judy has difficulty retaining her own selfhood. By the time Scottie drags her up the steps of the bell tower, she no longer has a firm grasp on her true identity and alternates between speaking as Judy and as Madeleine. Madeleine’s character is entirely a facade. She is a fabrication loosely based on the legend of a dead woman, and ultimately, Scottie’s inability to accept it as a mask is what leads to his own and Judy’s downfall (literally and
Vertigo is a psychological suspense-thriller written by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958. The movie tells the story of detective John “Scottie” Ferguson. After a rooftop chase, where his acrophobia and vertigo result in the death of a policeman, Scottie retires. Scottie is asked by an old college friend, Gavin Elster, if he would have a look into his wife, Madeleine's odd behavior. Lately, she's taken to believing that she is the reincarnation of a relative (unbeknownst to Madeleine) who died many years ago and Elster is concerned for her sanity. Scottie follows her and rescues her from an apparent suicide attempt when she jumps into San Francisco bay. He gets to know her and falls in love with her. They go to an old mission church and his vertigo prevents him stopping her from committing suicide at the top of the bell tower. A subsequent trial finds …show more content…
This is suggested in the opening credits of the movie, which feature a woman’s expressionless face and a shot first of her lips and then of her nervously darting eyes. In an early scene in Midge’s apartment, Scottie appears to be a healthy stable man healing from a traumatic experience; however, that image is quickly swept away as he is revealed to be dangerous, and on the verge of insanity. Midge is calm, practical and seemingly unromantic in her responses, but in truth is passionately in love with him. After assuming Madeleine’s appearance at Scottie’s insistence, Judy has difficulty retaining her own selfhood. By the time Scottie drags her up the steps of the bell tower, she no longer has a firm grasp on her true identity and alternates between speaking as Judy and as Madeleine. Madeleine’s character is entirely a facade. She is a fabrication loosely based on the legend of a dead woman, and ultimately, Scottie’s inability to accept it as a mask is what leads to his own and Judy’s downfall (literally and