Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) portrays a man's (John’s) passion for control and the dangers of idealisation and desire. Vertigo; "a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height”1 is a metaphor of protagonist John “Scotty” Ferguson relationship with Judy Barton/Madeleine Elster.
The narrative structure of Vertigo is fundamentally driven by the encounters between John and Madeleine/Judy. The relationship between the two progresses on the basis of fear, fuelled by Scotty’s hypnotic desire. John’s sexual and psychosexual desire for Madeleine’s mysticism soon turns into an obsession which is seen in throughout various scenes in the movie. ‘Madeleine’s’ suicide leads Scotty to mistake every blonde woman in a grey …show more content…
This clearly portrays that John is self-conscious and embarrassed about he’s injury and the accident. Several indications show that Scotty cares about how he is perceived and viewed by others. He wishes to appear potently masculine and strong. John craves to be a hero again, after the previous case ending tragically. John’s need for restoration of his status, attracts him to investigate Madeleine. Madeleine’s case is his chance at redemption; to be seen by society as strong masculine and able again. It is also depicted when John ridicules Judy for participating in Elster’s assassination the real Madeleine. As Robin Wood illustrates in Hitchcock's Films Revisited, John’s sense identity and his masculinity are not stable. Wood believes the vast variety of nicknames John possesses throughout the film suggests this; people not only call him John, but also Scotty, Johnny-o, John-o and “available Ferguson". Wood also discusses his Vertigo as being a “handicap”. John is ‘handicapped’ and seen as unfit for his job. This “handicap” prevents him from rescuing the woman he
The narrative structure of Vertigo is fundamentally driven by the encounters between John and Madeleine/Judy. The relationship between the two progresses on the basis of fear, fuelled by Scotty’s hypnotic desire. John’s sexual and psychosexual desire for Madeleine’s mysticism soon turns into an obsession which is seen in throughout various scenes in the movie. ‘Madeleine’s’ suicide leads Scotty to mistake every blonde woman in a grey …show more content…
This clearly portrays that John is self-conscious and embarrassed about he’s injury and the accident. Several indications show that Scotty cares about how he is perceived and viewed by others. He wishes to appear potently masculine and strong. John craves to be a hero again, after the previous case ending tragically. John’s need for restoration of his status, attracts him to investigate Madeleine. Madeleine’s case is his chance at redemption; to be seen by society as strong masculine and able again. It is also depicted when John ridicules Judy for participating in Elster’s assassination the real Madeleine. As Robin Wood illustrates in Hitchcock's Films Revisited, John’s sense identity and his masculinity are not stable. Wood believes the vast variety of nicknames John possesses throughout the film suggests this; people not only call him John, but also Scotty, Johnny-o, John-o and “available Ferguson". Wood also discusses his Vertigo as being a “handicap”. John is ‘handicapped’ and seen as unfit for his job. This “handicap” prevents him from rescuing the woman he