Vertigo Evaluation
Coherence:
The plot in the film Vertigo is largely well thought out and engaging enough without any issues to
hold an audience throughout its duration. The film does take its time in setting up
it’s characters though, the initial buildup and establishment was rather slow and the overall
thematic idea of confusion and disarray does off-put the audience during certain scenes.
The idea of Vertigo presented to us was originally Scottie’s acrophobia but has slowly
evolved into several defining moments, his “redemption arc” of being hired as a private
investigator, his falling in love with Madeleine, his role of being set up, finding the real
Madeleine once again and her falling to hear death in the very same manner as how the
movie started.
This rather convoluted plot is confusing at first but functions well enough to
a varying degree of satisfaction for the viewers as every issue that seems to be resolved but
is found out to be part of a larger plot as the film proceeds onward.
The whole plot twist after plot twist mimics the overarching theme of vertigo after all and
its emphasis of continuation is similar to that of a (downward) spiral, a common motif in the
film. This actively engages the audience to continue watching and guessing what the final
outcome will be and it allows the audience to be absorbed into this world of misdirection.
The relationship between characters are one that I do admire though, especially between
Scottie and Midge, their dynamic seems to be very fluid (with Scottie’s reminiscence of his
and Midge’s love history and Midge actively cheering on for Scottie to find love). It actively
contrasts with the relationship between Scottie and Madeleine which highlights the good
and bad side of Scottie; his love for her and his desperation for her.
The ending though, is quite disappointing for me and while it fits symbolically and was always a
foreshadowed theme (as Midge said that only another similar experience might rid Scottie
might cure his acrophobia), she was scared and fell to her death. While her death was duly noted,
it was not as justified as it could’ve been. Having to sit through an entire movie for that kind of
resolution leaves a very sour taste afterwards and it was something I was really not fond of.
Intensity of effect:
Vertigo as a film has been exuberant in its cinematography and color palette. Its imagery
that often appear as motifs often play a crucial part in telling the audience the mood and
theme of the overall scene. The colors in Vertigo seem to pop out at you and often times,
the strikingly unnatural color scheme engages the audience in a way that is unprecedented
(at least in the movies that I have watched).
Midge putting on a red shirt even though we’ve only seen her wear yellow and realizing it
was because she was trying to flirt with Scottie was one of my favorite moments in the film
and was when I realized how much effect that these specific decisions of putting certain
colors in different scenes seem to have on the audience.
The visuals in the film (for its time at least) were things that I really appreciated and overall
enjoyed in Vertigo, like the frequent appearance of flowers, the ethereal state of the
Carlotta’s graveyard, the contrasts between the red grass and green trees in the forest, the
way the waves crashed and the music crescendos when Scottie and Madeleine kissed and
the trippy dream sequence that Scottie experiences.
These visual keys play an important part in engaging the audience as a whole as it’s a new
way of interpreting film and as such provides a very fresh experience for those keen eyed
individuals who are riveted by these tiny and immaculate details that Alfred Hitchcock has
put into this film.
Motifs:
Colors play an important part in dictating the mood of the scene and to say that Vertigo
takes advantage of this crucial detail is a big understatement.
The color red appears very significantly in this movie as it often is associated with several
key things. In this case, I think it represents infatuation/love, and some may argue that it
foreshadows death because of it’s similarity to the color of blood. The opening shot of and
eye Vertigo already starts this off with the shade of red growing darker and darker before
the transition of a spiral. Several key things I noticed with the theme of red is how it always
seemed to contrast visually with Madeleine.
Scottie meets Madeleine in one of the diners where the walls are red, her lips are also
seemingly redder than normal. With Scottie acting like he’s seen the most beautiful woman
in the world, this clearly indicates his interest (some might argue obsession) in her. Further
on, after Madeleine is saved by Scottie, she is wearing a red nightdress and her connection
with Scottie is escalated by further physical cues. This perhaps signify the sexual tension
between the two as it seems that they both have a mutual interest in the other. We
eventually see Scottie and Madeleine kiss after running through a forest with red flowers.
Other key instances of red appears when Midge puts on a red shirt in attempts to win over
Scottie with a humorous painting, it is the only time we ever see her put on red and in this
case, it’s a clear example of what Hitchcock is attempting to tell us, that the color red is
symbolized with attraction.
The color red could also perhaps signify danger or act as a warning. During the first few
moments of the film, Scottie’s partner falls of a red-tiled rooftop, the exact same type of
tiles and roof repeats itself with the following death of both real and fake Madeleine at the
cathedral. We even see the red when Scottie runs past the color red in the background of
the altar as well as during the scene in court on the flag.
Scottie’s nightmare when the whole screen starts flashing red, similar the that of the initial
opening sequence, could also represent both, his love for Madeleine and foreshadows the
upcoming danger. This usage of red to represent love and danger contrasts almost
oppositely and it ties in very thematically with the idea of confusion and misdirection that
Hitchcock has been setting up in the movie.
Something else I noticed was the usage of red during transitions, once with building lights
and another with the traffic light. The necklace of Carlotta also appears very visually striking
as a bright red and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of red roses in the hospital, the red
wallet of Judy Barton and Scottie’s house (the red door and the red bricks).
Another prominent color used by Hitchcock is the color of green which seems to represent
Judy Barton, she appears almost always in green and while she was Madeleine, seems to
always be engulfed by that color. From the car that she drives (notice how there was even a
scene where there were two green cars, hinting at the double life), to being surrounded by
greenery in the graveyard and in the forest. My favorite one was when the Empire Hotel’s
neon signboard turns from red to green after the real Madeleine’s death. Very very subtle
indeed.
The color green represents the realness of Judy Barton while pretending to be Madeleine
(who always appeared in a blue/gray suit) and just for fun, both red and green are
contrasting colors on the color wheel!
The motifs of flowers (and trees?) appear almost seemingly connected to the color green. I
can’t even count the number of times they appeared. From actual flowers, to the bouquet
of flowers on the painting of Carlotta, throwing petals in the bay, roses in the hospital
curtain and the numerous painting of flowers and designs of flowers on the sheets of the
bed. It’s almost like Hitchcock is telling us that they are immortal. Didn’t Madeleine lament
over how people die and trees keep on living before Scottie explains to her that their true
name is “Sequoia Sempervirens” which means “always green, ever-living?” Oh yeah, they
did.
Overall, there are way too many motifs in this film the prominence of color and
understanding their significance and what they represent and hint at during the film is how
Vertigo engages its audience in a fun and distinct manner.