Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' Characters

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie "Vertigo," a tale of deep obsession, came out in 1958. It's actually based on the 1954 French book "D'entre Les Morts" by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. This film is a wild mix of psychological mystery, romance, and thriller that digs into themes like love, desire, loss, obsession, guilt, debt, memory, and madness. Here’s my take on it.

Character Examination in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'

Let’s meet our main guy, John Ferguson or “Scottie.” He’s retired from being a detective with the San Francisco police because he nearly fell off a rooftop chasing someone. Oh yeah, and he saw another officer fall to his death trying to save him. Talk about trauma.

So early in the movie, Scottie's buddy Gavin Elster asks him to tail his wife, Madeleine. From the start of this strange gig, Scottie is watching Madeleine from a distance instead of chatting her up. Hitchcock sets it up so Scottie does most of the looking for us—basically meaning we’re seeing through a male gaze most of the time.

By the end? Man, what a twist! We find out that the Madeleine Scottie fell for never really existed. Instead, she was Judy Barton pretending to be Madeleine as part of a murder scheme cooked up by Gavin Elster—yikes!

Remember that cemetery scene where Scottie's following Madeleine? Everything looks dreamy with bright colors and soft focus as he watches her. It feels like he’s seeing her as some kind of painting—something unreal. Same vibe when Madeleine checks out her great grandma Carlotta’s portrait while Scottie gazes at her.

This whole setup shows us that Madeleine is an artistic creation herself, kinda like that painting she's always staring at. And poor Scottie gets all blinded by it—he sees her as this ideal woman to desire.

Lovers Shaped by Desires

Lovers shape each other based on what they want and care about. With Scottie and Judy? Their relationship becomes all about these desires—Scottie's hooked on this fake persona Judy played for him. It's pretty twisted if you ask me.

You got Midge and Madeleine both shown as beautiful blondes too. The audience can’t help but compare them only to realize they’re total opposites.

The Mask-Like Madness

The opening credits give us this eerie sense with close-ups on a woman’s face showing emotions we can’t quite pin down. Right from that first scene in Midge's apartment—you can tell something’s off with Scottie even though he seems balanced after his trauma.

His sanity starts cracking soon enough though—it feels like his masculinity is under threat or something. I mean he quit his ‘manly’ detective job because of vertigo! Now he relies on a cane which probably messes with his sense of purpose or identity big time.

Conclusion

"Vertigo" leaves us dizzy in more ways than one—it plays around with ideas like identity and deception wrapped up in one thrilling package thanks to Hitchcock's genius touch!

References

• Boileau, P., & Narcejac T. (1954). D'entre Les Morts.
• Ebert R., (1996). Vertigo Movie Review & Film Summary.
• Wood R., (1965). Hitchcock's Films Revisited.
• Dyer R., (1977). Stars and Hollywood Cinema.
• Cavell S., (1981). Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage.
• Cohen P., (2003). Introduction to Film Studies: Fourth Edition.
• Sarris A., (1968). The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968.