DAnn Record Instructor Julie Lavelle CMCL-C110 Introduction to Media September 28, 2012 Vertigo Descriptive Analysis Vertigo,

a 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, focuses on a police detective/private investigators downward spiral after falling in love with an imposter and then meeting her again after her supposed death. The protagonists obsessive behavior and mind boggling plot of Madeleine, Judy, and Judy/Madeleine makes the audience uncomfortable and slightly confused. Alfred Hitchcock does not ask the audience to follow along passively, but entraps the audience in story where there is no obvious hero/heroine or happy ending. The film simply asks the audience to watch and understand Scotties decline. The psychological and emotional state of Scottie is illustrated throughout the film through not only dialogue, but most impressively visual language (i.e. shots, editing, lighting, etc.). In the clip that was analyzed, the visual language places emphasis on Scotties anxious state of mind and his emotional attachment to his obsession. In the Vertigo scenes, various shot sizes of the subjects are used. The extreme closeup, a shot in which a particular detail of a subject is emphasized, is used for Judys face, lips, hair, and hand as she is beautified at the salon (Hurbis-Cherrier 54). The extreme close-up not only lays emphasis on Judys beautification process, but also makes the viewer ask why a particular feature is shown rather than the whole. In this scene, the extreme close-up highlights what is actually being done to Judy and the small details that differentiate Judy from Madeleine. The close-up is also used in the Vertigo clip. A close-up is shot in which the head, neck, and shoulder of a human subject, or an object of equal size, is captured in the frame (Hurbis-Cherrier 54). The close-up is used in the scene at Judys apartment as she exits

the bathroom. When Scottie sees her, the camera zooms in from a medium shot (a shot from the waist up on a human subject) to a close-up of Scotties face (Hurbis-Cherrier 53). After a couple of shot-reverse shots, Judy/Madeleines face is also seen in a close-up. The close-ups in this scene emphasize Scotties adoration and Judys joy at Scotties satisfaction. The closeups entangle the viewer in the couples happiness, and the emotion shown by both characters illustrates how much Judys makeover means to Scottie. The utilization of panning and zooming also placed emphasis on characters actions and emotion. Panning is pivoting the camera left and right without moving the camera in space (Hurbis-Cherrier 58). In the apartment scene, the camera follows Scottie as he paces from Judys dresser to the window. Panning with Scottie stresses the act of pacing, while at the same time illustrating the setting. The panning camera scores over the empty dress boxes and the disorganized room as well as follows Scottie. His rabid anxiety is shown, and the pivot move accentuates the viewers role as an onlooker; the viewer is placed within the scene and becomes a witness to his pacing. The panning technique overall detaches the viewer from the subject compared to a tracking shot where the viewer essentially trails the subject. Zooming (changing the focal length lens in order to get closer or farther away from a subject) is also used in the apartment scene (Hurbis-Cherrier 58). As Scottie criticizes the way Judys hair falls, he touches her hair. This action is zoomed upon in order to emphasize his discontent and how he is not touching Madeleine. Scottie is also zoomed upon as Judy/Madeleine emerges from the bathroom. This zoom is quick and transitions from a medium shot to a close-up, emphasizing the instant his anxiety ends and his astonishment begins. The zoom forces the viewer to acknowledge his emotional state and how changing Judy made him a different person. In the hairdresser scene, the dissolve is utilized for every shot transition. A dissolve is a transition in which one shot slowly emerges from another shot, blending the two images

(Hurbis-Cherrier 454). The extreme close-up shots of Judys face, lips, hair, and hand are dissolved on top of one another at a slow pace. The viewer is invited to look only at the work being done to Judy in order for her to become Madeleine. Dissolving the shots of Judy with each other gives the impression of puzzle pieces being put together. Each shot is emphasizing parts of Judy becoming Madeleine. Also, the dissolve creates the sense of time passing and the tediousness of actually molding a new Madeleine. Furthermore, dissolving the hairdresser scene with the scene that follows of Scottie at Judys apartment highlights Scotties anxiety. He is concerned about how Judy is being transformed and the details of her transformation. The hard cut, in contrast with the dissolve, is utilized throughout the rest of the clip. A hard (or traditional) cut is a shot that is spliced to another shot; it is a common editing technique in film (Hurbis-Cherrier 453). In the clip, the hard cut is used in mainly to alter camera placement and perform the shot/reverse shot technique. This technique typically involves three shots in which one is the master shot and the other two are reverse shots of each person or object (Hurbis-Cherrier 74). In the apartment clip, the first shot/reverse shot technique occurs as Scottie waits in Judys apartment and then goes to the hallway. Multiple reverse shots of Scottie waiting and the empty hallway are juxtaposed show his impatience. Then Judy appears, and the editor cuts to Scottie and his reaction to her appearance. There is also a number of reverse shots that show Judy walking towards Scottie and his response. The second shot/reverse shot technique is used after Scottie sends Judy into the bathroom. The reverse shots are of him and the bathroom door. After Judy emerges, she becomes his reverse as he gazes upon her. The shot/reverse shots lighting techniques are in contrast. The first shot/reverse shot scene is realistically styled with a normal yellow light and the patterned walls. The second shot/reverse shot scene is most noticeable for the green light cast upon the pale bathroom door and the green light behind Scottie, which makes the scene appear mystical and

scientific. Also, the orders of the shots are different. In the first interaction, Judy emerges before we see Scotties reaction. In the second interaction, we see Scotties reaction before we see Judy/Madeleine. This shot order builds up viewers anticipation, as well as engages the audience. The first scene asks the audience to react with Scottie as Judy walks towards the camera. The second scene isolates Scottie and concentrates on his emotional experience. A connection materializes when Judy emerges in the shot. In both instances, she is seen in a long shot (a shot where the whole body is shown) and walks towards the camera (HurbisCherrier 53). The connection really juxtaposes Judy and the new Madeleine, as well as Scotties initial disappointment and his adoration in the end. This clip from Vertigo reinforces the point of view of Scottie that was seen through most of the film. Taking his point of view is essential to understanding his psychological descent and his obsession with building a new Madeleine. An argument can be made that the salon scene is from his point of view even though he is not at the salon. The highlighting of certain pieces of Judy being transformed into Madeleine, as well as the dissolves suggests that Scottie could be thinking of her transformation and those particular details are what concerns Scottie. Also, the shots of Judy throughout the rest of the clip are mostly from Scotties pov, forcing the audience to look at her from Scotties stand point. The audience, in response, develops a skewed view of Judy because she has not become Madeleine until she puts her hair up, and then, like Scottie, the viewer becomes content that Madeleine has finally been put back together. However, unlike Scottie, the audience is aware Judy is Madeleine, and the viewer can sit steadily in their seats and rationalize that though they can understand Scotties obsession, only he has gone mad.

Works Cited Hurbis-Cherrier, Mick. Voice & Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production. Burlington, MA: Focal, 2012. Print.