Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is a thrilling film filled with mystery and suspense. However, Hitchcock left many unsolved issues at the end of this film. In contrast, when comparing Vertigo to more recent films of similar type, mysteries are usually always solved and thoroughly explained by the end of the film. Ironically, Hitchcock's failure to explain everything to the audience in Vertigo is one of the film's best attributes. This lack of knowledge allows the viewer to use their own imagination and speculate as to what might or might not have become of certain characters.

Vertigo boasted several different themes. Jimmy Stewart, otherwise known as Scottie in the film, played this "everyman" type whose personality was cruelly twisted into an overly obsessive man. His cause for obsession was a beautiful, young woman played by Kim Novak, known as both Madeleine and Judy in the film. Madeleine drew Scottie in so deep, that he literally became a different person. This film mirrored Hitchcock's personal feelings and was considered to be his favorite film.

While there are many scenes that prove the above theme,

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The scene where Scottie was sitting in his car alone after dropping Midge off at her home is a good first example. As he stared at her picture for several moments, he began to visualize Madeleine's face. the following are three specific scenes that clearly spell out Scottie's obsession. He eventually became so desperate that he told her he would love her if she would just let him make her over.

A third example is the scene where Scottie is trying to make Judy over. He pleaded with her and even begged her to let him do it. To top it off, he took Madeleine to his apartment, not a hospital, and proceeded to undress her entire body while she lay there unconscious. As soon as Midge got out of the car, Scottie pulled out his brochure from the museum and turned to the page that hosted Carlotta's portrait. He began to make promises to Judy that he wasn't

sure he could keep.

These particular scenes are all very successful because they clearly spell out exactly what is happening to Scottie's emotional state. He becomes a completely desperate person. Scottie rushed to her aid, and pulled her from the bay, saving her life. Clearly this was one of the first signs of his growing obsession. Clearly he forgot that he was supposed to be a stranger to her.

Approximate Word count = 760
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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Ironically Hitchcock's