hitchcocks motifs an in depth reading of vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock was an auteur who relied upon a set of codes and conventions which made his
films some of the most memorable ever made. He was primarily concerned with authorship in his
films and tended to use dark fears and imaginative settings to attract the audience. For example
this type of setting was used in the film 'Psycho'. The majority of the films that Hitchcock made
were very similar and this is because he included specific motifs that were symbolic of him and his
style. He would somehow incorporate these motifs into his films, sometimes in different ways, and
they would form the base of which the film was to work on.
Hitchcock liked to keep the audience thinking and wanted viewers to in a way be confused at what
he is trying to show only for it to be revealed at the end. It eventually would become clear in his
films but only because the audience were so familiar with his trademark cinematography and mise
en scene.
He was quoted as saying, "Always make the audience suffer as much as possible". And this he did
do. One of the defining characteristics of most of Hitchcock's films was that he would make a
cameo appearance. However because this would also become so familiar, he would make his
appearance in the beginning of the films because he knew viewers were watching out for him. This
way it wouldn't deviate their attention away from the story's plot and this typifies the regard that he
had to the importance of a films plot.
In the film Vertigo, we see the image of Hitchcock at its best. The film opens with an ominous
chase over the rooftops of San Francisco that leaves police detective John "Scottie" Ferguson
(James Stewart) overcome with an intense fear of heights. Hearing of his troubles, an old college
acquaintance hires Scottie to take on a bit of freelance detective work where he wants Scottie to
shadow his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), whom he describes as "being possessed by a spirit" and
being a "suicidal neurotic." Scottie is wary of agreeing to the job and this shows in the slightly
uneasy performance that the character gives. Throughout the section that we are focusing on he is
constantly looking around and the tentative look on his face suggests that he isn't completely
comfortable with the situation that he is placed in. This all adds to the image of the crooked male
that is so common in Hitchcock's movies. There is an air of vulnerability about Scottie and this has
incurred from his fear of heights and the fact that this fear resulted in the death of one of his
colleagues. So, in a sense Scottie is psychologically damaged and in following the lady around he
is perhaps contradicting his character. There is an element of innocence within Scottie and this for
one is portrayed in the fact that his car is white, a signifier of purity and genuinity.

He firstly follows Madeleine into a florist. Now, this is where we are faced with the main theme of
the film and possibly Hitchcock's most popular motif, voyeurism. This is the idea of looking at
someone without them being aware and Hitchcock uses it in a number of his films, namely Psycho
and Rear Window. However, the way it is constructed in Vertigo is different to that of, lets say,
Psycho. For example, voyeurism in Vertigo is more concerned with suspicion and mysteriousness
whereas that of Psycho is to do with danger and spying. The only real similarity we see to Psycho
in Vertigo is when Scottie is watching Madeleine through a gap in a door. This could be
connected to the spy hole that is seen in Psycho.
The scene in the florist is also where we see Madeleine in full frontal, projecting her beauty and
the image of the glacial blonde. Hitchcock was obsessed with a particular type of female image
and he moulded them into appearing the same. He preferred to use blondes and this was evident in
other films where he used actresses such as Tippi Hedren, Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh.
Madeleine is depicted in the centre of the screen and all the audiences' attention is focused on her.
The fact that she is in a florist as well, surrounded by flowers complimenting her stature adds to
her beauty and the effect that she gives. It is this moment that Scottie notices Madeleine properly
for the first time and it has a real effect on him. He begins to fall for her and gradually becomes
obsessed with rescuing her. This idea of Scottie being vulnerable is furthered with the fact that he
falls hopelessly in love with this shadow of a woman he knows so little about. It exhibits signs of
weakness which again is something Hitchcock liked to show. Eventually, this weakness results in
Scottie being unable to save Madeleine from the top of the building because he's too scared.
This image of Madeleine in the florist is true of Hitchcock's beliefs of the role of females in films.
The idea was that females were associated with visual pleasure and were simply objects to be
looked at. The theory was that men act and women appear and Vertigo was no exception to this.
The visual clip of Madeleine is a scene that male viewers were likely to get pleasure out of. The
male role was associated with activity and narrative and the way Scottie is used suggests this.
Upon leaving the florist, Scottie then follows Madeleine to the church where she goes to the
graveyard. This is where we see the familiar image of Scottie behind the wheel, with Madeleine a
steady distance in front. This again tells us more about Stewart and the way that voyeurism should
be interpreted. Scottie is being careful whilst following Madeleine by not getting too close to her
but keeping at a distance where he can still keep an eye on her. This shows how Scottie has no

intention of trying to frighten Madeleine by making her feel conscious of someone watching her.
And it again suggests insecurity about him, whether he should really be doing this and feeling
unsure of himself.
The shot we get of Madeleine in front is effective. Hitchcock liked to include P.O.V (Point of
View) shots in his films and this is an example. The car, similar to Madeleine in the florist, is at
the centre of the screen with the front window of Scotties car acting as a kind of cinematic frame
to which all our attention is directed on Madeleine's car.
In a way, these shots involved the audience more.
The church is quite a domineering, white building. Hitchcock tended to be influenced by his
background when producing his films and in this instance he has included the subject of religion.
Catholicism influenced Hitchcock heavily and the notion of guilt within this is conveyed in the
attitude of Scottie. He also attended a Presbyterian school which gave him a respect for religion
and shows this as superior to any man, including James Stewart whom he regarded as one of the
finest actors. By depicting Scottie in front of this foreboding landscape, the church in a sense is
seen as superior.
The graveyard scene also conveys the importance of sound in Hitchcock's films. He understood
the power of music in heightening tension where dialogue could not and this is proved throughout
Vertigo. The music used is perfect for creating suspense and the lack of dialogue adds to its effect.
In a way, the music creates dialogue. The effect of the strings invokes mystery on the part of
Madeleine and the sound of the harp creates a feeling of romance. This is heard when Scottie sees
Madeleine for the first time.
Most notably the effect of sound in this scene comes in the shot of the gravestone that Madeleine
was looking at. The quiet sound of strings is suddenly interrupted by a loud tone involving brass.
The impact of this unexpected sound makes the audience more aware of the gravestone and it
signifies how it is likely to be an important part of the film.
Madeleine's final destination in this sequence is the art museum and this is where we are faced
with more of Hitchcock's traditions. He liked to insert shots of a woman's hairstyle and frequently
included close-ups of a woman's hair. This occurs as Madeleine is sitting down, looking up at a
painting. She is holding a similar bunch of flowers as the lady in the painting and their hair is
exactly the same. With this comes the motif of a double identity that Hitchcock used so often in

his films. Again, it is used in Psycho and the case of a mistaken identity occurs in North by
Northwest, also including James Stewart. This process had a lot to do with Hitchcock's aim to
unease the audience and make them confused. In this case, Madeleine is seen as herself, the
woman in the painting and later she becomes Judy. When Scottie asks the man at the museum who
the painting is of, he finds out that it is Carlotta Valdez, the same name that was on the gravestone.
The fact that Madeleine is attempting to be exactly the same as her shows she has some kind of
problem which we recognise as being obsession.
Kim Novak plays three characters in Vertigo and her performance is very real. This is another
Hitchcockian aspect that the audience tend to take for granted. He used mostly the same actors and
actresses in his films and therefore we have a certain expectation of their performances. James
Stewart in particular appeared in many Hitchcock films.
The cinematography is an integral part of the effect on the audience that Vertigo has, most
notably, the effect of the camera zooming in and out to emphasize Scottie's fear of heights. This
also is used to unbalance the audience. The colours used are vibrant and glowing and this all
contributes to giving the film a haunting, tense aura.
Vertigo captures a snap shot of San Francisco which acts as a backdrop for the movie.
This is similar to the effect of Rear Window and the estate that is shown, which is reminiscent to
that of a theatre backdrop.
Hitchcock was at the height of his skill when he directed Vertigo in 1957. The blend of mystery,
romance, obsession, voyeurism and murder make the film typical of the Hitchcockian style. Every
image, every musical note and every aspect of the film was at the closest level of perfection that
he could attain.