Vertigo Analysis

How auteur theory can be applied to the study of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Vertigo

In the final scene from Thelma and Louise the cinematographic effects are astounding. Panning, reaction shot, and dissolve are all used in the last section of the movie clip extensively. These three cinematographic terms are perfect for this clip because of the intensity they add to the scene. Through the use of panning, reaction shot, and dissolve the actresses portray two extreme emotions of desperation and the tranquility of freedom.

Through distinctive images composers develop interest, drawing the responder in and thus providing insight into the experiences of others. This is demonstrated in Amanda Lohrey’s novella ‘Vertigo’ as Luke and Anna find themselves in a new and disorientating environment as they attempt to build a new life and in the ‘The Red Tree’ composed by Shaun Tan, through the nameless girl’s journey as she attempts to find herself and her place in the world. Meaning created by distinctive images creates interest thus permitting the responder to gain a greater understanding on how the experiences help shape one’s self.

clever camera techniques which create tension and fear. The camera shots also pay close attention to detail. For example, when the man with the dog throws a stick for his dog to fetch into the sea, the camera

The image is brighter and sharper in the film. The contrast of the film really affects the mood. Since the contrast is so bright the viewer is bound to stay focused and aware because everything is so catchy and noticeable. Also, the exposure changes throughout the film. At the very beginning the film starts in black and white and changed to color as the story progressed. The filmmaker uses a lot of Long Takes, each shot of Dorothy meeting someone new is pretty lengthy.

This technique momentarily suspends the omniscient gaze of the camera, and evokes the spectator’s—as well as Hitchcock’s—desire to “capture” the female protagonist as she escapes off-screen. In this context, the seemingly objective tracking shot may in fact reveal itself as a violent, subjective

In the beginning of the movie, the audience is thrown into immediate action. At first you see a cop chase a man and Scottie, the detective, following. The music increases the suspense as the audiences waits anxiously to see what is going on. Scottie all of a sudden falls and is holding on to dear life at the end of the roof. This is when the audience first learns about Scottie’s Vertigo. The audience can feel his fear of heights. The feel of a thriller movie incapacitates that audience at this point because they are wondering at the edge of their seats what is going to happen. As the audience sees the point of view of Scottie looking down onto the ground, they can feel Scottie’s Vertigo. The camera work on that shot was revolutionary in that film period. The camera seems to blur and zoom in and out to portray how scared Scottie is. The lighting in this shot and

Hitchcock is known for the “meticulousness of his preproduction, shooting, and editing strategies” (Sterritt 9). An example of this is the filming technique Hitchcock used to illustrate Scottie’s Vertigo; to represent the sensation, the camera would physically move away from the subject while simultaneously zooming in on the subjects. Thus this specific shot was used whenever Scottie went through that experience, creating a specific motif for his reaction. Another strategy of Hitchcock is “his celebrated use of point-of-view shots”, which he employed to unite “physical and psychological identification between spectator and character” (Sterritt 11). This is exemplified in Rear Window, which is seen from almost entirely Jeff’s perspective, thus uniting audiences more with Jeff, and therefore the subjective narrative. This increases solidarity with Jeff, and makes it easier for the audience to adopt Jeff’s discoveries as the truth. Additionally point-of-view shots allow viewers to understand characters more, as seen through Judy’s point of view on her walk in the park with Scottie. Another camera angle favoured is the extreme high-angle shot, which in some cases marks a significant point in the plot; this shot is used to show Madeleine’s fall to her death in Vertigo, the point in the movie that serves as a climax that triggers the narrative

She was very big into film so she wanted each one of her photos with a narrative that would rely on the viewers to develop themselves. Her photos would look like it come from a movie. Each showing a potential action to come. They were not obvious and would leave a question in mind.

The opening scene begins with a stark extreme close up of a woman’s face in black and white. The camera focuses on her startled eyes that dart from side to side in an ominous manner that is coherent to the genre of thriller and its ability to perpetuate a feeling of unease. As the camera continues to zoom inwards towards her pupil, the image turns a deep red and we notice the emergence of animated spirals superimposed onto her iris. As the screen changes from monochrome to red the non-diegetic sound of mood music alerts the viewer to the insidious nature of the thriller, instilling a feeling of unease. Hitchcock’s use of the colour in this scene is unconsciously interpreted by the viewer as menacing or foreboding, as the colour red

Several film theorists have used a variety of tactics and view points to analyze feature films since their inception. One of the most prominent theorists of those that analyze films from a feminist perspective is Laura Mulvey. Mulvey is famous for her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” which presents an array of theories involving the treatment of women in films. Arguably the most notable idea presented in Mulvey’s work is the existence of the “male gaze” in films. This essay will examine Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze in relation to Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Vertigo. Vertigo does not fit the criteria of a film that

The directors chosen camera technique, a simple two composition that progresses the scene a steady pace, forces the audience to feel a part of the awkward exchange; obviously, a quality of film that could not be as profoundly achieved through the narrative in the novel.

The film Vertigo is a mesmerizing romantic suspense/thriller about a macabre, doomed romance in other words a desperate love for an illusion. The credits, accompanied by eerie music by Bernard Herrmann, play over Saul Bass' amazing title sequence that combines both live action and animation. The film begins with a fragmented and shifting image of a woman's blank and expressionless face; first, an enormous close-up of the lower left portion of her face, then her lips, then her frightened eyes darting left and then right, and then a straight-on close-up of her right eye as the entire screen takes on a bright reddish hue.

We see scenes that open and close using funnel type shots, restricting the viewing to only that which is in the small circle. This helps focus the shot on a particular individual or image, while also making the viewer wonder what is going on in the rest of the frame. When the full frame is then shown, often new individuals or concepts are introduced. The two also switch back and forth from a full frame to this circle shot often and quickly, sometimes creating a nauseating feeling for the viewer due to the sudden change. This feeling adds to the uncertainty caused by the dark eye makeup to create a very eerie feeling in both

Camera wise Aronofsky used the thriller conventions of tilted camera angles that never offer perfection, we see this when filming the daily grind of Nina’s obsessive practice in her mother’s apartment, this is a reflection of the perfection Nina is not achieving despite her obsessive practice. Camera shakes, on the subway when Nina stands still but the camera shakes uncontrollably, a hint at expressing and knowing allusion to her uncontrollable insanity, Shaking in thrillers is used to connect to lack of control, which makes thriller in The Black swan real. Point of view, in a film where the audience is trapped in a mind of a crazed woman, Aronofsky takes the “Crazy lady” genre recurrent theme set by Roman Polanski with Repulsion. A film, which begins with an intense close up of Catherine Deneuve’s eye.