VERTIGO

FILM: VERTIGO

DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Director’s introduction:
Alfred Hitchcock also known as the master of suspense has created master pieces like The thirty nine steps and North by Northwest. Alfred loved to play with story lines in which an innocent man leading a usual life gets stuck in an unusual scenario that turns into a fascinating mystery with time. Hitchcock is known for his art of creating thrillers and playing with the minds of audiences. He liked to keep it simple and never believed in vague storytelling.

The film’s log line:
A detective suffering from acrophobia tries to save his friend’s wife and falls in love with the woman who leads him to higher places but all is not as it seems.

Character of Scottie:
The detective, after going through an accident, gets attacked by a fear of heights. This phobia causes him to think of retirement but never did John think that he would overcome his fear by falling in love with a woman who does not even exist.

Out of sympathy for his old friend, Scottie agrees to help his wife who seems to possess an unsound mind. Rather than being logical, he acts emotionally while taking the decision.

Synopsis:
Former detective, Scottie has to follow his friend’s wife, Madeleine. While trying to save her, he falls in love with the woman. Madeleine dies by jumping off the roof and Scottie is left devastated. The detective later finds a woman who is eerily similar to his love. He tries to change Judy into Madeleine but does not know she is the same person and that his friend had planned a murder. The poor guy had fallen in love with a woman who was just an impersonation.

THE ACTS

ACT ONE:

The inciting incident of the film takes place when the protagonist Scottie meets his old friend who asks him to follow his wife. He agrees after his friend convinces him that Madeleine is in some sort of danger and might kill herself.

ACT TWO:

Act two of the film occurs when Scottie follows Madeleine and ends up spending the day with her. He takes her to the childhood home of Carlotta. There he expresses his love and Madeleine suddenly runs into the church and up the bell tower. Scottie is stopped by his acrophobia and is unable to follow his love. He stands helpless while the woman jumps and kills herself.

He turns into a warrior once he starts suspecting the truth of the whole disturbing accident.

CHARACTER ELEMENTS OF THE PROTAGONIST

BACK STORY:

Scottie was engaged to his college friend Midge Wood. It seems like the engagement was broken by Midge as Scottie still is seen trying to ask her out. The feelings are still there between the two as later in the film, Midge is shown getting jealous of the mysterious woman, Madeleine.

Scottie is a detective who goes through an accident (early in the film) that leads him to develop a serious fear of heights. The whole story later is built on his condition of dizziness.

APPEARANCE:

Scottie has an attire of a respectable detective of the twentieth century. With a long, formal coat and a hat, his appearance exhibits the character of a handsome, intelligent man.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES OF SCOTTIE:

Scottie is an intelligent, wise detective who solves the conspiracy set against him and cures his vertigo by forcing Judy to reenact the scene that so traumatized him: the pitching of the dead body of the real Madeleine Ulster from the bell tower by her husband, with Judy as his able and willing accomplice.

He is a kind person who falls in the trap of his friend out of kindness and his helping attitude to save a life.

Not only is he kind but also an emotional man who soon falls in love with his friend’s wife. This aspect of his personality is what causes him the disadvantage and he ends up getting caught in the trap set by his evil friend.

FEAR AND SECRETS:

Scottie is afraid of heights due to an accident in the past. So at heights, he is faced by vertigo and his dizziness lead him to think of horrible scenario. To overcome this acrophobia, he forces Judy to reenact the accident that traumatized him (falling of Madeleine).

Another secret is that he had fallen in love with the wife of his friend whose protection was a duty he had been given by his old acquaintance.

ELEMENTS OF CONFLICT

INVINCIBLE VILLAIN:

The antagonist in this thriller, I believe, is Madeleine who is also the lover of him. She was the person who actually trapped him into her husband’s evil plan. Taking use of his acrophobia, she traumatized him by jumping off the bell tower.

IMPOSSIBLE GOAL:

Scottie had to come out of his fear of heights caused by an incident. As a result he takes retirement and starts working to get rid of the phobia. The whole plot ahead tangles him in a series of incidents that eventually lead to his overcoming of fear.

For example, Judy’s reenactment of the happening that caused him trauma actually helped him to overcome his vertigo.

UNLIKELY HERO:

At first, it was impossible to believe that Scottie would not continue his retirement and rather, he would become a part of a mystery. Getting caught in the drama, Scottie falls in love with a woman whose mysterious nature leads him to places of heights. Eventually, the man loses his fear through one of the most uncertain methods.