Vertigo Flashcards
Auteurship: Hitchcock stylistic traits
-Pure Cinema
-Dolly zoom
-spiral motif
-Voyeurism
-Thriller Genre
-influenced by german expressionism via the colourful chaotic dream sequence
-Bernard Herrman
-classic hollywood style
-femme fatale
Hitchcock’s relationship with Hollywood
-the hays code meant explicit imagery couldn’t be shown which limited Hitchcocks style of “Pure Cinema”, a style where the visual story is more important than dialogue
-The producer had majority control over the film at the time, meaning for hitchcocks early work the producer David Selznick had the control
-the constraints of the studio system led Hitchcock to found his own studio, Transatlantic pictures, so he could be his own producer
-break up of studio system after the paramount decree, agents became the new powerhouses
-Hitchcock gained an unusual degree of independence with his new company and agent, capitalising on their relationship with the major studios
Context of Vertigo:
-Thriller/Romance Genre, or film Noir
-Hollywood Golden age, initially received mixed reviews and commercial disappointment but later gained iconic status
-reflects 1950s gender dynamics
-Reflects Hitchcocks auteurship
-technically innovative, dolly shot.
-innovative in narrative, with the resolution coming 40 mins before the end rather than the 3 act structure
-at the time of the cold war when paranoia was high
Vertigo Key Scene: Elsters office
-rich brown and deep red mahoganys, in elsters spacious office overlooking san fransisco shows the wealth of Elster
-Pan of Elster taking a step up above Scottie shows a visual shift in the power dynamic
-lack of music, dialogue focused
Vertigo Key scene: Ernies Restaurant
-vibrant red mise en scene, common in hitchcocks work
-Madeleine’s green dress stands out in the wide shot instantly
-status of the restaurant and its customers indicated by their lavish costumes
-slow pan and track towards madeleine as romantic music intensifies
-soundtrack focus, no dialogue, shot reverse shots show scotties immediate interest in madeleine, amplified by the score
-we are aligned with scotties fixation on madeleine
Vertigo Key scene: Dream sequence
-changing flashing colours
-intense high pitch soundtrack
-visual focus, disorienting feel
-references to german expressionism, through its impossible setting
-graveyard where he followed madeliene
-montage
-Carlotta Valdes and Elster plaguing him in his dreams shows his obsession
Vertigo key scene: Judys transformation
-eerie lowkey lighting, with an ominous green glow
-long fixating takes, makes apprehensive uncomfortable viewing
-paranormal feel
-high pitch intense score
-close ups of Scotties reaction
Vertigo Key scene: the ending
-dark lowkey lighting, heavy shadows
-judy backed in a corner from scotties intimidation
-technical innovation, dolly shot creates unexpected disorientation that aligns us with scotties condition
-judys tragic death creates cyclical poetic justice
