Vertigo Alfred Hitchock
Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO is a film which functions on multiple levels simultaneously. On one level it is a mystery about a man duped into being an accomplice to murder. On another level it is about a psyche burdened down with guilt. Finally, it is a story of a man who has lost his love. The film's screenplay, written by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor, was based upon the 1954 mystery novel D'Entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. Even though Vertigo is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most powerful, deep, and stunningly beautiful masterpieces, it was the recipient of only two Academy Awards nominations, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Sound, and it was left without a single Oscar. The film begins with a chase scene that ends with police detective John "Scottie" Ferguson (JAMES STEWART) overcome by his fear of heights. He must retire from the police department until he finds an unlikely cure. With the help of an old girlfriend, the sensible Midge (BARBARA BEL GEDDES), Scottie attempts to return to a normal life. His friend Gavin Els
All in all, there are two major conflicts in the movie, including the issues that Scottie has with vertigo and his conflict with the women in his life. Scottie's problem with vertigo allows him to be manipulated by Mr. Elster, who picks him as the perfect scapegoat to kill his wife. The conflict that Scottie has with the women is his need for a love that he cannot seem to achieve. The only resolution in this film is the final death of the conflicts in Scottie's life. The Nun in the final tower scene puts an end to his love interest, and his climb up to the tower ended his vertigo. I think the shadow of purity, signified by the nun, brings an end to all the deceit that has transpired. Vertigo is held up as a masterpiece because right from the start it is clear that this movie is going to be fantastic. The musical score by Bernard Herrmann is nowadays a collector's piece, and the psychodelic opening titles act as a kind of introduction to what we are going to see and feel later. Note the symbolism present throughout the movie: The form of the tower's stairs, the cemetery's pathways or the sequ
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