Vertigo Film Analysis

Vertigo Analysis

Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ uses synchronised sound in the opening sequence to immediately make the audience feel unsettled, linking to the action within the scenes. The variations between the high and low pitches in the soundtrack and the pace of the music gives us an insight into the films unpredictable narrative and makes us uncomfortable, linking with the graphic match of the eye with the swirl patterns. This graphic match connotes the hypnosis and hallucinations that could possibly be involved in the film, making the audience understand that the film is most likely about the psychological mind rather than physical action. The first extreme close up shot of the female’s lips makes the audience unsure of who the character is and makes them untrustworthy of them as we are unable to see her or her emotions clearly. The camera then reveals the woman’s eyes and then focuses on the one eye- the one in shadow due to the low key lighting. The connotation of the eye relates to the voyeuristic personalities that are frequently shown in Hitchcock’s films. The extreme close up of her eye makes us feel as though she is watching us which therefore makes us feel uncomfortable. The fact that the eye is in low key lighting portrays to us that what she is seeing could be dangerous and the red lighting that eventually highlights the scene emphasizes the danger in the film.

The Vertigo effect

The 'Vertigo Effect' is a camera movement that includes zooming in at the same time as pulling the camera back. It was used in this film to illustrate how the main character feels when looking down from a height; the distance seems longer than it actually is. The 'Vertigo Effect' is also called a dolly zoom but due to its iconic use in the film 'Vertigo' it is known as the 'Vertigo Effect'.