Vertigo.
First of all, I would like to point out that I never saw this movie (this will be the case for most of the other movies that will be screened [in this film and cultures class]…)and second…I am not that much of an Alfred Hitchcock fan. it is pretty much obvious if you know me–I am more into Guy Ritchie, Ridley Scott…and once in a while, I will satisfy my thirst for the macabre with Tim Burton.
I guess I am more inclined to watch movies because of who is in them…and a promising storyline [obviously]. Of course, it is not a crime, but it is why I chose this film class. To open myself up to other genres, styles and yes…other actors. LOL.
Alright, so…my first impressions on Vertigo were…well, to be honest, intrigue. It was odd watching it. Do not get me wrong, I loved Hitchcock for setting up the movie with a chase scene (!!!)…but then I thought the director became cruel when he juxtaposed that scene with the protagonist (Scotty/John) talking with Midge [it just seemed ridiculous and rather frustrating]. I guess I am used to sequence after sequence of action.
Anyway, what was interesting was the whole affair of Madeleine and Judy. For the record, I thought Madeleine actually killed herself and that was it. I thought that Hitchcock would have spent the last hour of the movie with the protagonist rehabilitating [from this ordeal]. I felt uneasy when Scotty revisited all the places he went to “watch over” Madeleine. It was sad and obsessive. But of course, Hotchcock was not crowned as one of the greatest directors for nothing. He managed to insert a twist to the narrative–a sort of extra treat for his viewers, I suppose. Nowadays, films take more time to build in suspense and it often becomes confusing. There are not many original movies out there now, but the build-up [however,] in The Departed came to mind as the second half of [Vertigo] the movie unravelled. The flashback that happened while Judy wrote the letter was useful to the audience since it dragged them into the big picture/grand scheme in the story. It also tied together the first and second half of the movie (and made us realize the importance of the late coming Judy shortly after Madeleine’s death).
I sympathized with Scotty/John though after realizing the deception (Carlotta Valdes, the flowers, hair, the so-called first attempt of suicide, etc…). I felt this way since I believed myself to have been duped [say what? I used an old English word?].
Alas, this is the part where I talk about the end of the movie and my so-called sensible reaction. It was inevitable for the protagonist to return to the scene where Madeleine died. But in a way, I found it appropriate since things always [find a way] to come back with a 360° resolution. [I think I meant to say things come in full circle...so much for my English skillz...] Quite literally. The experience (or re-experience) of climbing the bell tower stairs was good. At this point, we can see Madeleine/Judy beginning to break under pressure (you would think that she would be wise enough to not wear that [same] necklace in the first place, huh?) and Scotty/John is acting without mercy, every once in a while, falling victim to his vertigo. What I did not expect though, was Madeleine/Judy’s tumble from the bell tower. I was trying to stiffle my fit of laughter until I saw the nun making the sign of the cross and ringing the bell. It must have been the solemn and unaffected expression on her face that made me laugh. Well, that is my opinion and I am sticking to it!!
In all, I felt that the gradual building of the movie was like vertigo. We are just climbing higher and higher…at times evaluating where we are heading with all this information (and looking down…). The suicide attempts, the disappearing acts and that frightful image/painting of Midge (!!! what was she thinking!?) were our moments of looking down and catching us off guard. The extremely high points were the staircase chase moments. Basically, the title doe not just describe Scotty’s weakness [and or shortcoming]–it is ours (the viewers) too. We fall victim to the high tension, which makes us at times, squeamish whenever we look down.
Rating: five creepy stealth nuns out of five.
