Vertigo

Women played a large role in Hitchcock’s Vertigo. I was very intrigued by the character of Judy/Madeleine. Judy was hired to portray a suicidal wife and used Scotty to witness Madeleine’s suicide at the bell tower. I found it interesting that Judy convinced Scotty that she was being haunted by Madeleine’s great-grandmother in her dreams and in real life yet at the very end of the film she was frightened by the dark image of a ghost which turned out to be a nun. This fright led to her stepping off the window at the bell tower and caused her real death. I also saw a difference in costumes that were used when Judy was portraying Madeleine and when she was really herself. Madeleine’s costumes were of dark hues especially the gray suit Scottie forces Judy to wear in order to recreate his deceased love. When Scottie spots Judy on the street, she is wearing bright colors like green and her hair is strawberry blonde. These colors give Judy a sense of life; she is finally able to live as her true self and doesn’t have to pretend to be someone else.

I did not like the way Hitchcock used women in this film. He allowed the main character, Scottie, to be able to mold Judy into his fantasy girl which was Madeleine. Judy protested changing her outfit, hair color, and makeup but ended up changing everything in order to please Scottie so that he would be able to move on and possibly love her as Judy and not as an impersonator of Madeleine.