The image of a spiral is a prevalent symbol throughout the film "Vertigo". It reflects Scotty's mentality and how his lust for Madeleine is spiraling out of control. The first occurrence of the spiral is during the opening credits, where it comes out of a woman's eye (01:17). At first, this is a somewhat confusing image. But as Madeleine appears, a connection can be made. Her hairstyle is also in the form of a spiral (25:27). These spirals signal the beginning of Scotty's uncontrollable desire for Madeleine.
Perhaps the most obvious example of a spiral is the staircase in the bell tower of the missionary (1:13:35). At this point, Scotty has completely lost control over Madeleine and is trying desperately to reach her again. But as the spiral itself foreshadows, there is no way for things to return to their starting point. Every moment he spent with Madeleine brought them closer to the tragic ending.
The plot itself takes the form of a spiral. At first, Scotty falls in love with Madeleine and loses her. Then when he meets Judy, he tries to "resurrect" Madeleine using her. Through the change of hairstyle and clothing Judy becomes an almost exact copy of Madeleine. Scotty falls in love with her once again, but loses her again in the same way. This repetition with a slight difference is just like how each cycle of spiral does not end at its starting point. In this case, each cycle leaves Scotty a more broken man.
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