In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Vertigo, we look at important motifs that help us understand the film.
Cast
- James Stewart – John “Scottie” Ferguson
- Kim Novak – Judy Barton / Madeleine Elster
- Tom Helmore – Gavin Elster
- Barbara Bel Geddes – Marjorie “Midge” Wood
- Henry Jones – the coroner
- Raymond Bailey – Scottie’s doctor
- Ellen Corby – manager of McKittrick Hotel
- Konstantin Shayne – Pop Leibel
- Alec Coppel – Writer
- Samuel Taylor – Writer
- Alfred Hitchcock – Director
Important motifs in Vertigo
Vertigo and Heights
The titular motif of Vertigo and the recurring imagery of heights permeate the entire film, reflecting the characters’ emotional states and their perception of reality. Scottie’s acrophobia symbolizes his fear of the truth and his inability to accept what’s real. When he first encounters Madeleine at Ernie’s, she is framed against a backdrop of a painted mural depicting the conquest of California’s heights, foreboding the subsequent events.
The vertigo experienced by Scottie often coincides with moments of emotional turmoil and revelation. The spiral motifs appearing in the title sequence, dream sequences, and even Madeleine’s hairstyle evoke feelings of disorientation and loss of control, mirroring Scottie’s emotional state. The spiral staircase in the bell tower, the high rooftops in the opening scene, and the tall Sequoia trees all symbolize overwhelming, unreachable truths.
The heights, thus, become a psychological barrier that Scottie needs to overcome to confront reality. This motif comes full circle in the climactic scene where Scottie overcomes his acrophobia but is faced with a more devastating truth, illustrating the destructive potential of obsession and deceit.
The Color Green
The color green recurs throughout Vertigo, symbolizing the allure of the artificial and the elusive. The green 1957 Jaguar Roadster that Madeleine drives, the green dress she wears during her visit to the Sequoia forest, and the eerie green lighting in Judy’s hotel room all underscore the motif. Green often signifies Madeleine (and later Judy) when they are in their most deceptive roles.
Green is not only associated with Madeleine’s mysterious and ethereal persona but also symbolizes the artificial construct around her identity. The green light in Judy’s room during her transformation into Madeleine amplifies the sense of artificiality and illusion. This association between green and the deceptive underscores the film’s theme of illusion versus reality and highlights the dangers of obsession with an illusory ideal.
Mirrors
Mirrors in Vertigo are a potent symbol of dual identities and self-deception. They repeatedly feature in scenes involving Madeleine and Judy, reflecting their divided identities. In one scene, Scottie first observes Madeleine through a mirror, underlining the theme of voyeurism and the duality of her character.
The most striking use of mirrors is during Judy’s transformation into Madeleine. As Judy emerges bathed in green light, her reflection in the mirror underscores her fractured identity and the conflict between her reality and the illusion she’s asked to perpetuate. Thus, mirrors in Vertigo reinforce the theme of identity and manipulation, reflecting the characters’ internal struggles and the illusion of appearances.
The Portrait of Carlotta Valdes
The portrait of Carlotta Valdes serves as a haunting motif in Vertigo, symbolizing the past’s inescapable influence and the tragic fate of women used and discarded. The portrait, with Carlotta’s melancholic expression and the necklace that becomes a significant plot point, is a constant reminder of the constructed narrative of Madeleine’s possession.
The resemblance between Madeleine and Carlotta’s portrait underscores the theme of repeated history and foreshadows Madeleine and Judy’s tragic ends. Like Carlotta, they are both manipulated and then discarded after serving their purpose. The portrait, thus, amplifies Vertigo‘s exploration of deceit, the tragic consequence of manipulation, and the cycle of history.
The Dream Sequence
The dream sequence in Vertigo is a surreal motif, encapsulating Scottie’s guilt, obsession, and disorientation. Following Madeleine’s death, Scottie’s dream sequence features falling from great heights, Carlotta’s portrait, and the bouquet, among other elements, symbolizing his fears, guilt, and inability to separate illusion from reality.
The dream sequence’s vivid, disorientating imagery, with spirals and the fall into an open grave, encapsulates Scottie’s spiraling obsession with Madeleine and the psychological fall he experiences. The scenes echo elements that are crucial to the plot—Carlotta’s necklace, the bell tower, the bouquet thrown out of the window, thereby reinforcing the themes of deception, obsession, and guilt.
The dream sequence underscores the film’s psychological depth. It provides an insight into Scottie’s subconscious, illustrating the magnitude of his trauma and the depth of his fixation on Madeleine. Thus, the dream sequence in Vertigo not only enhances the narrative’s surreal quality but also deepens the exploration of its key themes and characters’ internal landscapes.
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Are there more motifs you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for Vertigo? Leave your thoughts below and we’ll consider them for the guide.
