Vertigo (1958) -
This is definitely my favorite Hitchcock film, so I'm glad to revisit it for this thread. When I first watched it, I viewed it as a tragic romance film, but only with future viewings did I really how wrong this reading was and that, in reality, Scottie was dangerous and obsessive. For instance, after Madeleine jumped into a river in an apparent suicide attempt, Scottie's way of handling the situation was by bringing her to his house, undressing her, and leaving her in his bed without telling anybody what happened (a doctor, a neighbor, or even Midge or Gavin, at the very least). If this doesn't make him creepy, I honestly don't know what would. The less time he spends with Midge and the more time he spends around Madeleine, the more clear it is that he's emotionally damaged and that the movie is about the dangers of his obsession, which extend to his fixation on Madeleine in place of Midge, his creepy behavior and demands with Judy, or the reveal that Gavin chose Scottie out of the likely hundreds of acquaintances he had since he knew that Scottie was the only person peculiar and strange enough that his elaborate scheme could possibly depend on. In spite of what we learn about the other characters in the final act, I think the full extent to Scottie's emotional damage is revealed during this part of the film (most of this is caused by Gavin and Judy though) and, as a result, we ultimately fear for Judy and are on her side.
There's also a few other things I love about this film. For one, Hitchcock utilizes technicolor better than almost every film I can think of. Through its red and green color pallet, it's able to convey such a strong emotional reaction, with red indicating danger and green indicating lust. Also, I've seen some people express boredom over Scottie tailing Madeleine by car, but I find that sequence to be an excellent slice of slow-burning tension. In fact, most of that sequence consists of Scottie driving downhill (San Francisco is a coastal city and has a number of hills), symbolizing his descent into obsession. It's a great touch to that sequence which makes it all the more atmospheric. I also loved the terrific dream sequence in the middle as, instead of feeling unnecessary, it was actually a product of Scottie's damaged emotional state. Lastly, I think the ending is perfect. Yes, it's abrupt, but intentionally so as the abruptness and confusion of it matches Scottie's headspace. The emotions it leaves me with linger long after the credits, anyways.
Overall, this is an emotionally complex masterpiece which never ceases to blow me away. Rear Window used to be my favorite Hitchcock film, but it lost its throne to this film a couple years ago.
Last up: Whiplash
This is definitely my favorite Hitchcock film, so I'm glad to revisit it for this thread. When I first watched it, I viewed it as a tragic romance film, but only with future viewings did I really how wrong this reading was and that, in reality, Scottie was dangerous and obsessive. For instance, after Madeleine jumped into a river in an apparent suicide attempt, Scottie's way of handling the situation was by bringing her to his house, undressing her, and leaving her in his bed without telling anybody what happened (a doctor, a neighbor, or even Midge or Gavin, at the very least). If this doesn't make him creepy, I honestly don't know what would. The less time he spends with Midge and the more time he spends around Madeleine, the more clear it is that he's emotionally damaged and that the movie is about the dangers of his obsession, which extend to his fixation on Madeleine in place of Midge, his creepy behavior and demands with Judy, or the reveal that Gavin chose Scottie out of the likely hundreds of acquaintances he had since he knew that Scottie was the only person peculiar and strange enough that his elaborate scheme could possibly depend on. In spite of what we learn about the other characters in the final act, I think the full extent to Scottie's emotional damage is revealed during this part of the film (most of this is caused by Gavin and Judy though) and, as a result, we ultimately fear for Judy and are on her side.
There's also a few other things I love about this film. For one, Hitchcock utilizes technicolor better than almost every film I can think of. Through its red and green color pallet, it's able to convey such a strong emotional reaction, with red indicating danger and green indicating lust. Also, I've seen some people express boredom over Scottie tailing Madeleine by car, but I find that sequence to be an excellent slice of slow-burning tension. In fact, most of that sequence consists of Scottie driving downhill (San Francisco is a coastal city and has a number of hills), symbolizing his descent into obsession. It's a great touch to that sequence which makes it all the more atmospheric. I also loved the terrific dream sequence in the middle as, instead of feeling unnecessary, it was actually a product of Scottie's damaged emotional state. Lastly, I think the ending is perfect. Yes, it's abrupt, but intentionally so as the abruptness and confusion of it matches Scottie's headspace. The emotions it leaves me with linger long after the credits, anyways.
Overall, this is an emotionally complex masterpiece which never ceases to blow me away. Rear Window used to be my favorite Hitchcock film, but it lost its throne to this film a couple years ago.
Last up: Whiplash