ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

A Touristic View of the #1 film, "Vertigo"

Updated on November 19, 2014
Source

A Touristic View of Vertigo

Vertigo, a 1958 film by Alfred Hitchcock, is one of the apex works of art in the film industry. Why do so many people admire this film? Hitchcock’s incredible attention to inexplicably small details and use of visual motifs is something worth admiring. One of the most captivating elements involved in this movie is the ability for Hitchcock to make the audience involved. This paper will explain how Hitchcock indulges the viewer in a touristic gaze through many different shots and techniques.

Throughout Vertigo, Scotty is following Madaleine around the city. The camera takes a numerous amount of point of view shots while this sequence occurs. These shots force us to see what Scotty is looking at an engage in the watching of Madaleine. As we watch Madaleine, we realize she goes to a lot of different places. We know this because we a given a point of view establishing shot every time she goes to another place. Before she jumps in the water we see the Golden Gate Bridge, before she goes into the hotel we see the whole hotel, before she goes into the museum to look at a painting we see a shot of the museum, and so on. These shots are given during an entire sequence of following Madaleine. It is almost as if, instead of watching Madaleine, we are simply visiting these spots as a tourist. This is increased by the catalyst effect of having the shots we see them through be point of view shots. It is as if the viewer is Scotty or is sitting in the car right next to him.

One of the most interesting scenes where this touristic feeling is present is when Scotty and Madaleine leave town to approach the San Juan Bautista Mission. In the scene leading up to the mission we watch Scotty and Madaleine drive down the highway in a few different shots. These shots help set the scene for the long drive to where they are headed. Then, once they arrive at the mission, we have an establishing shot of the tower followed by a panning shot of the arches under the mission. In the next few shots we watch Madaleine and Scotty discuss Madaleine’s dream and the features she saw in it. These are replaced by the views around them. It makes us feel as if we have moved away from a picture and moved into the real thing. It is as if we are actually at the mission as a viewer. Scotty said the fake grey horse explains the horse in her dream. This fake horse is significant because it reminds us of the often disappointing realization when you reach reality. Often as a tourist, places show their best parts rather than showing you how it really is. I believe this horse is given the same meaning.

One more shot seen a few times throughout the film is when Scotty looks down and his Acrophobia sets in. The floor below moves away from us. This shot gives the viewer a sense of space. Again, this space gives the viewer another element of being there and seeing what Scotty is seeing. These elements contribute to the film’s thematic structure by engaging the viewer as part of the film. When we feel like we are seeing through the eyes of Scotty, we are forced to relate to him. This forced relation makes us have to make sense of all that is happening to him and all the things he does, good or bad.

So, this film provides many different point of view shots and establishing shots that help the viewer become a tourist in the film. This is something that Hitchcock intentionally put into his film and is one of the multiple reasons of why it is such and incredible to film to be admired. His attention to detail and involvement of the audience in Scotty’s actions is something difficult to do in cinema, but his genius expertise and attention to detail allows him to do it perfectly in this film.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)