Vertigo

i can’t believe i literally just witnessed the epitome of “peak”. my mind is currently spiraling, similar to the spiral-y imagery throughout this film.  first of all, to mr. hitchcock, you sir were a genius way ahead of your time. everything on a technical level was brilliant. the acting, the editing, the production design, the sound design, there really wasn’t a single weakness. and then to learn hitchcock pioneered the push/pull method, such a cool technique that adds so much to the mastery of the cinematography. not sure who actually shot this, i didn’t look before starting this, but props to him as well. the screenplay was absolutely genius. i genuinely had a good chunk of my mind made up as to what was taking place. then i remembered i was watching a hitchcock film and simply had to fall back and soak it all in.  thematically and emotionally is where i think this film really solidified its place as one of the best of all time. there is an insane amount of depth and it’s honestly hard to put it into words. i literally just watched a breakdown on youtube that touches on so much, and yet i still believe there is more to be thought about. i’ll put that video at the bottom of this because it does a great job and then when i go back to vertigo ill be able to check it out again.  as i write this i’m still feeling a strong sense of just “wtf”. i feel the same as i did as soon as the credits started, even though it’s been about 25 minutes. if anything it’s a testament to hitchcock and him achieving his goal of making us feel sort of disoriented and unsure. with the use of repetition and parallels for example, scottie has this initial traumatic experience that he then sees all around him, but then starts to fall in love and become entranced partially due to that trauma having taken place. for myself at least, i can connect with that in a way because you have these key traumatic moments that you’re constantly seeing around you as you go through life in different ways. his partner falling (due to him in a way) and creating a spiral shape with his body on the ground, plants this trauma that scottie then notices many times throughout the duration of the film. whether that’s with madeleine’s hair, the stairs, etc. not only is this the shape that started out as trauma, but has grown into obsession and desire as well as fear.  there is so much to unpack with this it’s not even funny. the one last thing i need to touch on, and i don’t know if this is a commonly held belief or not (because again, lots of depth), but scottie really is the villain in a way. sure madeleine tricked him but it just started out as a job and i don’t think she was fully aware of the love he would find for her, and she for him. the real madeleine died and then judy just went on with her life. she obviously was still in love with scottie but she knew it wasn’t gonna work, she was playing a character. scottie finds judy and starts projecting his obsession and desire onto judy, unable to let go of the past, whether the death was real or not. his obsession for madeleine was the only reason he even noticed judy. he was looking for madeleine in everything around him. when he finally found a woman who resembled her, he needed madeleine to be brought back from the dead in order to fulfill his desire. that then obviously causes judy to be turned off a bit. she still has real feelings for him but she wants him to love her as her true self, and not as his fantasy. she succumbs to the pressure which obviously speaks to the sadness that is women seeking validation from men, but then scottie puts the pieces together and selfishly, needs judy to relive the past, which ends up killing her.  this is truly one of the most tragic stories i’ve ever experienced and it’s certainly a cautionary tale to say the least.  i’m done rambling but holy shit is this film amazing. and actually, not only would i not consider this a “movie”, but it’s not even a film. i think i’m gonna go full film bro here and use what scorsese calls them and declare this a PICTURE.  PLEASE WATCH THIS. i’m actually not even suggesting this, i’m literally telling you to watch it. youtu.be/109svrgbBEc?si=qTtpa2MHLlGVREPw