Vertigo (1958)

Groundbreaking mystery 'Vertigo' follows John 'Scottie' Ferguson, a disappointing retired detective with a crippling fear of heights that ultimately causes him guilt. John is hired by a friend who believes his wife is possessed. John, a sceptic, reluctantly takes on the case allowing for plot twists and unexpected events... Normal, expected and carefully used Hitchcock norms are littered throughout the film. An example being the long, extended car scenes where we get perspective shots of John to create an ominous feel as he is investigating Madeleine. However the film included some unusual visuals for a Hitchcock film, example being the dream-like sequence where attention is drawn to a characters face and behind it colourful and vibrant psychedelic patterns create a hypnotic, trance-like effect. Also we have recurring images such as Madeleine's pinned-up hair and an unnerving classical painting. Hitchcock carefully uses colour to draw attention to certain situations in the film. An example of this is when Madeleine is seated in an all red restaurant, yet she wears a green dress. The colour focus makes Madeleine stand out and draws attention for the viewer. Despite the stunning visuals, the characters is where the film gets lost for me. A lack of character development is prominent throughout the film, meaning I struggled to feel any emotional connection to the characters. As well as this, certain events and circumstances felt more that out of place, interrupting the flow of the film. The disconnection of the film continued into the exaggerated plot-twist, unexplained and undeveloped circumstances. Dark themes are used well to spark sympathy within the spectator around certain tragic events. Overall, the artistic cinematography is dragged down by a lack of development within the plot and is ultimately an incoherent cinematic endeavour.