Symbols In The Film Vertigo

"A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her."

In the opening of the movie Vertigo, there was an extreme close-up of a character face and it shows that she was scared and anxious, there's no light but is not too dark that can't see what is happening accompanied by horrifying music. Also, there's are extreme wide shot to establish the setting and for us to see the character's movements. In addition, Mise-en-scene involves all aspects of this film such as lighting, setting, make-up, costumes and acting. The set is in the 50s because of the character’s costumes and props. Madeleine's costume is polished and sophisticated

Throughout this film, there is one thing that remains constant in almost every scene, green. Whether it be a car, dress, shirt or plant, green is definitely a color that is used as symbolism. The color green appears frequently throughout the film, for example, When Scottie first sees madeleine in Ernie's Restaurant, she really stands out clearly from everyone else in the room because of her dramatic green stole. Next, in Judy's room illuminated at night by the building's green neon sign, and when she gets out of the bathroom and stand there looking at him, she is bathed in the green light, making her look like the ghost of the dead Madeleine. Another symbol is the sequoia trees, he tells Madeleine that the tree's scientific name means always green, ever living, making explicit the idea that sequoia trees symbolize life in the film. Obviously, the greenery that is carefully placed in each scene signifies eternal life.

“Sound techniques are often used to convey the mood of a scene and manipulate the audience’s emotional reaction”. When the madeleine wanders San Francisco Bay and she gets close to the water the minor key sound becomes louder and louder as the character get closer and closer to the water until she jumps. Telling us that the character is going to jump into the water. With the used of loud and dramatic music, it allows the audience to realize important moments in the