123 School Work

Vertigo Woman on Top

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  Vertigo: Woman on top
       In the words of Jean-Luc Godard: "The history of cinema is the history of boys photographing girls." Though Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was released before the inception of Godard's film career, it beautifully follows this "history of cinema." Shocking statements have been made of the years about Hitchcock and the women in his film. "Over and over in his films, Hitchcock took delight in literally and figuratively dragging his women through the mud--humiliating them, spoiling their hair and clothes as if lashing at his own fetishes" There is Rear Window, where beautiful Lisa (Grace Kelley) is continually rejected by Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart) who would much rather look at his neighbors. There is the famous shower scene from Psycho, where Marion (Janet Leigh) is brutally chopped by a butcher knife. Then there is Vertigo where the first half of the film diligently idealizes Madeline (Kim Novak), and the second half gloomily attempts to recreate her through Judy (Kim Novak) all through the eyes of Scotty(Jimmy Stewart), the metaphoric stand in for Hitchcock. Feminist criticism of Vertigo claims that misogyny is reflected in Hitchcock/Scotty's objectification of women. However, a deeper glance into the madness of Vertigo suggests otherwise. Despite the cruel idealization, humiliation, rejection, and fetishism of Kim Novak's character(s) Hitchcock's Vertigo is not a "boy photographing a girl" but in fact a girl compelling a boy to photograph her.
  
  
  The History of the Hitchcock woman & Inventing Madeline
  
       The quintessential Hitchcock woman is blonde, somewhat cold, and has a layer of implied sexuality...