Vertigo, Hitchcock & the Spiral — Vertigo Film Analysis and the Perfect Symbol for Obsession

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Our Vertigo analysis looks at the spiral motif in Hitchcock’s haunting tale of obsession.

Vertigo Movie Explained ►►
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro — The Spiral Motifs in Vertigo
01:33 Vertigo Explained (Story Recap)
03:08 Spirals in the Title Sequence
03:26 Spirals in the Score
04:19 Spirals in Production Design
08:08 Spiral Story Structure
12:01 Motifs in Movies Exercise — American Beauty

There are a few motifs in Vertigo (1958) but none are more dominant or meaningful than the spiral. From the higher-level themes like life/death/rebirth and obsession down to the details like hairstyling and props, the spiral is everywhere in Hitchcock’s Vertigo film. In this Vertigo analysis, we’ll identify and break down all the ways the spiral becomes both a visual motif and a thematic motif.

Scottie (James Stewart) is a retired detective who suffers from vertigo after a traumatic accident. Then an old friend tasks him with following his wife, Madeleine — who he believes is possessed with the spirit of a dead woman. Scottie’s investigation leads him into a mystery built upon deceit and obsession.

And the perfect symbol for this journey is the spiral.

So, how exactly does the spiral become not only one of the dominant motifs in Vertigo but perhaps the crown jewel of all Hitchcock motifs? Let’s start at the beginning — before we see anything, we hear Bernard Hermann’s magnificent score. It is a strange pattern of notes consisting of two scales (one rising and one falling) played simultaneously. Then we see the opening credit sequence, designed by the inimitable Saul Bass, which is a hypnotic and abstract collection of literal spiral patterns furthering our disorientation.

But the spiral motifs in Vertigo don’t end there. We find the spiral twist hairstyle in both Madeleine and the portrait of Carlotta Valdez. The redwood stump is the perfect spiral metaphor, as Madeleine describes her past life — “Here I was born, and here I died.” The design of the belltower staircase is yet another spiral we return to repeatedly. And finally, the structure of the film itself is a spiral as the second half repeats locations, scenes, and actions from the first half. There are many reasons to fall in love with Hitchcock’s Vertigo and perhaps his use of the spiral motif is what lures us in and keeps us returning again...and again...and again.


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♬ SONGS USED:

"Prelude and Rooftop" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Bay" - Bernard Herrmann
"Carlotta's Portrait" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Dream" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Streets" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Forest" - Bernard Herrmann
"By the Fireside" - Bernard Herrmann
"Scene D'Amour" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Nightmare and Dawn" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Past and the Girl" - Bernard Herrmann
"The Necklace, The Return and Finale" - Bernard Herrmann
"Somewhere" - Daniele Musto
"Dead Already" - Thomas Newman
"Lunch with the King" - Thomas Newman
"Midnight Daydream" - Cinerama

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#film-theory, #video-essay, #filmmaker