The Classic Movie Muse A note before we begin: This is the first in a seven-part series exploring Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. If you haven’t seen the film, I encourage you to watch it first and then join me here. It is best experienced without prior knowledge.
You know when you notice one little thing and it changes everything? That’s what happened for me.
It began with the necklace. A small detail that sent me down a spiraling rabbit hole as deep and twisty as Vertigo itself.
It wasn’t that I never noticed the necklace, I did. In fact, Hitchcock frames the necklace deliberately, giving it closeups so that it’s impossible to miss. But I still didn’t really see it.
As you know, there’s a big difference between seeing and understanding, and only recently have I begun to understand.
Then something shifted–suddenly this wasn’t just an ornate prop. It was a pattern. And recognizing this pattern changed everything.
Carlotta’s Portrait
When Scottie begins trailing Madeleine through San Francisco, Madeleine pulls her car up to the grand, imposing Legion of Honor.
Following her inside, Scottie is bemused to see her gazing longingly at a period portrait. He notes the eerie similarity between the two women: the swirl in their hairstyles and how they both carry the same bouquet of flowers.
The room seems to swallow Madeleine and Scottie as they are transfixed by the mysterious portrait and its haunting subject.
The necklace first appears in this moment — the portrait of Carlotta Valdes, the spectre of our story. To gaze upon her is to answer a call you didn’t know you heard.
A Victorian design of gold and red–luxury, danger, and passion–the pendant hangs elegantly over her porcelain skin.
Midge’s Painting
The next time we see the necklace is on Scottie’s friend, Midge Wood, when she “returns to her first love: painting.”
When she reveals what she’s created, it stops us cold.
Midge has inserted herself into Carlotta’s portrait. Parody, tribute, or desperate plea, we don’t know, but we do see that same necklace dangling from her throat in a near perfect copy of the original.
We see Scottie’s face turn as he processes what she’s done. His reaction is manifold: suprise, horror, rejection.
He dismisses the painting, dismisses her, and walks away.
Judy’s Apartment
Judy Barton also wears the necklace when readying herself for dinner at Ernie’s.
In her apartment at the Empire Hotel, she reaches for the Victorian pendant of gold and red, and begins to fasten it around her neck. Her choice is a perfect complement to her pitch black dress in anticipation of a romantic evening on the town with Scottie.
Through the Fog
Once I noticed this pattern, more patterns began emerging. A trail where one led to the other.
Before I knew it I had a completely different understanding of the film and a new appreciation of Hitchcock’s storytelling and artistry.
I will never watch Vertigo the same way again. Nor will I forget the exciting journey of discovery it has led me to.
All images: Vertigo (1958, Paramount Pictures) via Film-Grab and IMDb
Next: We saw Scottie’s disturbed reaction to Midge wearing the necklace in her painting. In the next post, we’ll examine why he reacted that way–and what it reveals about his character.
