Beth Graham

How useful have you found the auteur critical approach in gaining a deeper understanding of Vertigo?

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the first directors to be associated with the auteur theory, a filmmaker with a distinctive style which creates a signature within their films making them easily identifiable by audiences. Hitchcock is so distinctive when it comes to the auteur theory as he was one direct-ing around the start of the industry meaning by the time Vertigo debuted his signature style was well known to both audiences and critics alike. Critic Andrew Sarris also developed an auteur the-ory comprised of three key elements: technical competence, personal style and interior meaning. All of these elements can be seen in Vertigo and allow for a deeper understanding due to Hitch-cock’s conventions within genre and narratives.

The first element of Sarris’ auteur theory is technical competence and the critic comments “... if a director has no technical competence, no elementary flair for the cinema, he is automatically cast out from the pantheon of directors.” Hitchcock however quickly became known for dream se-quences and a range of shots including dolly zooms, point of view shots and shot reverse shots. As one of the screenwriters of Vertigo, Taylor even commented that “[the camera] was his instru-ment, and he was its instrument, and they were one.” An example of his technical competence can be seen in Vertigo during the first Ernie’s restaurant scene. Hitchcock uses a tracking shot to follow Madeleine through the restaurant connoting the reoccurring theme of voyeurism seen within not only Vertigo but throughout his other work such as the opening sequence of Rear Window. Inter-estingly this tracking shot is one of the only points in the film in which the audience are not shown Scottie’s point of view, this is very important in terms of the narrative as it foreshadows the role of the spectator nearer the end of the film and suggests the shift between the mystery and thriller genres. The tracking shot in the restaurant follows Madeleine with Gavin Elster and links to Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory as the male ideal. This however is also reflected in the mise-en-scene of the scene examples including her luxurious green evening gown against the bright red back-ground. This tracking shot documents Scottie’s fascination with Madeleine as she is presented to be the ideal woman something Hitchcock then contrasts by mirroring this scene with Judy but in-stead using only shot reverse shots to show Scottie’s lack of interest in Judy.

The second part of Sarris’ theory is personal style, the personalised signature of a director or a re-curring characteristic within their films. For Hitchcock this includes examples such as the MacGuf-fin narrative structure or the binary opposition of the predator versus the prey once again linking back to the voyeuristic nature of relationships. It must also be noted that Kim Novak’s casting as Madeleine is also in alignment with Hitchcock’s personal style, he was known to hire young blondes and treat them in a similar manner to their representation in the film. A range of techniques that showcase Hitchcock’s personal style can be seen when Scottie follows Madeleine to the art gallery including the male gaze and objectification of women. Additionally another key element of Hitchcock’s style is forcing audiences to look at key narrative points or in this scene red herrings within the MacGuffin narrative structure. During this scene the camera will at first zoom into a fea-ture of the Carlotta portrait that mirrors Madeleine’s appearance then the camera turns to Scottie in order to capture his reaction and consolidation of Elster’s story of possession. This element within the film allows the spectator to piece together the story alongside the protagonist which is reflective of the mystery genre but also supports the MacGuffin narrative, using red herrings to manipulate audience and to allow for a twist.

Beth Graham

The final part of the auteur theory is interior meaning, known as the ultimate premise Sarris states “Interior meaning is extrapolated from the tension between a director’s personality and his mate-rial.” Throughout Hitchcock’s films, Vertigo in particular, America’s obsession with an idealistic view of beauty is highlighted, themes include obsession, compulsion and desire within a patriarchal so-ciety. This ideology and interior meaning can be seen within Judy’s full transformation back to Madeleine at Scottie’s hand. Hitchcock employs technical competence through the application of a fog filter and green lighting upon the reveal of Judy as the ghost of Madeline, a woman objectified to fit a man’s lustful desires, society’s ideal. Within this final element of Sarris’ theory he explained his view on film in terms of a director’s interior meaning “cinema as an art.” This idea is not only re-flected in Novak’s performance as the desirable Madeleine and more mundane or ordinary Judy, but also in the need for subsequent viewings. Vertigo itself requires subsequent viewings to gain a deeper understanding of both the narrative and the characters as critic Saamadder comments on the need for additional viewings “the beauty of Vertigo cannot be so captured and pined, it is more akin to the butterfly garden in which we all have our own nets. Everyone’s catch will be different, and different each time.” The interior meaning of the film is dependent on which character you sympathise with but this changes constantly depending on the amount of viewings and knowledge of critical reception or theories surrounding the film’s ambiguities such as how Scottie survived the opening sequence.

In conclusion, the auteur critical response surrounding Hitchcock is crucial in gaining a deeper un-derstanding of Vertigo especially when applying Sarris’ auteur theory to the film. One can easily find examples of technical competence, personal style and interior meaning throughout Vertigo and relate it back to Hitchcock’s own personal signature throughout his films. Vertigo captures the themes of voyeurism and objectification of women, a key element of many films by the director, but by knowing these thematic links other elements within the film become clearer as they foreshadow Scottie’s obsession over Elster’s fictionalised character of Madeleine.