vertigo opening sequence

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VERTIGO An analysis of the Opening Sequence)http://prezi.com/km-o2frcpaij/vertigo-opening-sequence-analysis-u5-p1m1d1/

The purpose of an opening title sequence is to establish the mood and visualcharacter and to introduce the viewer to all or some of the following elements:

Characters Locations Narrative/Plot Themes Visual style Genre

The opening sequence of Vertigo does

all of this. The film was made in 1958and the opening consists of twodistinctly different sections. One is amixture of live action and graphics,which were designed by Saul Bass andthe next section is just live action andwas directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It isthe beginning of the narrative of thefilm.

The first part of the opening introducesthe character of Madeleine, played byKim Novak and the second part of theopening sequence introduces John Scottie Ferguson, played by James Stewart.

Saul Bass, who designed part one, is considered by many to be a pioneer of modern title design and has worked on many iconic films including Cape Fear andPsycho, to name just a couple. He was originally working in advertising but amove to working on film publicity materials was the beginning of his work in film.Prior to Bass the approach to promotional art usually consisted of brightlycoloured photographs of the stars but Saul Bass preferred the use of dramaticabstract images, deceptively simple drawings and broken type, all designed togive an impression of the story.

Bass saw the purpose of an opening title sequence as a way of conditioning theaudience so that when the film began they already had an emotional response toit. Saul Bass understood the importance of the first moments of a film. The titlesequence focuses on the physical appearance and beauty of Kim Novak, this isintroduced at the beginning of the film and is a theme that runs throughout thenarrative as James Stewarts character becomes increasingly obsessed by theimage of Madeleine.

Although the title sequence played a central role in establishing the visual stylefor the film its use in the marketing for the film was limited. A focus on the imageof the Hollywood star was favoured.

A focus on the Hollywood stars images is used within the first part of the titlesequence. The face of Kim Novak is used to introduce both the genre of the film

and some of its overriding themes. The first view of her is a close-up of hermouth; it is not a still image as the viewer can see her lips twitch nervously, thusintroducing anxiety and a close examination of this character as integral themes.

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The use of close-ups to frame the details of the physical features of the characterplayed by Kim Novak is a feature of the cinematography that is used throughoutthe film; it mirrors the obsession that James Stewarts character develops. As thecamera pans up to her eyes they move from left to right in a slightly panickedway, the woman is clearly on edge and not comfortable with the viewers scrutiny.

This enhances the creation of suspense, a key convention of the thriller genre. Italso highlights the notion of looking, being watched and being seen watchingsomeone else. This is another convention of thrillers.

Further evidence that this film belongs to the thriller genre comes when theimage is tinged with red and focuses in on one eye, from the centre of the pupilan unidentifiable object appears and fills the screen to reveal the title of the film.

One of the themes often explored by films belonging to the thriller genre isidentity.

The first part of Vertigos title sequence introduces this as a theme within thisfilm.

The focus on the females face and then the way in which the viewer is broughtinto the internal workings of her mind by the use of the graphics also indicate thather own subconscious struggles with her identity will also play a part in thenarrative of the film.

The music changes and becomes more mysterious and discordant. The screenbecomes stained with red and this illustrates a change in focus from examiningthe external signs of identity, such as facial features and moving on to focus onthe internal working of the mind, illustrated by the camera movement through thepupil and the first appearance of the graphical geometrical images. The theme of unstable identity is central to the narrative of Vertigo. The imagery of the pupiland the geometric spirals also communicates the sub-genre of the film, it is apsychological thriller.

What follows is a series of graphical geometric shapes that appear to come from adistance to fill the screen, when one disappears another takes its placesuggesting the complex layers of a persons personality, of their identity, againreinforcing it as a central theme of Vertigos narrative. The spiral shapes alsoconnote the psychological workings of the mind and they mirror the charactershairstyle, which is revealed as an important narrative device later on in the film.

The animated spirals of Bass title designs create an effect of dizziness at the verybeginning. The shapes also appear at times to be falling; this is another theme of the narrative.

The second part of the opening title sequence of Vertigo is live action andintroduces the second main character, Scottie. What is most important in that

sequence is the introduction of this heros flaw. The character discovers, from thisevent, that he has acrophobia, he is scared of heights. This fear causes vertigo,dizziness. This is illustrated in the sequence by a camera effect that combinesboth tracking and zooming in oppositional movements, i.e. a forward zoom andreverse tracking shot, thus mirroring the disorientation experienced by thecharacter. This weakness disempowers Scottie and is used by the antagonist todraw him into the concealment of a terrible crime.

The panning shot of the San Fransisco skyline, following the chase across therooftops, introduces the location and re-enforces the theme of the film. SanFransisco as a place is famous for the huge imposing sight of the Golden Gatebridge and its undulating streets and steep hills are explored fully in the course of the film. It is the perfect setting for a film concerned with the height, being at

great heights and the risks involved in being at a great height are central toVertigos narrative and this is first introduced in the opening chase sequence

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which ends with Scottie being left suspended at a great height with a fear of impending death should he lose his grip and plummet to the floor like hiscolleague.

As a thriller the opening sequence of Vertigo sets up an atmosphere of anxietyand very importantly of suspense, as one of the central characters is literally left

suspended in mid-air. Another, as yet undiscussed aspect of the openingsequence, is the music. The score was composed by Bernard Herrman and in a2004 article for Sight & Sound the director Martin Scorsese said of its impact:

Hitchcock's film is about obsession, which means that it's about circlingback to the same moment, again and again ... And the music is also built around spirals and circles, fulfilment and despair.

Herrmann really understood what Hitchcock was going for he wanted to penetrate to the heart of obsession. Many sections of the music,

particularly in the opening sequence are looped to mirror this theme of repetition and obsession with going around in circles to the point of aninitial meeting.

Scorsese also said that the opening title sequence successfully set the mood of the overall film, as well as the visual style.

The opening of Vertigo is a classic example of a thriller and its genius owes muchto the simplicity of its approach.

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