Analysis of Madeline and Midge

The scene where we and Scottie are introduced to Madeline is very close to the opening scene with Midge so the audience has a clear comparison to use so that when we do eventually see Madeline, it makes the moment more great.

The camera pans over the restaurant and our eyes are drawn to a blonde woman sitting in the centre with her back towards us, wearing a green sash that stands out against the almost iridescent red wall; this has connotations of both lust and danger and works as a signifier for us. A slow romantic violin song begins playing the closer we get to Madeline and the camera tracks towards her in order to properly portray the idea that Scottie cannot take his eyes off her and that his obsession is growing simply from seeing her bare back and shoulders.
When Madeline and Gavin begin to stand up, the camera cuts back to Scottie who abruptly sits up and straightens his back in an attempt to make himself seem more presentable; this shows Scotties vulnerability and how overwhelmed he is with Madeline's beauty. When in the presence of Midge, he never feels the need to make himself look or act a certain way around her and often freely walks around her as he talks showing that he isn't too concerned with what she thinks about him whereas with Madeline, her elegance and ethereal presence makes him feel out of place.

As she begins walking towards him, she walks through a doorway which creates the illusion of a painting with the light shining down on her in order to highlight her features and the background music getting very loud in order to overwhelm our senses, this connotes the idea of an idealised woman, a work of art. The next shot is a side profile POV shot in order to properly show her perfectly proportioned face in a way that makes her look more like a 2D aesthetic which we are allowed to gaze at and admire. Madeline herself constantly has a very airy, passive look on her face which is typical when representing femininity as it softens the features and makes her appear that much more desirable. As Gavin catches up and walks her away, Scotties gaze continues to follow her as she walks past a mirror, placing her once again in a frame and securing the image of the ideal woman.

The scene with Midge almost the exact opposite right down to the diagetic background music which plays a sweet, constant violin medley which Scottie asks to be turned off as he is not drawn into the illusion of Midge and ends it quickly. Midges attire is a yellow jumper and dark green skirt which works to conceal her silhouette, and alongside her glasses, hide the features most desirable to a male audience, unlike Madeline where we are given close u shots and a dress which exposes her skin to us. The shots used to show Midge are all very technical and standard as she works primarily as a plot device and a comparison to madeline rather than an object of our affection.

-no pov shots
-challenges/emasculates hi
-one close up
-patronises him