Vetigo - Scottie/Madeleine at Ernies

The scene whereby both the audience and Scottie are introduced to Madeleine is one of great significance. The initial shot we see a medium of Scottie, which tracks back to reveal a clearly distinct female, sitting at a table in in the distance. The camera then tracks towards her, to reveal a blonde striking woman, who contrasts to the bland other characters that sit in the diner. Straight away from this shot, we can identify the relationship this creates between the two characters, suggesting Scottie cannot take his eyes off her, but also implying the idea that we gaze at Madeleine with Scottie, sharing his feelings of lust towards this beautiful woman. The first shot we see madeleine also, is one, which objectifies her, whereby we see her back clearly exposed, thus implying she is an erotic object. The non-diegetic music gain reinforces the idea of lust towards Madeleine, such that it is very calm and romantic, reinforcing the feelings both Scottie and us have towards Madeleine. Madeleine is shot walking through a doorframe in which we see through Scotties POV, whereby the framing connotes a painting, in that she has literally been ideally designed to perfection; moreover the connotation implies the idea that she is supernatural, as though she walking out of the painting as Carlota would. Throughout the whole scene, there is a clear signifier of her danger, but also attractiveness. She is framed in front of the vibrant red walls behind her, which again connote Scotties lust towards her, but also imply she is dangerous. This idea is again reinforced in the close up profile shot which we see through Scottie’s POV. This shot is what ultimately begins the spiral of obsession, such that the red lighting positions her almost as supernatural, as an object of pure beauty for Scottie, feelings which we adopt also – Madeleine is effectively idealised.