Vertigo opening Analysis

The opening sequence of vertigo establishes the themes of control, power, obsession and the creation of the 'ideal woman'. The use of music, graphics and colour helps the opening convey these themes.

The opening uses ECU of  Madeline's facial features - her lips and eyes - with tracking shots and still camera shots. When the camera begins at her lips we see Madeline's lips twitching - this tells the audience that she is clearly on edge and uncomfortable with the viewers close scrutiny conveying a sense of claustrophobia. The camera then tracks up to her eyes before tracking across to just one of her eyes. Madeline's eyes appear to be twitching again reinforcing her uncomfortable state which introduces anxiety and close examination of Madeline's physical appearances for the audience - this tells the audience that there is some sort of fetishism of this particular character conveying the themes of the 'ideal woman' as well as control and obsession.

A red tint appears on the eye creating a shift in mood as well as the graphics of the spiral and the music repetition of music increasing intensity. The spiral used in Madeline's eye is a visual metaphor for the complex layers of a persons identity - for Madeline being her hairstyle, dizziness and falling. This particular use of geomatric shapes makes the audience feel as though they are being drawn further in towards the spiral giving a sensation of falling - similar to Scottie's phobia.