Charliepaulcmp's Blog

A further insight into what influenced Hitchcock to create this scene –

To create a scene that influenced as many people as it did, it would seem reasonable that Hitchcock drew these emotions from somewhere and moulded them into his film and the characters which he used to show this. Looking into this further it became clear that Hitchcock had a fascination with a blonde actress which he used in his films named Grace Kelly. ‘Director Alfred Hitchcock is well known for his victimization of fair-haired female characters. The phrase “Hitchcock Blonde” has even been coined. Hitchcock’s favorite of the many blonde actresses he directed was Grace Kelly. A screenwriter who often worked with Hitchcock believed that the director “would have used Grace in the next ten pictures he made” (Hayes qtd. in Englund 61). Yet, once Grace Kelly became Princess of Monaco in 1956, she could no longer pursue her acting career. In 1962, Hitchcock “acquired the rights [to Marnie] especially for Grace Kelly” (Truffaut 325). To Hitchcock’s dismay, many in Monaco felt that Her Serene Highness Princess Grace “would be demeaning herself by appearing in a commercial film” (Bradford 207). Tippi Hedren was instead cast as the title thief of Marnie, as Hitchcock “entertained the notion of transforming her into another Grace Kelly” (Truffaut 327). According to “screenwriter John Michael Hayes, who worked closely with Hitchcock in [the late 1950s] . . . ‘all the actresses he cast subsequently were attempts to retrieve the image and feeling that Hitch carried around so reverentially about Grace” (Englund 61-62).’  http://rachelcrane.tripod.com/txt/vertigo.html

Drawing from this, in association with the selected clip, it seems apparant that Hitchcocks portrayal of Scottie’s almost obsessive love shown through this scene is a direct corrolation of Hitchcocks love towards Grace kelly.

Another comparison that could be made is that of Hitchcocks forceful way in which he desired the other female actresses to be the same as Grace Kelly and almost forced them to do what he wanted. This could be said to be shown through Scotties almost forceful way in which he tries to prevent the lead actress from leaving him. ‘Just as Hitchcock carefully arranged every aspect of Novak’s appearance in Vertigo, so too does Scottie set Judy into scenes he needs to see performed. Scottie begins by dressing Judy in Madeleine’s clothes. Like an addict,’ http://rachelcrane.tripod.com/txt/vertigo.html


It seems apparant that Hitchcock shows Scottie as almost having a controlling power in this scene, the persistent way in which he almost stops the female actress from being able to leave him. ‘ In Vertigo, Judy displays reluctance at Scottie’s desire to make her over into Scottie’s obsession, Madeleine. Similarly, Novak resisted the changes in her appearance that costume designer Edith Head instituted on Hitchcock’s behalf. As Head recalls in The Dress Doctor, Kim Novak “told me [Head] at our first meeting, ‘I’ll wear anything – so long as it isn’t a suit; any color – so long as it isn’t gray’” (15). Since Madeleine’s central costume is a gray suit, as specified in the script, Hitchcock’s reply was that he did not “care what she [wore] . . . as long as it . . . [was] a gray suit” (Head Hollywood, 116). Upon meeting his leading lady, Hitchcock spoke down to Novak, and “succeeded in making her feel like a helpless child . . . by the end of the afternoon he had her right where he wanted her, docile and obedient” (Coleman qtd. in Spoto Dark Side, 390) ‘ http://rachelcrane.tripod.com/txt/vertigo.html

This dominatory controlling aura that hitchcock possesses seems to come through partiucularly in this scene and it deems credible to conceive that Hitchcock may have passaged these emotional issues consciously or subconsciously through this scene.