1. 1. An analysis of the Opening Sequence of Vertigo (1958) The
purpose of an opening title sequence for a film is to establish the
mood and visual character of a film, 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 1958 and the opening
consists of two distinctly different sections. One is a mixture of live
action and graphics, which were designed by Saul Bass and the next
section, it’s just live action and was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It
is the beginning of the narrative of the film. The first part of the
opening introduces the character of Madeleine, played by Kim
Novak and the second part of the opening 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 and Psycho, to name just a couple. He was originally working
in advertising but a move 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 brightly coloured photographs
of the stars but Saul Bass preferred the use of dramatic abstract
images, deceptively simple drawings and broken type, all designed
to give an impression of the story. Bass saw the purpose of an
opening title sequence as a way of conditioning the audience so that
when the film began they already had an emotional response to it.
Saul Bass understood the importance of the first moments of a film.
The title sequence focuses on the physical appearance and beauty of
Kim Novak, this is introduced at the beginning of the film and is a
theme that runs throughout the narrative as James Stewarts character
becomes increasingly obsessed by the image of Madeleine.
2. Although the title sequence played a central role in establishing
the visual style for the film its use in the marketing for the film was
limited. A focus on the image of the Hollywood stars was favoured.
A focus on the Hollywood stars images is used within the first part
of the title sequence. 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 her mouth; it is not a still image as
the viewer can see her lips twitch nervously, thus introducing
anxiety and a close examination of this character as integral themes.
The use of close-ups to frame the details of the physical features of
the character played by Kim Novak is a feature of the
cinematography that is used throughout the film; it mirrors the
obsession that James Stewart’s character develops. As the camera
pans up to her eyes they move from left to right in a slightly
panicked way, the woman is clearly on edge and not comfortable
with the viewer’s scrutiny. This enhances the creation of suspense, a
key convention of the thriller genre. It also highlights the notion of
looking, being watched and being seen watching someone else. This
is another convention of thrillers. Further evidence that this film
belongs to the thriller genre comes when the image is tinged with
red and focuses in on one eye, from the centre of the pupil an

2. 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 is identity. The first part of Vertigo’s title sequence
introduces this as a theme within this film. The focus on the females
face and then the way in which the viewer is brought into the
internal workings of her mind by the use of the graphics also
indicate that her own subconscious struggles with her identity will
also play a part in the narrative of the film. The music changes and
becomes more mysterious and discordant. The screen becomes
stained with red and this illustrates a change in focus from
examining the external signs of identity, such as facial features and
moving on to focus on the internal working of the mind, illustrated
by the camera movement through the pupil and the first appearance
of the graphical geometrical images. The theme of unstable identity
is central to the narrative of Vertigo.
3. The imagery of the pupil and the geometric spirals also
communicates the sub-genre of the film, it is a psychological
thriller. What follows is a series of graphical geometric shapes that
appear to come from a distance to fill the screen, when one
disappears another takes its place suggesting the complex layers of a
person’s personality, of their identity, again reinforcing it as a
central theme of Vertigo’s narrative. The spiral shapes also connote
the psychological workings of the mind and they mirror the
characters hairstyle, 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 very beginning. 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 and introduces the second main character, Scottie. What
is most important in that sequence is the introduction of this hero’s
flaw. The character discovers, from this event, 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
combines both tracking and zooming in oppositional movements,
i.e. a forward zoom and reverse tracking shot, thus mirroring the
disorientation experienced by the character. This weakness
disempowers Scottie and is used by the antagonist to draw him into
the concealment of a terrible crime. The panning shot of the San
Francisco skyline, following the chase across the rooftops,
introduces the location and re-enforces the theme of the film. San
Francisco as a place is famous for the huge imposing sight of the
Golden Gate Bridge 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 to Vertigo’s narrative
and this is first introduced in the opening chase sequence which
ends with Scottie being left suspended at a great height with a fear
of impending death should he lost his grip and plummet to the floor
like his colleague. As a thriller the opening sequence of Vertigo sets

3. up an atmosphere of anxiety and very importantly of suspense, as
one of the central characters is literally left suspended in mid-air.
Another, as yet undiscussed aspect of the opening sequence is the
music. The score was composed by Bernard Herman and in a 2004
article for Sight & Sound the director Martin Scorsese said of its
impact.
4. Hitchcock's film is about obsession, which means that it's about
circling back 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 an initial 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 much to the simplicity of its approach.