The document discusses the concept of the doppelganger in the film Vertigo and how it relates to the main character Scottie. It explains that Madeleine and Judy represent doppelgangers of the same character, reflecting the vices and virtues within Scottie's personality. Scottie attempts to recreate his experiences with Madeleine by turning Judy into her double in order to cure his psychological trauma of vertigo. The document also discusses how Hitchcock uses repetition of locations and techniques to reinforce the doppelganger concept and allow Scottie to relive and attempt to repair his trauma.

2. Starter Task
According to Laura Mulvey:
What role do Men play within a film’s
narrative?
What role do women play within a
film’s narrative?
Provide one specific example from
Vertigo to support your points

3. Learning Objectives
AO2 Apply knowledge
and
Identify key term: understanding, including
some of the common
Doppelganger critical approaches that
characterise the
Analyse key scenes subject, when exploring
and consider the and
analysing films to
use of the show how meanings and
‘doppelganger’ in responses are generated.
relation to
Scottie’s Vertigo
Evaluate the use of repetition in Vertigo
and create an essay plan for last years
exam question

4. ‘Doppelganger’
‘Doppelganger’
“A ghostly double of a living person that haunts it’s living
counterpart”
“an apparition or double of a living person”
Doppelgangers are common in film and
literature and are often figured as a
twin, a mirror-image or another copy of
the protagonist
Doppelgangers also represent a
Jack & Tyler from
significant motif in the psychoanalytical
Fight Club are
study of film mirror-images of
the same character

5. Psychomachia
Doppelgangers have been used in
literature from the time of the Greek’s,
and are a symbol of psychomachia
Psychomachia has been used in literature
throughout history to represent the
struggle between vice and virtue within A modern
an individual depiction of
Psychomachia
It allows story tellers to visualise the
different aspects of the human Psychomachia –
personality, so that this conflict can be a conflict
depicted within the soul
What doppelgangers do we see in
Vertigo?

6. Doppelgangers
Madeleine and Judy are mirror-images of the same character
representing the vices and virtues within the character of Scottie

7. Madeleine
Ever since psycho-analysis became the dominant form of film
theory, the Doppelganger has come to represent the
hidden, or repressed aspects of the protagonists personality
Watch the following sequences and
identify how Hitchcock constructs the
original Madeleine
What part of Scottie’s psychology
does Madeleine represent?
What repressed or hidden aspects of
his personality are awakened when
he see’s Madeleine?

8. Doppelgangers
From the first moment Scottie sees Madeleine he
is obsessed - He is unable to take his eyes off her
Scotties obsession with this perfect women is
awakened for the first time
He sees this possession of the ideal women as a
cure for his ‘castration’ experienced earlier in the
film – but he ultimately fails in his attempts as
Madeleine dies
Madeleine represents the ideal woman – and to
posses her will satisfy his masculine desires ( to
control, posses and be active!) that have been
removed from him

9. Doppelgangers
Freud claimed that the arrival of a
double, or doppelganger represents the
“return of the repressed”
Watch the following sequence and makes notes
on the following question
Why is Scottie searching for the ‘doppelganger’?
How does Judy represent the ‘return of the
repressed’?
How does Hitchcock visually create the
doppelganger?

10. Scottie
Scottie was unable to cure his castration by saving
Madeleine due to his Vertigo – he remains
emasculated after her apparent death
After this initial failure Scottie is taken to a
psychiatric hospital but they are unable to help him
He willingly tries to re-create the past in an attempt
to cure his Vertigo
Judy represents the ‘apparition or double of a living
person’ – a second chance that Scottie can use to
cure his Vertigo by turning Judy in to Madeleine’s
double

11. Repetition
Freud believed that
traumatic events are repressed by the
conscious mind, however they remain in the
subconscious and are the source of
psychological problems, such as Vertigo
Freud identified the tendency of a person
who has suffered a traumatic event to re-live
the negative event over and over again in
action, in memory or in dreams
In order to be cured of the psychological
problem a person is encouraged to put
oneself into the situation where traumatic
events have occured

12. Repetition
Using your handouts, analysis of the
previous extracts and your knowledge of
the film answer the following questions:
In what ways does Scottie attempt to
repeat the experiences he had with
Madeline?
Why do you think Scottie does this?
How does Hitchcock visually re-create
events from earlier in the film to create
a doppelganger?

13. Repetition
Hitchcock visually repeats a series of actions taken by
Scottie during his infatuation with Madeleine later on in
the film
He uses the same locations (such as Ernie’s Restaurant
and the Art Gallery)
He also uses the same cinematic techniques to repeat
key events in Scottie’s stalking of Madeleine (such as the
pan up to reveal Madeleine in the window of the hotel
and the repeated use of POV shots as Scottie follows
both Madeleine and Judy)
Scottie is in effect trying to recreate the events
assossicated with his trauma in an attempt to repair and
over come them

14. summary
Doppelgangers in film are used to represent the struggle
between vice and virtue within an individual
Scottie attempts to create a doppelganger of Madeleine
to cure his psychological problem of Vertigo
After falling in love with Madeleine Scottie (and by
extension Hitchcock) recreates the scenarios and events
that are associated with his trauma and in doing so
attempts to posses and control Madeleine

15. Exam Question
Create an essay plan for the following question:
“How has your study of critical debates
(in this case the doppelganger and
repetition) enhanced your understanding
of the film?”
Compare with a partner and provide feedback
You are to write an essay style answer to this
question for homework

16. • Midge gets angry because she cannot please Scotty and does not
appeal to him sexually. As a result we see her lash out and she attacks
her reflection. Her doppelganger comes in to conflict with the
‘perception’ she has created.