Vertigo Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

We analysed the opening sequence Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock. The title 'Vertigo' relates to the weakness of the main character, who is the protagonist in the film and is fallible and has an 'Achilles heal' which is exploited at the very beginning which as we discover is his fear of heights.
Throughout the opening sequence to this film there is music which is incorporated in order to build up suspense. The first image that we are introduced to is the image of the woman's lips. This is followed by corresponding images of her eyes. This is an example of voyeurism as we see the woman in vulnerable state because she looks uneasy as her eyes are not focused. This can also represent objectification because the woman is shown as only specific bits and is seen as just an object and not a person. This also builds up tension because we don't know what she's looking at or why she's in that state. The image seen above of her eyes then changes to red. This represents both danger and blood, which can depicted of the danger the woman's in. The fact that the images of the woman's face, are all close ups, creates disorientation. The sequence then turns into swirly objects and shapes which also creates disorientation.
The narrative of the opening sequence is based around a crime element. the first action shot that we see, is of a man running away from a policeman. We are put into the midst of the action without the plot being given away to the audience, leaving them wanting to watch on.

The next scene that we see, we are reintroduced to the man who was running away, who is now with a woman. In this scene we discover that the man was having a dream. This is a convention of a thriller as it's an example of manipulation of perspectives because the man is seen to be having a dream yet the dream seems real. This plays with the idea of his fear of heights 'vertigo' as he is shown dangling of a high building. The protagonist, which is the man dangling from the building, is seen to be in peril at the beginning. This builds up suspense for the audience watching.