Soundtrack of Vertigo

Bernard Hermann composed the soundtrack for the film Vertigo. Over the years, the soundtrack has been regarded as one of Hermann's best scores. Hermann's ominous scores in Vertigo help guide our emotions throughout the film.

The Rooftop chase scene melody cues the audience that chaos is about to embark. The violins create a sense of action while the detectives and cops run across the rooftops chasing a thief. When Scottie is dangling off the building, the strumming of harps gives the audience a dizzy feeling of vertigo. 

Another cue includes Madeleine's theme song—which is used whenever she is present. The first time Scottie see's Madeleine is when he watches her from the bar. The theme song plays as the camera moves towards her.  The music is romantic and lets the audience know that Scottie is falling in love with her.

The tower cue is the same song as the Rooftop melody.  Scottie chases after Madeleine to try and save her from committing suicide, but is incapable due to his vertigo and acrophobia. The score again cues the audience of feelings of chaos and dizziness. 

Another cue from the music includes the scene where Scottie is driving and following Madeleine around the city. The horn represents this passing of time; time ticking away. The music allows the audience to feel calm and patient in waiting to see what happens next. 

The music in Vertigo plays a powerful role in achieving the emotions Hitchcock wanted his audience to feel. The soundtrack is powerful and intense with moments of romantic melodies.

Detour

Detour is considered film noir because of its masterful distortion of the audience's perception. This sleight-of-hand is, surprisingly, dealt by protagonist Al Roberts (played by Tom Neal). This is no hard-boiled tough guy. He's a soft-boiled misanthrope. That's what makes the dawning realization that this whining sycophant is likely a deadly psychopath all the more delicious.

Roberts, narrating the tale, claims he is guilty only of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He illustrates his woe-is-me blues early in the film, especially when a $10 tip brings him no joy. That's equivalent to $132 today. Later he says, "Fate can put the finger of misfortune on you for no reason."

At first, I thought the plot, as told by Roberts, was sloppy B-movie writing. As it progressed I started to think this "sap," as Vera calls him, was not truly the victim in a disorienting web of circumstances. The narration is actually Roberts telling his story to a jury – or perhaps himself – to explain how he was innocent of any wrongdoing. He becomes an antihero by duping the audience into feelings of sympathy, if not affinity.

The "detours" are not the bad luck Roberts laments. No, this refers to Robert's lies when he edits reality to fit his victim narrative. I don't buy what he's selling. Roberts seeks to be the anti-hero, but he's not. Not unless the jury was comprised of suckers.

My top ten movies:

Star Wars--Episodes IV, V, VI

Wizard of Oz

Out of Africa

The River Runs Through It

Jaws

Fiddler on the Roof

My Fair Lady

The Grand Budapest Hotel

An Affair to Remember

Schindler's List

Defend Equality

The film Freaks by Todd Browning is a film that I feel defends equality. At the beginning of the film, a special message is shared with the audience like this: “In ancient times anything that deviated from the normal was considered an omen of ill luck or representative of evil." It goes on to say that during these times, malformed children were placed to die. If by chance they survived, society shunned them due to their deformity.  At the end of the message it states: "The majority of freaks, themselves, endowed with normal thoughts and emotion. Their lot is truly a heartbreaking one."

The film suggests beauty and goodness are not mutually exclusive. Browning creates a film where the "freaks" are the beautiful people and the "beautiful" people like Cleopatra are the freak. Browning also uses freakery to allow the audience to focus on the abnormal human bodies to further validate ones normalcy, even if by pity. Browning allows the audience to see the freaks outward sincerity, loyalty and love and compare it to Cleopatra's dark sinister inside. 

After viewing this film, I feel that Todd Browning allows audiences to take a step back and recognize the equality in us all. I feel strongly after viewing this film, one will walk away having more compassion for individuals with physical differences.

Sherlock Jr.

Buster Keaton used physical—or slapstick—comedy in his role in Sherlock Jr., In addition to slapstick comedy, Buster Keaton was also known for his stoned-face expressions; which garnered him fame and why audiences fell in love with him.  As Gunning shared " Keaton became less an expressive character than a master of physical comedy, a ricocheting, impassive body within a larger comic scheme."  

Comparing Buster Keaton to more contemporary comedies would include National Lampoon's Vacation, European Vacation, and Christmas Vacation, along with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Tommy Boy, and many others. Comedic actors, like Chevy Chase, use physical, slapstick, comedy to make audiences laugh. Including the variety of facial expressions—although not stone-faced—Chevy Chase uses to create comedy. Also, in all three National Lampoon Vacation movies, physical and sometimes violent stunts are preformed that make audiences cringe, yet they are humorous and that is what they are intended for. 

Introduction

Melissa Tinker
Senior
Organizational Leadership

I have enjoyed movies ever since I was a little girl. Growing up, my parents enjoyed watching movies from different genres with us. It often served as our entertainment for the weekends. Now as an adult, I married someone who loves watching movies as much as I do. Maybe even more!

The picture I included has me on the right, my mother in the middle, and my daughter on the left in Washington DC. I chose this picture because it just so happens that my daughter Hanna is in this class too. Hanna and I have a great mother/daughter relationship, and I love the fact that she is not too embarrassed to sit next to me in class!

I am taking this class to fulfill a requirement, but also because I thought it would be interesting to learn more about cinema. My engagement to cinema tends to be a weekend occurrence, and sometimes during the week before bed. 

Cheers~