Vertigo – The Actors

Movie: Vertigo                                                         

Year: 1958

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes

As I continue analyzing the film Vertigo, this week’s blog concentrates on the three main actors in the film.  James Stewart plays John “Scottie” Ferguson, Kim Novak plays the dual roles of Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton, and Barbara Bel Geddes plays Midge Wood.  I consider each of these actors to be a different type of actor with their own style and unique characteristics.

   The protagonist of Vertigo, James Stewart as John Ferguson, was a true star in Hollywood.  A star is defined as “a distinctive screen persona who is well known and popular with the movie going public” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2014, chap. 9, p. 119) and Stewart in considered one of the most recognizable and popular actors in film history. The combination of a distinctive drawl, slow way of talking, and nervous tics were characteristics that he used to develop a stylized method of acting (Eliot, 2006). Stewart appeared in a wide variety of movies genres, from westerns to dramas, and his unique persona was able to shine through and add a distinctive touch to each role. Stewart’s performance in Vertigo, however, was more reserved and realistic. For instance, Stewart’s drawl and slow way of talking were evident in the scene where he and Barbara Bel Geddes discuss their broken engagement but he used them to portray a forced nonchalance and cavalier attitude that masked his true feelings. The scenes where he was more expressive are appropriate to the action, such as in the scene where he was barely hanging on to a gutter high above the streets of San Francisco.  James Stewart was considered a star even into his later years when he accepted supporting roles and his star power was still evident when he shone in the role of Doc Hostetler in 1976’s The Shootist, starring John Wayne (pictured right).

KIM NOVAK Date: (Mary Evans Picture Library)

I consider Kim Novak, who starred opposite James Stewart in Vertigo, a personality actor.  As “an actor whose own personality tends to define all the characters he or she portrays” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2014, chap. 9, glossary), Novak made a career out of playing the sexy, blond seductress.  In real life, Novak was indeed a beautiful blond with a soft voice and natural sexuality, and these qualities showed through on film in almost every character she played.  In Vertigo, she played the dual roles of Madeleine/Judy who intentionally seduced and used Stewart’s character as an alibi to cover her involvement in murder.  In this picture, she intentionally ignores Ferguson as she glides by him, using her beauty and allure to attract his interest.  Her acting style in this movie is realistic and similar to Stewart’s, which could be attributed the Alfred Hitchcock’s direction.  As a personality actor, Novak never enjoyed the level of fame that Stewart achieved as a star.  She did, however, bring her beauty and sexuality to all of her films and had a definite impact on the movies she made.

I find Barbara Bel Geddes the most interesting of these three actors.  This character actor is probably best known as the strong matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing on the TV show Dallas, but Bel Geddes also enjoyed a stage and film career.  She was never cast as a leading lady, but instead played a wide variety of supporting roles that helped her avoid being typecast (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2014).  As Midge Wood in Vertigo, Bel Geddes played the frustrated ex-fiancée of Stewart’s character.  As the third side of a love triangle, Midge tore at her hair when she realized an attempted seduction of Ferguson fell flat (pictured right).  Her acting appeared the most realistic of the three in this movie and her ability to play the role of girlfriend/friend so well added an important dimension to this film.

References

Eliot, M. (2006). Jimmy Stewart: A Biography. Crown Archetype.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint

Dallas Scene of the Day: ‘We Have Four Sons, You Know’

https://www.google.com/search?q=barbara+bel+geddes

https://www.google.com/search?q=james+stewart

https://www.google.com/search?q=kim+novak

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=Vertigo&gws_rd=ssl#imgrc=_

http://www.stuartfernie.org/

Vertigo

 

Movie: Vertigo

Film Clip: The Bell Tower

Year: 1958

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak

The topic of this week’s blog entry is sound in film.  There are three basic categories of sound: dialogue, sound effects, and music.  Dialogue is when two characters are talking, such as at the beginning of the film clip from Vertigo where Madeleine (Kim Novak) asks John Ferguson (James Stewart) if he believes that she loves him and he answers yes.  Sound effects are any sound besides dialogue and music that occur during the film.  Madeleine opening the trap door at the top of the bell tower steps and letting the door slam behind her are examples of diegetic sounds, which are “natural sound effects matching sources seen on the screen” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2014, chap. 8, p. 191). The sound of the trap door slamming shut matches the shot of the door opening and closing. The final category, music, is the accompanying background music that plays during scenes for added effect. The music that accompanies the moments when John stops and looks over the railing as he runs up the stairs is dramatic, lending to the vertigo effect that John is experiencing.

One of the recurring themes throughout Vertigo is pursuit. This theme is conveyed through the sound of running footsteps and dramatic, fast paced music as John pursues Madeleine into the church and up the bell tower steps.

The genre of this movie is considered to be a murder mystery since John Ferguson is a detective trying to solve a crime. Two classic sound effects that indicate violence or murder occur as Madeleine jumps from the bell tower and the audience hears the sounds of a woman screaming and the sickening crunch of a body hitting the roof below (Vertigo, 1958).

All of the sound categories play important roles in this movie by helping establish themes and moods, and add to the overall excitement of each scene. Most of the sounds in the film would be considered normal sounds heard every day, but the music is very dramatic and gives a mysterious and suspenseful feel. Removing any of them would change the entire mood of the movie. For instance, if the sound effects of screaming and a body hitting the roof were taken out of the scene where Madeleine jumps, the audience would only see a brief flash of a body falling past the window and then John looking down see the body. The sound effects add a shock value to the suicide that would be lost if removed.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego,              CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

http://movieclips.com/Nwam-vertigo-movie-the-bell-tower/

https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/61/MPW-30717

Lady in the Lake – Lighting

Movie: Lady in the Lake

Year: 1947

Director: Robert Montgomery

Stars: Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan

Genre: film noir

Lady in the Lake is a film noir movie which uses the lighting techniques unique to this genre.  Film noir, which in French means “dark movie” (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014), typically uses a low-key lighting with high contrast to create deep shadows.  Since this type of movie has a recurring theme that involves either solving or planning to commit a crime, usually murder, the overall darkness of the lighting lends a general somber feel that is in keeping with the subject matter.  The film noir genre became popular after World War II as a reflection of society’s dissatisfaction and fears about the state of world at the time.

In the following still photo from the opening scene of the movie, The protagonist Phillip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) is sitting in his office.  In this scene, Marlowe is discussing his life as a detective and the latest case he has been offered which is the Lady in the Lake case.  The lighting is very dim with only a key light on his face and upper body with a dim fill light creating deep shadows around him.  This lighting in the film’s opening scene sets the perfect mood of mystery and danger and is continued throughout the film.

Although film noir does occasionally use three-point lighting, which is the use of a key light directed towards the front of the actor, a fill light aimed from the side to create shadows, and a backlight to create a halo effect around an actor’s head (Goodykoontz, Jacobs, 2014), it is not common. With the low-key rather stark lighting, the actors begin to blend in with the shadowy scenery and become part of the dark and dangerous theme of this film genre.

References

Film noir. (2014). Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved from EBSCOHOST.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint

http://www.impawards.com/1947/lady_in_the_lake_xlg.html

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu1yBpO5cwE

 

The Searchers

Title:  The Searchers

Year:  1956

Writers:  Frank S. Nugent, Alan Le May

Director:  John Ford

Cast:    John Wayne (Ethan Edwards)

Jeffrey Hunter (Martin Pawley)

Vera Miles (Laurie Jorgensen)

Ward Bond (Rev. Cap. Samuel Johnston)

Natalie Wood (Debbie Edwards Age 15)

Henry Brandon (Scar)

Story:  Set in late 1860’s Texas, this movie focuses on the return of Civil War veteran Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) to his brother’s ranch and his obsessive years long search for his niece Debbie (Natalie Wood) after she is kidnapped by Comanche Indians during a raid on the ranch.

Plot:  The film opens with a beautifully framed scene of Ethan Edwards riding his horse towards his brother Aaron’s ranch. After an initial slightly awkward meeting, Ethan is invited to stay at the ranch.  The next day, Ethan and a posse ride off to look for some rustled cattle but discover too late it was a trick to lure them away from their homes.  During the raid, the Comanche chief Scar takes Debby.  In a powerful scene, Ethan returns to the ranch to find Aaron, Martha, and their son Ben murdered and the two daughters missing. This incident sets off Ethan’s long search for the girls.

Ethan and Marty, Aaron and Martha’s adopted son, go off in search of the two girls.  One of the girls, Lucy, is found dead. As the search continues for then next five years, there are possible sightings and near misses finding Debby.  Ethan becomes increasingly angry and bitter towards all Indians, even Debby.  When they finally find Debby, Ethan does not consider her a relative anymore and wants to kill her but Marty intervenes.  After Ethan kills Scar and takes his scalp, he seems to change his mind about Debby and takes her home to live with the Jorgensens.  The final scene shows Ethan walking away as Debby enters the ranch and the door closes.

This film is told in chronological order which is” the order in which events would logically occur, from beginning to end” (Goodykontz & Jacobs, 2014 Glossary).   Making the film this way allows the audience to watch the changes in John Wayne’s character as he ages and becomes increasingly bitter and obsessive about finding Debby.  The movie might not have had the same impact if it had been told through flashbacks.  The story flows and makes sense when told chronologically.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3934321152/tt0049730?ref_=ttmd_md_pv#

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