Vertigo

Vertigo ★★★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This review may contain spoilers.

I am going to focus on the mise-en-scene of the film, and the lighting specifically. I thought this film used lighting very effectively which is impressive considering this was made in the early years of color films. One thing that grabbed my attention was that the film used vibrant colors all throughout the duration of the movie. For example, the character's clothes were bright and colorful, the main character's blue eyes really popped out, and the sky and ocean looked bright, very, blue and vibrant. This was an interesting choice considering this film has some darker moments but Hitchcock still opted to go for a more lighthearted color scheme. However, there are moments where the film deviates from this bright and vibrant color scheme to convey a different mood. One moment that instantly comes to mind is when Judy dresses up to look like Madeline and all of a sudden the lighting turns to a dark green mist surrounding the characters which creates an eerie atmosphere. Then, there's the dream scene where they alter the color scheme to use tinted lenses and animation as well. The weird coloration is a stark contrast from the rest of the film and perfectly captures the feeling of a strange and terrifying nightmare. Overall, I think this film uses lighting brilliantly. In my opinion, I loved the bright and vibrant color scheme that is present in most scenes and it makes the movie very visually appealing. 

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