In Vertigo the detective Scottie follows the supposedly unaware Madeline through San Francisco. In shot-reverse-shot fashion the audience sees Madeline through Scottie’s eyes. Take for example the cemetery of Mission Delores. The frame captures Scottie looking straight ahead, a tight frame leaving small slits of unfocused cemetery space to each side of his stare (shot). Madeline looks down at a tombstone the side of her face pierced by Scottie’s look (reverse shot). Madeline leaves and Scottie is brought back to reality. He rushes over to a crisply focused tombstone bearing the name Carlot

Consider the painting that Madeline marvels in the Legion of Honor. It consists of a woman before a miniature forest scene. It uses the rules of perspective to, like Given, offer an illusion of depth and encourage entry; but again the door is locked. The painting is flat and Madeline can not enter, so she attempts to simulate. Returning to Scottie’s point-of-view (the only perspective the audience is offered) striking similarities between the woman in the painting and Madeline are noticed. Madeline twists her hair the way the painted woman does and carries a bouquet of flowers identical to the flat flowers of the canvas. It seems that Madeline herself is frustrated by simply looking.

The illusion of Given is based on Renaissance perspective, which was further justified by the photograph. It is the goal of perspective to create a false depth of space; convincing the viewer that the flat body, which usually exists in front of the miniature background, is in fact real. Real space and depth allows a body to move. In real three dimensional space doors can be opened and advances can be made. But the door of Given can not be opened. The place of the spectator is fixed in relationship to the body beyond the door. Like a photograph the body of Given is for ever frozen in time. Leaving the spectator pleased with a look, but frustrated by the impossibility of entry.

Given: 1) The Waterfall, 2) The Illuminating Gas is an object specifically designed for the museum spectator. It starts with a solid wooden door nailed shut in a frame of bricks. Two holes are drilled for the spectator to view a perspective illusion trapped beyond the door. This scene is foreground by an androgynous body with legs spread; seemingly asking the spectator to enter. The miniature painted landscape in the background helps to create a false depth, again asking the viewer to enter; but the door is permanently closed and entry is impossible.

The result of the dead image is one which stems from the male look, but is not a simple result of his look alone. For the image not only leads to a dead woman, but also leads to a dead man. The twirl of time in Madeline’s hair and the black hole between the legs of the given body. Looking at a photograph is a temporary step outside of linear time. A time machine which flattens the objects and kills it. Stepping away from the image could save the spectator, but to enter is to join the object in death.

Madeline begs

Some topics in this essay:
Consider Duchamp’s, Returning Scottie’s, Illuminating Gas, Francisco Scottie, Art Museum, Legion Honor, Carlotta Madeline, Mission Delores, Finally Madeline, Narrative Cinema, false depth, outside linear, androgynous body, male female, scene vertigo, legion honor, create false depth, scottie’s perspective, holes door, reverse shot, illuminating gas, waterfall 2 illuminating, false depth space, madeline’s relationship carlotta, 1 waterfall 2,