Red and Green in Vertigo
Analysing Hitchcock’s use of complementary colours
Complementary Colours and Psychological Tension
Red and green are complementary colors, often giving a strong sense of separation and distinction. In Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958), Hitchcock’s use of these two colors is deeply interconnected. Red represents the male, while green represents the female; red is the color of desire and agency, while green is used to signify the fantasy constructed to fulfill that desire.
Throughout the film, red is consistently associated with Scottie’s (James Stewart) desires, particularly his sexual longing and control. When Madeleine (Kim Novak) is rescued from drowning and brought to Scottie’s home, she wears a red polka-dot dress, visually reinforcing Scottie’s control over her in this intimate setting. In contrast, nearly all the green elements in the film are tied to Judy/Madeleine. She first appears in a green dress and drives a green car, and when Scottie encounters her as Judy, she wears a green suit. Green, in the film, is always an illusion—Madeleine is a deception, and Judy is a fantasy.
My analysis combines a critique of the “male gaze” with my interpretation of color symbolism. However, I still have unresolved questions about Hitchcock’s use of color in the film. For instance, what does the recurring red-filtered close-up of a woman’s eye at the beginning and throughout the movie represent? I believe these are aspects that warrant further exploration.
Red: Desire, Control, and the Male Gaze
The power dynamics between red and green—dominance and submission—are established the very first time Scottie sees Madeleine. This scene is framed through Scottie’s voyeuristic gaze. In the red-hued restaurant, a stunning woman in a green dress enters the frame, her presence strikingly emphasized by the contrasting colors.
The background’s red is intense and passionate, while Madeleine remains at the center of the shot no matter how she moves, framed and constrained by the scene. The green in the composition is minimal, always surrounded by red, reinforcing the film’s gendered hierarchy: the male as dominant, the female as the object of his gaze and control.
Green: Illusion and Reconstruction
Green as a symbol of fantasy is most explicitly revealed in a later scene when Judy removes her green dress and replaces it with a purple one—her attempt to break free from being Scottie’s perfect fantasy of “Madeleine”. This moment is also filmed from Scottie’s perspective, immersing us in his objectifying gaze. After dining with Judy, he invites her out again. Judy, sensing his fixation, directly asks if she makes him remember “her”. Scottie evades the question, instead expressing his desire to see Judy daily. As this conversation unfolds, Judy is seated by a window illuminated in an unnatural green light. From Scottie’s viewpoint, she is fully enveloped in a surreal green filter, altering the colors of her dress, hair, and skin, making her lose her true identity.
This scene makes it clear that Scottie still sees her as his “fantasy.” Additionally, this moment exemplifies the objectification of women, as Judy’s concerns and identity are dismissed; Scottie does not acknowledge her question, only asserting his desires. To him, Judy is nothing more than a fantasy object, existing solely to satisfy his longing, with her self-awareness completely ignored.
