Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock.

In what ways might Vertigo be considered a ‘thriller’ and how does Hitchcock create suspense?
The opening sequence is a great example of how Hitchcock creates suspense in his thrillers although it doesn't give anything away about characters or the narrative. The music in particular creates suspense by jumping suddenly and the pictch gets higher as the volume increase working to emphasise the image on screen. The image on screen is an extrme close up of a womans face and I think not revealing anything about the character was done with purpose to create a sense of confusion which is often portrayed in thrillers. The way the womsn's eye widens as the the screen flashes red and the word 'Vertigo' appears, suggests the word is a associated with danger and that someone will watch it happen. Swirly patterns then appear in the eye as the eye flickers, making the character seem agitated, this suggests that the character is in a state of confusion, the eye then dissappears, seeming as though the character has forgotten where she is and the confusion develops further. The way the images seem to move with the music and the fact that the audiences' mind is preocupied reading the titles makes the colourful images almost sublime and makes you connect with the emotions of the character without realising it. The music also blends from a twinkly, fantasy feel to a louder, more violent sound, like a dream; 'turning into nightmares'. The images that are shown in the opening sequence are representative of fingerprints, suggesting the film aslo tackles a theme of identity.
The opening scene of the whole film starts with an extreme close up of a mans hands grasping the rung of a ladder and the shot lengthens to reveal the action of a rooftop chase. This setting in a dangerous part of a metropolis (the rooftops), makes it thrilling because it adds edge to the scene and creates a potential 'fall' that the audience will be predicting. The next shot is of the whole landscape which is far too dark to make out, creating a sense of confusion and insecurity. The characters in this scene are obviously chasing one another as the second man is wearing police uniform, therefore linking the plot to crime. When the first man scrabbles to get over one roof, the audience already know that it is almost inevitable that someone will fall, however, when the third man is hanging on the edge of the roof and looks down, reverse zoomstretches the distance between himself and the ground, giving the audience an idea of how the character is feeling and enhancing the danger factor. The police man turns back to help him, delaying the inevitable fall and creating more suspense. It also makes the audience think about which of them is going to fall, it is for this reason nothing has been given away about the characters yet, giving them an equal chance of survival. The intense music drowns out the little dialogue in the scene, showing that 'Scotty' could not concentrate on what's being said for his fear of heights and helping the audience to understand that.