Music in Vertigo

            In the scene when Madeleine disappears into the trees, the music is used to signify that something really has gone wrong and bring you into the hypnotizing feeling that Madeleine is putting on. We know that Madeleine has been going off into little trances, but as she walks away in this instance, we are shown something is very wrong when the music changes into a hypnotic tone with a higher note that hits when the shot comes back to Scottie as if to signify that he realizes something really is wrong. This sort of music changes the mod of a scene drastically because you can’t help feel uneasy when hearing that play.

            In another scene, where Scottie is putting on Judy’s necklace and realizes that he knows it because it is the one that she wore as Madeleine. The music here, along with his facial expression, is used as an indication of thought and to signify to the viewer that the necklace, though we’ve seen it before, means something. Also, with how loud the music got when he recognized the necklace, affects the significance and makes it stand out that much more. The music then switches back to the sort of calming “in love” melody as if it is in Judy’s perspective now.