by Taeden Thorpe
Revealing Judy’s Heartbreak and the Shift in Audience Empathy
Judy Berton’s role in Madeleine Elster’s murder being revealed to the audience shortly after the midpoint of Vertigo rather than near the end shifts our focus from a mystery plot to an emotional tragedy forcing us as the viewer to pave open a way for us to feel empathy for Judy switching her role from a villain to lonely woman struggling with self-love and regret for her past choices.
Hitchcock shifts our focus from a mystery plot to an emotional tragedy. Instead of seeing Judy as a deceptive villain to be caught, we become her confidante and or someone we can feel something for, witnessing her internal guilt and her desperate doomed desire to be loved for herself and not this woman she was acting as for her former lover. This early reveal of Judy forces the audience to identify with her suffering as she is manually “erased” by Scottie’s obsession for this woman he accidently fell for, we as viewers watch with worry as she is forced to reconstruct the exact hoax and act she set up initially that is destroying her and him, making her the film’s most tragic victim rather than its original antagonist in hindsight.
This focus on the sort of idea with “human heart under stress” over plot mechanics applies to many other Hitchcock films, such as Rear Window. In Rear Window, the “thriller” elements of the murder investigation are secondary to the exploration of Jeff’s surveillance and his fear of overall commitment. In these works, the suspense serves as a sort of tool to expose the deep-seated anxieties and moral complexities of the characters, proving that Hitchcock was more interested in the vulnerability of the human psyche than the mere resolution of a crime that the film leads on. We can see in Vertigo how the story starts with an investigation lead by a former cop who had been suffering from PTSD and other mental illness, but things quickly shifted from a professional investigation towards an emotional rollercoaster between two mentally ill people looking for someone to pull them out of the mental warped hole they are currently stuck in. Hitchcock’s preference for suspense with a sprinkle of timely surprise creates a unique psychological burden for the viewer having them drawn in and creating a new sense of “what have i been watching” to where you start to reflect on the film and question where the story leads to next in efforts to connect the dots and search for what you have missed which is one thing I must admit I truly do love which is why I am so fond of Hitchcock and his film catalogue.
I think your emphasis on Judy as the film’s emotional center is exactly where Spoto is pushing us, and you articulate really well how the midpoint reveal turns Vertigo into a tragedy rather than a puzzle. One thing I’d add, though, is that the shift in empathy doesn’t just make Judy sympathetic, it implicates us as viewers. Once we know the truth, we’re forced to watch Scottie remake her while knowing what it’s doing to her, which creates a kind of moral discomfort. We’re not just feeling for Judy; we’re also complicit in the process of watching her be erased. That’s what makes Vertigo feel so unsettling compared to a traditional thriller.
Your point about her being “manually erased” by Scottie is especially strong, and I’d push it a step further: Judy isn’t only a victim of Scottie’s obsession, but also of her own desire to be loved. That’s where Spoto’s idea of the “human heart under stress” really hits. She chooses to stay, even when it’s destroying her, which complicates the empathy we feel. It’s not a simple victim/antagonist reversal, it’s a portrait of someone trapped by both external control and internal longing.
I also like how you connect this to Rear Window, especially in terms of psychological focus over plot. Another parallel worth considering is how Hitchcock repeatedly puts the audience in a position of uneasy identification. In Rear Window, we share Jeff’s voyeurism; in Vertigo, we share Scottie’s gaze and Judy’s suffering. That dual identification is rare, and it’s part of what makes Hitchcock’s work feel so psychologically layered compared to standard suspense films.
Your final point about that lingering “what have I been watching?” feeling is spot on. I’d just refine it slightly: it’s not just about connecting the dots of the plot, but realizing that the film has been guiding our emotions in ways we didn’t fully notice at first. Hitchcock isn’t hiding information from us, he’s reshaping how we process it. That’s why the film sticks with you. It’s less about solving the mystery and more about confronting the emotional consequences once the mystery is already solved.
I think your reading of Vertigo does a great job showing how the early reveal of Judy’s role shifts the film from a mystery into an emotional tragedy. I especially like your point that this repositions her from antagonist to tragic figure and your description of her being “manually erased” by Scottie. Once we know the truth, the tension is no longer about what happened, but about watching her endure the consequences of it. Your connection to Rear Window works well here too, since both films use suspense to expose deeper psychological anxieties rather than just to drive the plot.
I like your idea that the early reveal in Vertigo turns the film into a tragedy, especially in how it builds empathy for Judy. At the same time, I think also shifts the focus onto the obsession Scottie has other than just Judy’s suffering. After discovering the truth, we start paying closer attention to how controlling and fixated he becomes, which makes the situation feel more disturbing. I also enjoyed how your comparison to Rear Window , especially in how both reveal the characters psychological issues.
Thank you for this insightful post. Your description of the “what have I been watching” feeling is incredibly accurate. I want to add to your point about how Hitchcock uses suspense to expose deep-seated anxieties. By giving the audience the secret before Scottie knows it, Hitchcock uses his famous “bomb under the table” suspense rule not just to create tension, but to create profound empathy. If we had found out at the very end like a traditional mystery plot, we would have felt betrayed by Judy. But by letting us in on her secret early, Hitchcock forces us to feel her suffocating guilt and panic during the entire makeover process. Your comparison to Rear Window is spot on—both films use the thriller genre as a Trojan horse to explore the extreme fragility of human connection.
This is such a thoughtful analysis, though I personally think the midpoint reveal makes the film feel more uncomfortable than purely empathetic. It challenges the viewer to look at issues through varied, conflicting perspectives. One could argue Judy was a willing participant in a cold-blooded plot, while others would say she was groomed and coached into her actions. Ultimately Gavin Elster is the true mastermind who walks away and leaves the remnants of the chaos for Judy and Scottie to navigate as collateral damage. It reminds me of the looming, remnant energy in Rebecca where an invisible hand keeps the chaos going even when the architect is off-screen. This creates such a harsh environment where the desperate need for survival brings out the ugly in everyone. Hitchcock often uses this recurring symbol of men using women as their psychological life raft. In this film specifically Judy and Scottie are both digging their warped hole deeper as she inhabits the skin of a woman she helped kill while he frantically dismantles her identity to resurrect a ghost. By revealing the secret early, Hitchcock shifts the focus from mystery to a shared burden, making even the audience equal accomplices and voyeurs who are trapped in that hole with them. Although fully aware of the truth we are unable to stop the inevitable disaster.
I like the point you are making with the audience’s sympathy towards Judy and away from Scottie. I felt sympathetic first for Scottie with his incident on the roof tops and the trauma that came with it. Hitchcock knew he had to draw sympathies for James Stewart’s character in order for the twist to work. By the third act of the film, it really does transfer to a mystery plot into a psychological thriller that questions our sympathies for these characters. I found it enlightening it how you mentioned we find sympathy to Judy as her character is overwhelmed by her rouse as Madeleine. Her character is erased by Scottie’s trauma and search for release. In paper, we should be able to understand why he does this, but the acting from James Stewart twists and perverts his intentions into something more sinister.