Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' opening

A non-diegetic soundtrack is used to initially open the scene. It uses a low pitch and brass instruments to build tension before the audience sees anything so they don't know what to expect. This enforces a 'fear of the unknown' to which thrillers are renowned for. The extreme close up of the femme fatales' eye is used to show her fear of what she is watching. Eye's have connotations of being the 'window to the soul' therefore it provides the audience with true emotion and to expect to be left to piece together the narrative themselves. Another connotation of the eye is the idea of the female watching something and the audience watching her. The contributes to Hitchcock's trademark of voyeurism. Graphic match is used between the extreme close up of the eye and the first image that forms the credits. Here, it portrays almost a hypnotic feel, like an optical illusion. This creates confusion and the idea that the narrative will be testing for the brain and involve a lot of thought to follow.