Judy Barton
I've seen the movie seven times by now, but I'm still very puzzled about the ending. Why did Judy die? I have a few theories, but every time I watch the movie again, I just change the theory. Any ideas?
shareThe obvious reason "why" she died, taking your question as worded, is because in her frightened state as she was moving away from the dark-shadowy figure (the nun ascending from the stairwell) she scrambled too far past the ledge.
The implied question, and the one which you probably were asking, is why did she "have" to die(?). Personally, I'm not so sure that her death needs analyzing in those terms, ie. character redemption and the satisfaction of justice. The film doesn't dwell nor concern itself in an interpretation of the subjective when it comes to her demise. Note that Hitchcock opted for the U.S. ending sans the scene in which Scottie and Midge listen to a radio news-broadcast of the manhunt for Elster. For whatever his reasoning, he felt it best to leave his villain's fate hanging.
Many find criticism of Hitchcock's choices but it was his vision and his film not ours. However because of these choices, the film is allowed to linger and haunt our minds far longer than it would otherwise.
It echoes the death of her fictional alter-ego Madeline. Scottie went insane pushing Judy to become Madeline and in a twisted irony, just when Scottie realises it’s a fools errand, she suffers the same fate as Madeline (and her grandmother Carlotta)
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