MovieChat Forums > Vertigo (1958) Discussion > John, Scottie, Fergus--Any Significance?...

John, Scottie, Fergus--Any Significance?

posted 8 years ago by truetexian
8 replies | jump to latest

Is there any significance in the shifting name usage? Whenever Stewart's character brings "Madeleine" back to his apartment after having fished her out of the SF-bay, he tells her that his friends call him John and acquaintances call him Scottie. "Madeleine" settles upon calling him John. Yet after their walk through Muir forest, during their romantic embrace against the magnificent Pacific seascape, she breathlessly calls him Scottie. Is this shift merely inconsequential?

Midge consistently calls and refers to him as John or affectionately, Johnny.

Following Scottie's "name rules" above, being an ole school chum of Scottie's, you'd think Gavin Elster would have referred to him as John. Yet, he calls him Scottie.

"Judy", if memory serves correctly, consistently calls him Scottie.

Has prior analysis of the film revealed any significance behind any of these shifts?

[–] rsgre 8 years ago

Yes, there does seem to be something rather strange about his variety of names according to who is addressing him. It is as if he has an undefined character that never fully developed. He means different things to different people. He is definitely a strange lonely aging bachelor when we first meet him, and I think that was the point.
RSGRE

[–] truetexian 8 years ago

Thanks, yeah it's definitely telling us something about our main character and hints to the duality of his nature as well I suppose.
Thinking over the plot and trying to figure out at what point "Judy" starts to feel real emotions for Scottie, I'm inclined to believe this (about the use of his names):

Elster: I think his usage of "Scottie" is a bit of foreshadowing--him simply an acquaintance--not true friend.

Midge: Her preference of "John" is pretty much obvious.

"Madeleine": At his apartment whenever she is meeting Scottie for the first time, she's already aware that he's attracted to her but she's on Elster's mission and been given a directive to lock-it-in so to speak and therefore opts to call him (John),what people closest to him call him.

"Judy": After "Madeleine's" and Scottie's day together in the forest "Judy" begins to regret her bargain with Elster. At this point, having developed feelings for him, "Judy" feels it too ingratiating to call him "John".
Due to guilt and shame, this remains so to the end.

[–] rsgre 8 years ago

Thanks, and speaking of "Madeleine" choosing "John" at his house, I am always struck how she suddenly says to him right after: "...and you live here alone ?...one shouldn't live alone....it's wrong...". It is a curious thing for her to say to him at that moment, strangely judgmental, and perhaps secretly the moral of the film and Hitchcock's quiet commentary.

RRSGRE

[–] truetexian 8 years ago

You're right it is a curious thing for her to have said and oddly judgmental. Rather than it secretly being the moral of the film it could simply be "Madeleine" playing her "part". After all, we're asked to accept that her entire angst and psychological distress stems from her family heritage of rejection, isolation, and loneliness.

[–] GorchBrother 8 years ago

Midge is trying to convince herself she's not in the friend zone by avoiding Scottie's nickname used by pals.

The fact that he has multiple names doesn't seem to unrelated to the dual personality/identity plot.

"Who can't use the Force now?! I can still use the Force!" - Yarael Poof

[–] truetexian 8 years ago

Yes, but what do you make of "Madeleine's" decision of calling him "John", when they've just met and then later calling him "Scottie". That was my real point.

[–] GorchBrother 8 years ago

Elster may well have coached her to call him John and not Scotty, if given the choice. But after their introduction, Judy may have decided to go off the script

"Who can't use the Force now?! I can still use the Force!" - Yarael Poof

[–] truetexian 8 years ago

Yes, that's what I believe and said earlier concerning the name switch.
At Scottie's apartment, after he told her friends call him John but acquaintances call him Scottie, she choose to refer to him as John hoping it would help establish Elster's plan. Then afterward, whenever she began to have real feelings for Scottie, it became difficult for her to keep up the pretense. By opting for Scottie thereafter, she was trying to avoid getting caught up in the same web that was meant only for him.
They say in poker that everyone has their "tell". I believe this was her's and that it probably wasn't a conscience decision of her's to 'go off the script'. Just goes to show you how "love" or in Scottie's case "lust" clouds their otherwise astute detective abilities.