Vertigo : The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Not only was I bored by this so called master-piece but the fake awful studio shots in pretty much every scene shot outdoor, annoyed me so much that I had a hard time focusing on the movie itself. I know that Hitchcock insisted on shooting almost everything in a studio so he could control everything but come on. Even in 1958 the painting of the church-tower, the city at night outside the apartment windows and the rest of the fake back-droppings like by the beach with bad lighting on the actors and the actors standing in front of a screen in the so called forest scenes and their voices clearly shot in a studio, must have seem fake. Not to mention when he rescues her from the Bay and it's clearly a pool and not the bay they're swimming in.

And Novaks eyebrows that was completely painted on bothered me too. They looked so fake. Why was this done? Kim Novak had real eyebrows so why did Hitchcock shave them off and painted them back on twice as big? Was thisd part of the mans need to control his female actors as well as torture them like he did in The Birds?

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Glad you liked it. Were you suffering from PMT on 19 Feb 2016 by any chance??

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Painted on eyebrows became a thing for a while.

--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA


Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

People/viewers were not so spoiled and critical of every little thing, if that answers your question. ("I don't like that", "I don't this this!")

No, Hitch didn't "torture" Kim Novak or ANY of his female actors-- sorry if that disappoints you. Did Novak say he tortured her? And Tippi Hedren was an isolated case. Also, if Baywatch is your favorite entry, this film is not for you.

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Vertigo has an interesting (if not ridiculous) premise. I think that the star of the film is the city of San Francisco.. That and the musical score. I did hate the paintings that were used as a backdrop, or the staged pool of water which was used as San Francisco Bay. The acting by Stewart was ok and Kim Novak stunk it up big time. Also the ending was extremely cheap, approaching comical. Interesting but extremely flawed film.

Hitchcock's best imo in no order: Psycho, Strangers on a train, Rear Window, Notorious.

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

The person who created this thread on 19 February 2016 at 16.21 went on to post a further 12 comments on different Vertigo threads in the space of less than an hour, mostly just repeating parrot fashion the exact same views he expressed here. 45 minutes later his mission was accomplished and his interest in this film ended for good ... or at least I hope so. Once would have been more than enough yet he had to say it a dozen times.

Ordinarily I would try to explain why the film was made that way but I really don't think this young chap is the type who can be bothered to take on board views that differ from his own. His mind is closed.

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Like William Friedkin said, if you're looking for realism around here, there's the door.

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

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

I'm not the least bit distracted by the things that bother and bore you about this masterpiece. In fact, I think in some odd sense they actually add more to the film than they subtract. The entire movie has a dreamlike quality and the things you've mentioned simply enhance.
Now, on to the eyebrows. You've not mentioned nor pointed out the intentional differences between "Madeleine's" eyebrows and "Judy's". 'Why was this done?'---"Judy's" were overly dramatized and meant to portray her as unsophisticated and rather "cheap". You have to think of the styles and mores as they were in the '50's.

Re: The fake studio shots and Novaks painted on eyebrows

Plenty of women around now with painted on eyebrows, it's quite fashionable these days
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