Vertigo : Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

How did Judy get out so fast and not be seen by that old woman who runs the house she is meant to go and sit in 2-3 times a week?

I've seen this movie 10 times and always wondered.



You, a salty water ocean wave.
Knock, me down and kiss my face.

Re: Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

Yes, I guess it wasn't important to Hitch. He's usually thorough in his story-telling.


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Re: Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

Hitchcock referred to this scene as an "icebox" scene: you watch the movie and go home and you're pulling food out of your icebox and suddenly think "hey, they never explained how Judy disappeared in that one scene!" Judy could have paid the woman, she could have simply had her back turned and Judy snuck up quietly, or, since both of these are unlikely due to the missing car, it is simply one of those small elements that will never be explained and makes you wonder whether there wasn't a slight supernatural element after all.

Re: Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

I'm watching it now and had a simple idea. Couldn't Judy have told the old woman that a man was following her and she needed help getting away from him? Maybe she even said he was only pretending to be a cop.

It makes a bit of sense; the old woman babbles on when Scottie asks who rents the room, and when he's about to go, the old woman says Judy isn't there, proving that eats up a little more time. Was it just an awkward scene or was the old woman trying to keep him still as long as possible so Judy could get away?

Re: Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

I think women are all too eager to play along in the game of male entrapment...with or without money.

I'm sure she was coached and instructed in advance. We can't be sure of what she was told to make her play along.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good (wo)men to do nothing.E. Burke

Re: Was the old lady in the house-hotel paid by Judy to play along?

A good movie doesn't require the audience to speculate so all ideas about the landlady and Madeline/Judy were in cahoots and all other speculations are bogus and a waste of time and mind. So, safely assuming that Hitchcock didn't make a mistake we must assume that the character never entered the house, that Scottie was imagining it. This realization reinforces that Scottie is not in his right mind, an idea which pervades the story.
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