Midge and Judy

Posted on April 26th, 2007 by shayden.
Categories: Uncategorized.

I have been thinking about Midge and Judy and why Scottie is so drawn to Judy and not to Midge, even though she makes herself available to him. I think that Midge is a good example of the ideal woman. She is unexciting, and would be the kind of woman that Scottie could marry and have a normal life with and normal children and maybe even a dog and a white picket fence. She is too predictable and mundane, which makes Scottie not want her. He wants eroticism and excitement, something unusual. Judy would be the shadow of the ideal female. She is the one that is dangerous, intriguing and sexual. She uses those qualities to seduce Scottie into “following” her and she eventually gets him to fall in love with her. She lies to him and deceives him and is ultimately responsible for his downfall as well as her own.

3 comments.

Robyn’s Blog » Blog Archive » All’s fair in love and war

Pingback on April 26th, 2007.

[...] I just wanted to comment on Shayden’s post on Midge and Judy.  She says that Judy lied to Johnny and through her deception is responsible for his downfall.  I feel very strongly opposed to this idea.  I don’t think that you can “get” someone to fall in love with you.  They have to do that all by themselves.  AND they have to take responsibility for any consequences that ensue.  Shayden says that Johnny “wants eroticism and excitement, something unusual.”  Yes.  He wants this.  He wants to fall in love with Judy/Madeline.  Midge is therefore notthe ideal girl, because she isn’t what Johnny really wants. [...]

christine malkowski » Construction of Femininity in Vertigo - a Final Blog Post

Pingback on April 26th, 2007.

[...] Another blog post that touches on my subject of interest in an interesting way is Stephanie H.’s post on Midge and Judy. Stephanie identifies Midge as the ideal female and Judy as a kind of dangerous “shadow” of the ideal female, which is what, according to Stephanie, make her so intriguing to Scotty. I think that she makes an interesting point and even though she identifies Midge rather than Madeleine/Judy as the ideal female, I think it is because she means something different by “ideal” then I do in my treatment of the film. I think that what Stephanie means by ideal is that Midge is the woman that Scotty should want, that he should be going after, because she is the superwoman and our modern, feminist perspective makes us (me, Stephanie, and most other educated individuals living in 2007) view the superwoman as the healthy, “right” choice, the better woman than the superfemale. As, for the 1950s and for Scotty, the ideal lies in the superfemale Judy/Madeleine and that is the problem that leads to the tragic ending. [...]

Dancing Bread Rolls » Shades of Gray (and red) (and green)

Pingback on April 27th, 2007.

[...] Stephanie H. proposes the opposite of Craig, deciding that Judy is the shadow of the ideal female. She is the one that is dangerous, intriguing and sexual. She uses those qualities to seduce Scottie into “following” her and she eventually gets him to fall in love with her. She lies to him and deceives him and is ultimately responsible for his downfall as well as her own. [...]

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