Vertigo (1958) / Body Double (1984) — structural swimlanes

Beats from Backbeats (Vertigo) and Backbeats (Body Double), placed by film-minute. Connector lines mark structural correspondences; line style indicates the kind of correspondence.

Hover a beat box for the full beat description. Hover a connector line for the explanation of why these two beats are connected the way they are.

VERTIGO (1958) worse tools, insufficient — tragedy 128 min · 40 beats BODY DOUBLE (1984) better tools, sufficient — comedy w/ industry coda 114 min · 40 beats INITIAL EQUILIBRIUM → COMMITMENT INITIAL APPROACH → MIDPOINT POST-MIDPOINT APPROACH → CLIMAX WIND-DOWN (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) v1[4m]Rooftop chase — patrolman dies, acrophobia is born v2[5m]Midge's apt — corset, step-stool, faintEquilibrium v3[11m]Elster's office — follow my wifeInciting v5[16m]Ernie's — the held gaze (no words)Commit v8[25m]Legion of Honor — Carlotta's portrait v14[43m]Fort Point — Madeleine in the bay; Scottie dives v18[60m]Cypress Point — embrace at the cliffEscal-1 v22[73m]Mission stable — kiss / “kiss me again” v23[76m]Bell tower — body falls past the windowMidpoint v24[78m]Inquest — coroner names Scottie's failure v26[85m]Sanitarium — Midge walks out for good v28[93m]Empire Hotel — Scottie finds Judy v29[100m]Judy's letter — audience learns the trick v33[112m]The salon — hair color v35[117m]Green-light kiss — Judy emerges as Madeleine v36[120m]Necklace — Scottie sees the claspEscal-2 v39[127m]Top of tower — nun appears, Judy fallsClimax v40[127m]Scottie at the trapdoor, looking downWind-Down b1[1m]Coffin freeze — Jake fails the Vampire's Kiss take b3[4m]Home — Carol in bed with another man b6[10m]Acting class — claustrophobia exercise; Sam intervenesEquilibrium b8[17m]Chemosphere telescope — “like clockwork, every night”Inciting b13[29m]“There she goes” — Jake pulls out behind GloriaCommit b14[32m]The mall — three-figure stalking sequence b15[48m]Tunnel — Jake's claustrophobia freezes the chaseEscal-1 b16[53m]The beach kiss — De Palma's 360° camera rotation b18[60m]Drill murder — Jake watches through the telescopeMidpoint b19[65m]McLean's interrogation — “a peeper… a sex offender” b20[70m]Late-night TV — Holly Body's commercial b23[75m]“I like to watch” — Jake's porn audition b26[82m]Bar with Holly — courtship pretext b28[87m]Chemosphere — Jake walks Holly through the truth b29[90m]Speakerphone — Holly: “That's him.”Escal-2 b32[95m]Holly grabbed off the highway by Sam-as-Indian b35[102m]Reservoir — Sam buries Jake alive b36[106m]Sky tunnels away — “I can help myself.”Climax b38[107m]Dog from the car kills Sam b40[110m]Vampire's Kiss shower — body-double process plays under creditsWind-Down homage — direct structural parallel parallel scene-type parallel framing, opposite outcome Vertigo-only (no BD) Equilibrium Inciting Commit Escal-1 Midpoint Escal-2 Climax Wind-Down