Hitchcock also seems to be having some fun and the humor remains light-hearted throughout. Hannay is portrayed as a fairly cheerful individual who likes a good laugh. For instance, when Annabella Smith is trying to convince Hannay of her story he remarks jokingly, "It sounds like a spy story". She replies, more seriously, "That's exactly what it is". Later, Professor Jordan jokes, "I'm afraid I've been guilty of leading you down the garden path - or should it be up - I never can remember". Hannay, in his understated way, observes that he has definitely wandered into the wrong garden. There are also several scenes between Hannay and Pamela when they are handcuffed together, such as when she is trying to remove her stockings, that make light of this dark spy story. Two of best lines out of the story come out of the handcuff episode:

Hannay (to Pamela): "There are 20 million women on this

island and I've got to be chained to you".

Hitchcock uses the little stories being played out in the courtyard to emphasize the story that is contained in the apartment where Jeff lives. For example, when Jeff and Lisa are discussing marriage, Lisa is arguing for it. In the background the song "That's amore!" is being played in someone's apartment, while the audience is shown a newly married couple moving in across the way. Although they behave shy in front of the landlord, the couple cannot wait for him to leave. The young husband carries the wife over the threshold and they end in a long romantic kiss. Then the music changes to a mournful tune about waiting for love and the audience is shown "Miss Lonelyhearts" as she fixes a candlelight dinner and then goes to the door to let her phantom lover in. Later, when Jeff is talking to a friend of his about modern marriage and the term "discussion" versus "nag," the audience sees the salesman and his invalid wife as she tells him what he did wrong with the meal he fixed for her.

Hitchcock, A. (1958). Vertigo. Universal Pictures, an MCA Company. VHS: (1999). MCA Home Video.

Guy Haines is a well-known tennis player and political hopeful who is trying to divorce his unfaithful wife and marry a Senator's daughter. Bruno, a suave millionaire's son, introduces himself to Guy and then proceeds to talk to him for the entire trip. Joking at one point about an idea he has for switching murders. Guy's wife won't give him a divorce and Bruno's father won't leave him alone, so why not kill each others problems. For Guy, this is nothing more than a sick joke. For Bruno, however, this is a serious proposition. As Bruno stalks Miriam (Kasey Rogers) across the fair, through the tunnel of love to the island the audience is kept in suspense as to when and how the murder will take place. Miriam believes that this is just another pickup, however, and appears to throw her stalker appealing