Quote 5

Scottie:   “He made you over just like I made you over—only better. Not only the clothes and the hair, but the looks and the manners and the words . . . And then what did he do? Did he train you? Did he rehearse you? Did he tell you exactly what to do and what to say?”

Scottie spits these words at Judy as he drags her up the San Juan Bautista tower. Here he conveys the full measure of his rage, disappointment, and bitterness. For the first time, Scottie sees the parallel between himself and the evil Gavin Elster. Just as Elster trained and groomed Judy to be the Madeleine who could entrance and manipulate Scottie, so Scottie dictates all elements of Judy’s appearance in order to transform her into Madeleine. The comparison of the two men here is Hitchcock’s way of conveying that the seeds of evil reside in everyone, no matter how well intentioned one might be.