Madeleine Elster

WARNING: This character article contains major spoilers for Vertigo! Mentioning nearly anything about this character (sometimes even their name) will often reveal spoilers about the work they feature in, which predictably makes talking about it difficult. You can still read this character page, just know that there will be some major plot points revealed from the character's work. We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. You've been warned.

"Only one is a wanderer. Two together are always going somewhere." ― "Madeleine"

"Well, I'll wear the darn clothes if you want me to - if-if you'll just, just like me."

Judy turning herself in as Scottie tries to remake her as "Madeleine"

Judy Barton
Appearances
First Appearance	Vertigo (1958)
Biographical information
Related to	Unnamed father (deceased) Unnamed mother Unnamed stepfather
AKA	Madeleine Elster
Born	Salina, Kansas, USA
Died	San Francisco, California, USA
Physical description
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Voice actors
English	Kim Novak
Alignment and character traits
Alignment	Neutral
Friends and Enemies
Friends	Gavin Elster (formerly) John "Scottie" Ferguson

(510th Page on this Wikia!)

Judy Barton (occasionally known as Madeleine Elster in her disguise) is the female lead and secondary antagonist of the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo. She was hired by Gavin Elster to impersonate his wife due to her similar appearance and help him kill her by pretending to commit suicide.

She was played by Kim Novak in a dual role.

Why She Rocks

1. Kim Novak manages complex and masterful performances as both Madeleine and Judy.
   • Plus she even manages to get the audience to sympathize and identify with her after her true identity is revealed.
2. As Madeleine, she's meant to resemble the mysterious nature of women and how they have their own various thoughts.
3. She's not your average femme fatale. While she does still charm the hero and show a mischievous side, she ends up getting true feelings for the male and regretting her bad actions.
4. Halfway through the film, when her true identity was revealed, she ended up taking over John's role as the sympathetic character due to regretting taking part in Gavin's plan and hoping John would love her for who she is.
5. Also, Judy was willing to due whatever it takes to get Scottie to love her, even if it meant using her Madeleine alter-ego to do so. She's also an incredible and convincing actress.
6. Her final death scene at the ending is a very emotional moment, considering what had gone through. Plus it was also symbolic considering she knew Scottie wouldn't love her for who she really was and Scottie knew the truth about what happened to the real Madeleine.