Vertigo (1958) | |
| Director(s) | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Producer(s) | Herbert Coleman (associate), Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Crime, Film Adaptation, Mystery, Romance, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Detectives, Femme Fatale, Mistaken Identity, Psychological Thrillers, Romance (Drama), San Francisco |
Featured Cast:
Vertigo Overview:
Vertigo (1958) was a Crime - Mystery Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and Herbert Coleman.
The film was based on the novel The Living and the Dead written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac published in 1954.
SYNOPSIS
When the restored version of Vertigo debuted in theaters, it reignited interest in and appreciation for what is generally considered to be Hitchcock's most personal work. It also underlined Hitchcock's technical mastery in the use of color and camera effects (the famous zoom-in-doily-out shot used to simulate vertigo) and the importance of Herrmann's jittery score. Stewart plays another character (as in Rear Window) who, because he is psychically or physically separated from his real life, creates an imaginary, anxiety-provoking substitution. Stewart leaves the San Francisco police force after his vertigo leads to a partner's death. He takes a job tailing the wife (Novak) of a school friend who has been behaving strangely. When he saves her from a suicidal plunge, his fascination turns to longing, a longing that comes to a bitter end when she seemingly succeeds in dying, again due to Stewart's vertigo, in a leap from a bell tower. After gathering his shattered mind in an institution, Stewart spots a woman with an uncanny likeness to his lost love. His obsession drives him to re-create her in the exact image of his suicidal lover, forcing a confrontation with the truth of her identity. Critics have long discussed the relevance of the Stewart character's manipulating of the Novak character and the director's own obsession with creating the ideal cool-blonde heroine. Among the most fascinating and suspenseful of classic movies. The special edition video release has been restored and remastered from the original negative. Based on the novel D'Entre Les Morts by Boileau and Narcejac, the authors of the story for French director Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Vertigo was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.
Academy Awards 1958 --- Ceremony Number 31 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Frank McKelvy | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
4K UHD Blu-ray Review: Vertigo
By Devon Powell on Sep 13, 2021 From Hitchcock MasterDistributor: Universal Pictures Release Date: September 07, 2021 Region ? 4K UHD: Region Free BLU-RAY: Region A Length: 02:08:27 Video ? 4K UHD: 2160P (HEVC, H.265) BLU-RAY: 1080P (VC-1) Audio ? 4K UHD: English DTS X 2.0 Mono English Digital Audio 2.0 Mono Spanish (Latin American) DTS Digital Audio... Read full article
Vertigo: Another Life for Alfred Hitchcock?s Classic
By Devon Powell on Sep 16, 2020 From Hitchcock MasterExclusive Guest Article By: Dan Auiler This article is the second in a series of four guest articles to appear on this page in celebration of Universal?s release of??The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection.? Vertigo in 4K?The clarity, the better black levels from HDR, the extraordinary color?but I... Read full article
The Directors' Chair: Vertigo
By Theresa Brown on Apr 18, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub BlogThe Directors’ Chair: Vertigo (1958) ….. VERTIGO? ( 1958 ) ~ YOU STEPPED OUT OF MY DREAMS…AND INTO THE NIGHTMARE I CREATED VERTIGO is my favorite movie. Hands down, this is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie. In fact, caveat emptor…if you fall in love in Hit... Read full article
Bernard Herrmann and Vertigo (1958)
By Carol Martinheira on Jan 27, 2020 From The Old Hollywood GardenBernard Herrmann and Vertigo (1958) On January 27, 2020 By CarolIn Uncategorized If pressed, I would have to say that Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) is my all-time favorite movie score. I’ve mentioned this a few times h... Read full article
Film Noir Review: Vertigo (1958)
By Danilo Castro on May 22, 2018 From Classic Movie Hub Blog“If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?” As cinema?s reigning ?Master of Suspense?, Alfred Hitchcock usually made a point of keeping his audience in the loop. He believed that information and tension went hand in hand, and that by telling us ... Read full article
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Quotes from
Facts about
The word "vertigo" is only spoken once in the movie, towards the beginning by Scottie to Midge. After that it is never uttered again.
Numerous uses of repetition and reflection throughout, including:
- The mirror on the way out of Ernie's restaurant; Scotty sees Madeleine reflected in it right after he has seen her for the first time.
- The numerous reflections and repetitions of Madeleine throughout, including at least two women whom Scotty mistakes for her.
- The metaphorical or dream mirrors that Madeleine describes as lining the corridor of her life.
- Midge paints herself into the portrait of Madeleine's ancestor, and, in one shot, sits next to the self-portrait, as if doubled.
- After showing Scotty the portrait, Midge sees herself reflected in the glass of the window.
- Judy as Madeleine's reflection.
- Madeleine as repetition or reflection of her ancestor.
- Scotty repeating his former life.
- Judy falls from the tower to her death the same way Madeleine did
- There is a motif of spirals in the film, as literal shapes in the opening credits, and as the more abstract shape of the movie's plot, as well as the shape of the pivotal tower staircase.
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