Vertigo (1958)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Pierre Boileau (novel) and
Thomas Narcejac (novel) ...

Release Date:

21 July 1958 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A Hitchcock thriller. You should see it from the beginning!

Plot:

A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Plot Keywords:

Unmailed Letter | Male Female Relationship | Dolly Zoom | Self Portrait | One Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Det. John 'Scottie' Ferguson
Kim Novak	...	Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Marjorie 'Midge' Wood
Tom Helmore	...	Gavin Elster
Henry Jones	...	Coroner
Raymond Bailey	...	Scottie's doctor
Ellen Corby	...	Manager of McKittrick Hotel
Konstantin Shayne	...	Pop Leibel
Lee Patrick	...	Car owner mistaken for Madeleine

Also Known As:

'Vertigo' (USA) (poster title)
Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (USA) (complete title)
From Among the Dead (USA) (working title)
Illicit Darkening (USA) (working title)
Listen Darkling (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

128 min | USA:129 min (1996 restored version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.50 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS 70 mm (1996 re-release) (70 mm prints) | DTS (1996 re-release) (35 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (1996 re-release) (35 mm prints) | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Brazil:18 (original DVD rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1997) | Spain:T | USA:PG (re-rating) (1983) (certificate no. 27072) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) (1983) | Brazil:12 (2007) (DVD re-rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #18867) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12/9 (1995) | Finland:K-12/9 (1997) | Finland:K-16 (1958) | France:U | Norway:11 (re-rating) (1997) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | West Germany:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

900 Lombard Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Trivia:

The zoom out/track in shots were done with miniatures laid on their sides, since it was impossible to do them vertically.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Scottie initially chases Madeleine up the bell tower stairs at Mission San Juan Bautista, a crew person's hand and forearm appears from behind the stairs for a few seconds in the upward shot of Madeleine, then disappears back behind the stairs as she passes by.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Officer on rooftop: Give me your hand. Give me your hand.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)

My favorite movie of alltime!

I have seen ALOT of movies in my life, but none have moved me the way Vertigo has...It's simply brilliant...the more times one views it, the more one picks up from it...a true masterpiece from the master himself...When I think Vertigo, I think the colors red and green...when I think Vertigo I think obsession with love, and the film itself...This movie is so deep that you could write a thesis on it and keep adding to it from time to time...Hitchcock really gave his all in this picture...it's about the ultimate love...wanting to achieve the ultimate love, and, as happens in life, never having love turn out to be the way we want it to be...all star performances by Stewart, Novak and Bel Geddes make this visually stunning masterpiece a true film classic...Newly restored, the DVD version simply blows you out of the water....I have seen the movie about 20 times now, and everytime I love it more...Vertigo is the ultimate cult film for me, as I keep going back to it more and more...considering it's dark storyline, it must be a glut for punishment, but Hitch only keeps me wanting more....10 stars...only because I can't give it 100 stars!