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Vertigo

  • 1958
  • PG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
445K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,847
431
Vertigo (1958)
Theatrical Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:14
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological ThrillerTragedyMysteryRomanceThriller

A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply dis... Read allA former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.A former San Francisco police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.

  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Alec Coppel
    • Samuel A. Taylor
    • Pierre Boileau
  • Stars
    • James Stewart
    • Kim Novak
    • Barbara Bel Geddes
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    445K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,847
    431
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Alec Coppel
      • Samuel A. Taylor
      • Pierre Boileau
    • Stars
      • James Stewart
      • Kim Novak
      • Barbara Bel Geddes
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 205Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #111
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 9 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos2

    Vertigo
    Trailer 2:14
    Vertigo
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    Clip 2:27
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    Clip 2:27
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock

    Photos335

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    Top cast55

    Edit
    James Stewart
    James Stewart
    • John 'Scottie' Ferguson
    Kim Novak
    Kim Novak
    • Madeleine Elster…
    Barbara Bel Geddes
    Barbara Bel Geddes
    • Marjorie 'Midge' Wood
    Tom Helmore
    Tom Helmore
    • Gavin Elster
    Henry Jones
    Henry Jones
    • Coroner
    Raymond Bailey
    Raymond Bailey
    • Scottie's Doctor
    Ellen Corby
    Ellen Corby
    • Manager of McKittrick Hotel
    Konstantin Shayne
    Konstantin Shayne
    • Pop Leibel
    Lee Patrick
    Lee Patrick
    • Car Owner Mistaken for Madeleine
    David Ahdar
    • Priest
    • (uncredited)
    Isabel Analla
    • Undetermined Role
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Ano
    • Undetermined Role
    • (uncredited)
    Margaret Bacon
    • Nun
    • (uncredited)
    John Benson
    John Benson
    • Salesman
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage
    • Juror
    • (uncredited)
    Margaret Brayton
    • Ransohoff's Saleslady
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Bryar
    Paul Bryar
    • Capt. Hansen
    • (uncredited)
    Boyd Cabeen
    • Diner at Ernie's
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Alec Coppel
      • Samuel A. Taylor
      • Pierre Boileau
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1.1K

    8.2445.3K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Vertigo' is acclaimed for its narrative complexity, innovative techniques, and psychological depth. Praised for its use of color, camera work, and Bernard Herrmann's score, the film features standout performances by James Stewart and Kim Novak. Despite some finding it slow-paced and its themes unsettling, 'Vertigo' is often cited among the greatest films, captivating audiences with its enigmatic plot and atmospheric tension.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    9planktonrules

    Creepy and engaging.

    It's rather strange that this film was a box office flop, as it's one of Alfred Hitchcock's better movies. The only problem with "Vertigo" is that in order to really enjoy it, you need to turn off your brain and just accept the movie. If you think the plot out TOO MUCH, you'll find yourself asking too many questions and not just enjoying the film...like my oldest daughter did.

    The film is the story of a somewhat creepy ex-cop (James Stewart). When the film begins, he's emotionally scarred in an accident-an accident that leaves him with a HUGE case of psychologically-based vertigo. He decides to quit the job and is soon approached by an old friend--who wants to hire him to follow his emotionally disturbed wife. What happens next is very weird--and later becomes really creepy. I could say A LOT more but think it's best you just see the film--it has quite a few twists and turns that are bound to catch you by surprise.

    Overall, a wonderfully original film. The only deficit, for some, is that although Stewart was a wonderful actor, he was too old for this role. Still, I could look past this and enjoyed it immensely.
    tfrizzell

    Get Lost in It.

    Along with "Psycho", Hitchcock's best film that wraps itself around the viewer very fast and never does let go. San Francisco detective Jimmy Stewart is slowly going crazy due to a failed mission which did not work because of his intense fear of heights. This is all front-page news of course and Stewart is shamed about the whole event. But a ray of light shines as he gets a job to watch a man's wife (Kim Novak) who is supposedly having an affair with another man. Stewart believes this is his chance to put the past behind him, but sometimes the future is even darker. Stewart falls in love with Novak and the love turns into a dark and twisted obsession that becomes deeper and deeper as the film progresses. When tragedy strikes, that is the end. Right? Not quite. An amazing screenplay and arguably Hitchcock's greatest directing venture make the film solid and Stewart's stunning performance raises the whole project to a classic level. Somewhat ignored around the awards circuit in 1958, but ages beautifully as the years go by. 5 stars out of 5.
    9Lord_Borrington

    Surreal masterpiece

    Not very popular with critics or audiences when it first came out, probably not what they were expecting form the master director. Certainly a very different movie not in the usual Hitchcock formula. The movie probably needs more than one viewing. I can understand why some people don't like it much, but if you can get into the mood and atmosphere it's a surreal masterpiece. The movie is really about creating a surreal dreamlike world to enter. Set in San Francisco in 1958 it is like nothing before or since. Unforgettable and mesmerizing it is full of great locations, strange characters and stories. We go on a strange uneasy journey with Jimmy Stewart where there is no return and end up somewhere between sanity and insanity. Everything about this movie goes together to create another world which you feel like you have entered, the music, the 1950s grainy film, the dull colours, the incredibly shot locations, the changing light. It is certainly a strange movie hard to put into a box. It is from another time. Amazing. Like a dream... A classic film from the golden age of Hollywood. A Hollywood which doesn't exist anymore. There is just something about this movie, which you can't put your finger on. It's full of secrets.
    Infofreak

    Hitchcock's most stunning achievement. A fascinating masterpiece which improves with each year and viewing.

    I get a bit tongue-tied talking about Hitchcock's greatest movies because they are just so remarkable, so astonishing, so entertaining, so multi-levelled, that it's very difficult to put into words what makes them great. Hitchcock made some of the greatest movies ever made, and 'Vertigo', though by no means his most accessible film, is quite possibly his crowning achievement. It is without any doubt a masterpiece, and I cannot fault it in any way. Every time I watch it I am knocked out, and every time I see something new, some nuance or moment that I appreciate more than I did the previous viewing. Jimmy Stewart, one of the most popular movie star in Hollywood history, gives a remarkable performance throughout, one of the best in his career. Stewart had worked with Hitchcock before, and had always been superb, especially in the much copied suspense classic 'Rear Window' a few years prior to this, but he plays against type in 'Vertigo' and is jaw-droppingly good. It's difficult to remember now that 'Vertigo' is regarded as a movie milestone, that it received many bad reviews when it was originally released, and was a relative failure for Hitchcock. A lot of this had to do with Stewart's intense performance I think, and also the difficult subject matter. 'Vertigo' is essentially a tale of sexual obsession, something most people were probably not expecting at the time! Almost as good as Stewart is Kim Novak ('The Man With The Golden Arm') in a role that she will always be remembered for. 'Vertigo' is a virtuoso piece from Hitchcock, and a movie that will no doubt continue to inspire other film makers over the years to come. However the most important thing about it is that it is still wonderful viewing, and a movie experience that you will never forget. In my mind it is one of the three of four greatest American movies. Simply astonishing.
    XRANDY

    Classic Hitchcock and Stewart

    An interesting psychological piece that richly displays Hitchcock's talents. It is unfair to compare this film to the suspense thrillers of today which are subjected to more realism in sex and violence. Hitchcock had to be more subtle in 1958, where I'm sure a work like this, that seems tame by today's standards, appeared bizarre and risqué. Also the acting here seems histrionic; not that people actually spoke like that in the 50s but the audiences liked such dictionally refined dialogue back then as opposed to the lines of modern-day scripts that more accurately portray the way individuals speak.

    James Stewart and Kim Novak are appealing on numerous levels, the former mainly because he doesn't wander far from the amiable joe we have come to expect (even though he does weird-out near the conclusion) and the latter because she maintains a veneer of vulnerability that we can relate to.

    This is not a film I especially like (I couldn't watch it again and again) but I respect for its strong filmmaking.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The opening title sequence designed by Saul Bass makes this the first movie to use computer graphics.
    • Goofs
      Both times the main characters drive to the old mission, the wide shots show them driving on the right side of the road. However, all shots inside the car show them driving on the left side of the road. This is because the US 101 - where filming took place - near San Juan Bautista is split, with two lanes in each direction, by a grove of Eucalyptus trees. The film shows only one of the road's directions, giving the appearance that Scottie and Madeleine are driving on the wrong side of the road.
    • Quotes

      Scottie: Don't you think its kind of a waste for the two of us...

      Madeleine: To wander separately? But, only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening Paramount logo is in black and white while the rest of the film, including the closing Paramount logo, is in Technicolor.
    • Alternate versions
      An additional ending was made during post production for some European countries due to certain laws prohibiting a film from letting a "bad guy" get away at the end of a film. In the new ending, after Scottie looks down from the bell tower (the original ending) there is a short scene of Midge in her apartment sitting next to a radio and listening to reports of the police tracking down Gavin Elster hiding out in Europe. As Midge turns off the radio, the news flash also reports that three Berkeley students got caught bringing a cow up the stairs of a campus building. Scottie enters the apartment, looks at Midge plainly, and then looks out a window. Midge makes two drinks and gives one to Scottie. The scene ends with both of them looking out the window without saying a single word to each other. This alternate ending can be found on the restoration laser disc.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphony No. 34 in C K. 338, 2nd Movement, Andante di Molto (piu tosto allegretto)
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

      Played as 'cue 10B' on a record in the psychiatric ward

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    FAQ50

    • How long is Vertigo?Powered by Alexa
    • Why did Judy help Elster murder his wife?
    • If Scotty had vertigo and was scared of heights, why does he live in a flat so high up in a tower block? Surely he should just move to a normal house or a flat on the ground floor?
    • What was the significance of the screen getting very dark in a book store scene and then get brighter again?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 28, 1958 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • De entre los muertos
    • Filming locations
      • Fort Point, Presidio, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California, USA(Madeleine's jump into the bay)
    • Production company
      • Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,479,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,863,310
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $252,880
      • Mar 18, 2018
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,971,440
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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