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Vertigo (1958)

Trailer
2:14 | Trailer
A former police detective juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becoming obsessed with a hauntingly beautiful woman.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Alec Coppel (screenplay by), Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay by) (as Samuel Taylor) | 2 more credits »
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Popularity
1,024 ( 178)
Top Rated Movies #91 | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stewart ... John 'Scottie' Ferguson
Kim Novak ... Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton
Barbara Bel Geddes ... 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
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Storyline

Following his early retirement as a detective from the San Francisco Police Department, John Ferguson - Scottie to his friends - becomes obsessed with two women in succession, those obsessions which trouble his long time friend and former fiancée, Midge Wood, a designer of women's undergarments. The first is wealthy and elegant platinum blonde Madeleine Elster, the wife of his college acquaintance Gavin Elster, who hires John to follow her in Gavin's belief that she may be a danger to herself in thinking that she has recently been possessed by the spirit of Carlotta Valdes, Madeleine's great-grandmother who she knows nothing about, but who Gavin knows committed suicide in being mentally unbalanced when she was twenty-six, Madeleine's current age. The second is Judy Barton, who John spots on the street one day. Judy is a working class girl, but what makes John obsessed with her is that, despite her working class style and her brunette hair, she is the spitting image of Madeleine, into ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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


Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Voted #2 in Total Film's 100 Greatest Movies Of All Time list (November 2005). See more »

Goofs

When the manager of the McKittrick Hotel is walking Scottie to Madeleine's room, the door is cracked open. A close-up shows the door closed and the manager proceeds to open it. See more »

Quotes

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

There is no end title on this film. See more »

Alternate Versions

An addition to the ending was made for some European coutries 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 belltower (the original ending) there is a shot of Midge sitting next to a radio listening to reports of police tracking down Gavin Elster. As Midge turns off the radio the news flash also reports that 3 Berkeley students got caught bringing a cow up the stairs of a campus building. Scottie enters the room, looks at Midge plainly, and then looks out a window. Midge makes two drinks and gives one to Scottie. It ends with both of them looking out the window. This ending can be found on the restoration laserdisc. See more »

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Rooftop Chase Scenes in Movies (2015) See more »

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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User Reviews

Classic Hitchcock and Stewart
2 August 2001 | by XRANDYSee all my reviews

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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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1958 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Sueurs froides See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$2,479,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$252,880, 18 March 2018

Gross USA:

$7,705,225

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,796,389
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (1996 restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)| DTS (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.50 : 1
See full technical specs »

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