Vertigo
1958 · United States · 128 min · 1.85:1 · Color
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Introduction
Vertigo is a 1958 American film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, produced by Paramount, with James Stewart as Scottie, a detective who has left the force because of his fear of heights, and Kim Novak as both Madeleine and Judy. An old acquaintance hires Scottie to follow his wife Madeleine; the two become attached, and she falls to her death from a bell tower that Scottie cannot climb. He later encounters Judy, who resembles her, and sets about changing her hair, clothing and makeup. The film was shot on location in San Francisco. The tower scenes use a simultaneous track and zoom to produce the sensation of vertigo, a shot since named after the film. Bernard Herrmann wrote the score, and the screenplay is adapted from a novel by Boileau and Narcejac.
Making the Audience Complicit
Vera Miles had been cast in the leading role and withdrew when she became pregnant; Kim Novak replaced her. Reviews were mixed on release in 1958 and business was moderate.
In 1973 Hitchcock withdrew the film from distribution along with four others, and it could not be seen for a decade. It was reissued in 1983 and restored in 1996. In the 2012 Sight and Sound critics' poll it displaced Citizen Kane at the top of the list.
Titles
- Mainland China
- 迷魂记
- Hong Kong
- 迷魂記
- Taiwan
- 迷魂記
- English
- Vertigo
- Original
- Vertigo
Cast
- James Stewartas Scottie Ferguson
- Kim Novakas Madeleine / Judy
- Barbara Bel Geddesas Midge