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Genres: CrimeThrillerRoma

Starring: James Stewart, Henry Jones, Tom Helmore, Kim Novak, Raymond Bailey, Barbara Bel Geddes, Ellen Corby

Available Quality: Hi Def, iPod, Hi Def

Country: USA

Year: 1958

IMDB Rating: 8.5

Police detective John Scottie Ferguson is asked by an old college friend, Gavin Elster, if he would have a look into his wife Madeleines odd behavior. Lately, shes taken to believing that she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago and Elster is concerned about her sanity. Scottie follows her and rescues her from an apparent suicide attempt when she jumps into San Francisco bay. He gets to know her and falls in love with her. They go to an old mission church and he is unable to stop her from climbing to the top of the steeple, owing to his vertigo, where she jumps to her death. A subsequent inquiry finds that she committed suicide but faults Scottie for not stopping her in the first place. Humiliated and haunted by what has happened, he leaves the police force. Several months later, he meets Judy Barton, a woman who is the spitting image of Madeleine. He cant explain it, but she is identical to the woman who died. He tries to re-make her into Madeleines image by getting her to dye her hair and wear the same type of clothes. He soon begins to realize however that he has been duped and was a pawn in a complex piece of theater that was meant to end in tragedy.

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Visitors Review

frosty-26 (14 May 2013)

to know it is to love it

This movie is an absolute masterpiece, with both heart and deep, cynicalintelligence. Of course it's contrived. that's part of the joke. It's themost beautiful and romantic film ever, but has an utterly black heart.That's why, like the ups and downs of the human heart, it's as much comicasit is tragic. The ending is perfect precisely because it is such a cop-out,leaving us as (and Scotty) just as stranded over the abyss as we were atthebeginning. To love this movie you have to understand it. And if you don't,well, go watch North By Northwest with the other children.

(13 May 2013)

DIZZINESS REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

I was always of the opinion that this was Hitchcock's best film and I'm very happy to see that so many other reviewers feel the same way.I'll not ruin things with a detailed description,but I first saw "Vertigo" as a kid and was totally spellbound by it (no pun intended). The film was then out of circulation for years afterwards for reasons that I'm too lazy to look up.In those intervening years,however, I came to realize what I was missing: a really terrific film that seems to captivate all age groups, even the most restless of children and adolescents.Which brings to mind another Hitchcock trait: his films are almost impossible to compare. Granted, "Vertigo" may not stand up as well as "Psycho" as far as multiple viewings are concerned, yet the quality of the photography, the interweaved plots and subplots, the overall dimensions of the story itself, leave the viewer almost completely agog at film's end.The irony, as others have mentioned,that this film never won the acclaim it deserved, may in fact be its highest compliment. What award has the "Mona Lisa" ever won?

andrew osnard (13 May 2013)

Self-revelation.

VERTIGO reveals itself three times during the film - it encapusulatesitself, shows us what will happen before it happens, future and past in thepresent - it interprets the future, but we only know once our experience(watching the film) is past. The opening credits - lips, James Stewart;eyes, Kim Novak, into the eyes of woman, not as fleshly human being, butman-made illusion - vast, black, abyss, geometrical patterns which onlyrepeat, visualising the labyrinth, the white pattern that looks like ashroud, the changing colours like Scottie's dream.The opening sequence. Scottie chases criminal over San Francisco rooftopsat night. Scottie follows, criminal escapes, 'innocent' falls to death. Scottie, even when most in control, following someone else, being driven byhimself. Scottie follows Maddie the night after he rescues her, through thesame old San Francisco streets, baffled. She leads him to his own house, tohimself. Scottie, after he has made up Judy into Maddie, the circular kiss,the anxiety, the stable.

keith-moyes (12 May 2013)

Not a masterpiece

Vertigo divides audiences more than any other Hitchcock film.For one critic it is "one of the four or five most profound andbeautiful films the cinema has yet given us." A poll of 150international critics has three times voted it the second greatestmovie ever made (after Citizen Kane). However, many viewers find it acrashing bore.I have sympathy for both camps.Vertigo is the film in which Hitchcock comes closest to dealingdirectly with his own personal demons. The surface story makes no senseby itself and only works if you respond to the powerful undercurrentsin its subtext. But Hitchcock still has to get the surface story right.It must fully embody the subtext and engage with its audience. For manypeople, it doesn't quite do either.The prologue leaves Scottie hanging over an abyss. By not showing hisrescue, Hitchcock effectively leaves him hanging there for the rest ofthe movie and his vertigo becomes a metaphor for his spiritualcondition; he is poised between a longing for life and a longing fordeath. In rejecting the (real) life-affirming Midge and in hisinfatuation with the (illusory) death-obsessed Madeleine, he makes hisfateful choice.However, the prologue also supports a literal interpretation of hisvertigo and the next scene doesn't really establish that Scottie'sproblems go deeper than his understandable fear of heights. We learnthat he and Midge were once lovers but there is no follow through thatexplains why he broke off the relationship or why he becomes besottedwith what we later learn is just a fantasy women.The next scene, with Elster, is even more unfortunate and its defectsreverberate throughout the movie. Elster could have been depicted as asort of Mephistopheles, who sees Scottie's weakness and tempts him tohis doom. In fact, he is thinly-sketched and is just a device forkicking off the story.More crucially, he tells Scottie too much about Madeleine's obsessionwith Carlotta. This virtually forces Scottie into being thelevel-headed sceptic and makes his subsequent neurotic behaviour evenmore arbitrary and difficult to believe. It also undermines theten-minute wordless sequence of Scottie trailing Madeleine around SanFrancisco.If Elster has simply asked Scottie to investigate his wife's aimlesswandering, we would have started out expecting something mundane (likean affair) only to be drawn into the much more intriguing mystery ofher identification with Carlotta and her apparent sleepwalk towardssuicide. As it is, the sequence merely confirms what Elster has alreadytold us and often tries the patience of the audience. For many, thepicture never recovers.Moreover, because Scottie's character is under-developed (and Stewart'sperformance is unable to realise what the story implies) the rest ofthe movie can be viewed as the tale of an ordinary man who becomesinfatuated with an attractive, troubled, woman whose life he has saved.The shadow of Carlotta then becomes an incidental detail and we getonly a weak sense that Scottie's love is an unhealthy obsession. Hiseventual break-down is then under-motivated and seems imposed on thepicture rather than being integral to its structure (a feelingreinforced by Hitchcock's decision to present it in an abstract,symbolic way).I don't view Vertigo in this way, but I can sympathise with those thatdo.With Scottie's breakdown, the picture reaches a second turning point.When Midge walks down the hospital corridor and the screen fades toblack, it feels as if the movie is over. Of course it isn't and whathappens next is crucial. Nothing up to that point makes any sensewithout it. But a second structural flaw immediately emerges. We arethree-quarters of the way through the movie but only half-way throughthe story. Just when Vertigo needs time to re-engage our interest afterthe false ending it suddenly accelerates.We get a montage that establishes Scottie's continuing obsession withMadeleine, then he spots Judy, follows her home and we are immediatelyplunged into a flashback that 'explains' the plot. This meeting neededmuch better preparation and the subsequent relationship needed moretime to develop.By revealing the plot twist so early, Hitchcock is inviting us to seehow self-defeating Scottie's neurotic behaviour really is: inrecreating Madeleine he is inevitably destroying his own illusions. Buthe rushes through this process. We have no time to get to know the realJudy before we are confronted with Scottie's bizarre plan to transformher. Then, at the very moment the transformation is complete, Scottieimmediately spots the deception so the picture gallops to its climaxand then slams to a halt.As a good professional, Hitchcock was wary about letting any of hispictures run over two hours, but if he wanted to impose this disciplineon himself, then he should have been more ruthless in pruning the firsthalf of the story. In fact, he should have just accepted that thisstory couldn't be told effectively in two hours and have let it run onlonger.We rightly admire Hitchcock's movies for their great set pieces, buttend to overlook their fragile story sense and relatively weak dramaticstructure. Mostly, that didn't matter, but in an ambitious picture likeVertigo it is a fatal flaw.There is much more to Vertigo than its detractors acknowledge, but itis far from being the near-perfect masterpiece that its most ferventadmirers would have us believe.

Bill Kelly (10 May 2013)

One of Hitchcock 2nd best films ever!!!!! score: 9 (out of 10)

Hitchcock always had a certain passion for using either Cary Grant or JamesStewart in his 1950's films. They probably could have played any of thelead characters for any Hitchcock movie. Here, however, James Stewart wouldhave been the best choice. "Vertigo" (1958) is my choice for 2nd bestHitchcock film - the first being "Psycho" (1960). I will not go into a lotof detail for this movie because you have to "pay attention" from beginningto end in order to grasp what is going on. All I can say is that Hitchcockdirects this movie with more style and flare than "North by Northwest"(1959).

(10 May 2013)

Well, It's One of the Best!

Vertigo: Fantastic movie on almost every level. That's been said. The restoration is great on the visual side, but honestly, they really screwed up on the sound. The restoration team added in realistic-sounding gunshots, elevator pings, etc. The problem is these are realistic sounds that you'd hear NOWADAYS! Come on! How much logic does it take to realize that new sounds stick out like sore thumbs when the rest of the film sounds like something from 1958?But don't be a soreass, like me. This is still one of the finest films ever made, and it shouldn't be missed out on, despite some dumb sounds. Film: 10/10DVD: 8/10

Stampsfightclub (09 May 2013)

Hitchcock delivers another wonder with consistently thought out thriller

Retiring cop John Ferguson (Stewart) is hired to stalk Madeline Elster(Novak) and finds he is slowly falling in love with the suicidal woman.Vertigo has now become one of the most critically acclaimed crimethrillers by the legendary Brit Alfred Hitchcock.The opening title sequence is excellent; particularly considering itwas made in the late 1950s when technologically was restricted. Thetantalizing colour montage and shifting images makes the James Bondefforts look like child's play. The accompanying song helps generate afeeling of excitement and we are right at the start of an energeticmovie.The opening sequences with Stewart's Ferguson and his job partnerchasing an anonymous villain across the rooftops is vintage action andexcitement, perfect Hitchcock styling also. Then as Ferguson losses hisbalance and is caught dangling we have the setup for a beautifully litfilm.We learn Ferguson has now retired from developing vertigo with thisexperience and what follows is a sweet slow build up in the mystery ofthe beautiful and strange Madeline, an estranged woman played with asharp vagueness by Kim Novak. Her soft dialogue and timing help set herup for an emotional interplaying manipulative character in the latterstages and is a fine character development by Hitchcock.James Stewart, in his last pairing with the director, is impressiveonce more with a professional but eager character. This particular roleof the star is often remarked as a dent in an otherwise brilliant film.It is perhaps easy to see why as he has no mysterious vigour that hischaracter from Rear Window had and the story perhaps required more fromhim here in 1958, but I thought he carried the emotional scenes well.Vertigo is labelled as a tantalizing thriller and when comparing it tomodern day films with the same tag you wonder if something has gonewrong. There have certainly been rapid developments over the last 50years and the renowned ones in the 21st century, the Bonds andBourne's, have that vibrant fast energy with extra charisma. Vertigo isthe build up to what was to come, a major influence. The car scenes forexample are slowly paced but edge up a gear as the stakes in the plotsteadily rise.Vertigo therefore is thankfully not dated but given the vast amounts ofmodern thrillers, it may seem so to others. It may lack suspense whenthe romance lingers but the sheer spectacle of the story puts thisdoubt away.Hitchcock once again has a consistent directional release withwonderful character placement and a fine selection of twists and turnsto give the would-be dull parts that excitement. One excellent part istowards the end in the Bell Tower when we see Ferguson's shake up ofVertigo. It is fair no one does a bird's eye view shot like thebrilliant Hitchcock, who once again, has made a classic.

arthera09 (09 May 2013)

everything one would expect from Hitchcock

The only reason I do not give this movie a 10 is kind of the samereason why I did not give the graduate a 10. It is because the lovestory felt totally uninspired. Maybe they also kissed differently backthen, but when Scotty kisses Judy when she dresses up like Madalineagain it does not seem very passionate. Other than that the movie wasamazing. I don't think I have seen the lighting trick in any othermovie used as effectively as in this movie. When Scotty is learningabout the history of Carlotta and the scene just gets dark is a greatscene. Somehow the story seems like a standard affair in terms of plotsfor modern movies, but Hitchcock manages to make it an edge of yourseat thriller. Jimmy Stewart did an amazing job as allows and the endit seems as if he just may have it in him to kill Judy. He manages toshed his nice guy persona and is downright scary. There is nothingbetter than watching a classic film and seeing where the greats gettheir motivation for making great movies. I have to say that I did lovethe dream sequence and the look in his face is possibly one of the bestreaction shots to a dream. I do not know why movies are just not betterwritten now a days. There was some quick dialog that you do not get inmovies like this. It is hard to imagine not falling in love the type ofcharacters that Jimmy Stewart portrays because they just don't makeactors like him anymore. If you gave him the lines all you needed to dowas put a camera on him. I also liked how they did not show whathappened after Judy killed herself because I would like to think of himfalling back into despair, but the fact that it is left up to theviewer shows a level of respect to the viewer that one does not seeanymore. Jimmy Stewarts up and downs in the movie could not have beendone better and seeing him in his most pathetic is really a testamentof how good of an actor he is. Overall great movie and it is great towatch the masters at work doing what they do best.

(06 May 2013)

*** For the Movie - * for the Non-Anamorphic DVD.

The PAL DVD versions are Anamorphic. The NTSC version is not. Translation, Universal Studios thinks that Americans are too stupid to realize the difference.

RockOn979 (06 May 2013)

Vertigo- true to its title

Hitchcock is fantastic. Even if one doesn't regularly like old films, Iguarantee everyone will love at each one, if not 5 or 10 Hitchcockfilms. That being said, this movie has a lot to live up to, and it doeswith flying color. Just when you think you have the movie figured out,there's a new twist. I'll admit it drug out a little in the middle, butit's still a very fast paced movie- you have no idea what's going tohappen. A few highlights: the score, opening scene and final shot.Also, Jimmy Stewart isn't your typical Mr. nice guy this time, weatherthats a good thing or not is up to you to judge, but the importantthing is he does a good job with the role. Vertigo is true to its titleand remains one of the all time best movies from one of all timegreatest directors.

allenblake21 (26 April 2013)

Alfred's Best work of true art!

This is Alfred Hitchcock's finest work. Though you find out whoMadaline really is two thirds of the way through the movie, the endingis still climatic and very powerful. You never expect her to fall offthe roof at the very end, but this helps cure Jimmie Stewart's"Vertigo." Bernard Herrmann does a fabulous job once again with themusical score. There is deep passion written in the music, and itenhances the mood of the film to a drawing and clenching feeling. Thewhole entire movie, you are trying to understand why Kim Novac iswalking around as if in a daze. You think that she is possessed, butlater you realize that it is all a gimmick. She falls in love withJimmie Stewart, so after the death of the real Madaline. She forcesherself to become her real self from Selina, Kansas.

Tyson1 (25 April 2013)

Hitchcock's greatest masterpiece and one the best films of all time!

I experienced Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO yesterday(10-15th time), and boywas I impressed--Not only with the classic film itself, but with the DVDpresentation. It's extraordinary to see an old film like that, that wentthrough a lot, to have excellent picture quality and sound! James Stewartand Kim Novak are absolutely magnificent together. And I think it'sHitchcock most personal film. The music is awesome--it's sets the moodsforthe scenes perfectly. It's a great personal experience!! 10/10

(17 April 2013)

Great movie, but I cannot call it Hitch's "masterpiece"

There is no doubt about it: Vertigo IS one of Hitchcock's best movies, but is it his "masterpiece"? In my opinion, no it is not. It could be a matter of personal taste, but I thought Psycho, Rear Window, & North by Northwest were all better movies. I would even say that Strangers on a Train is a better movie than Vertigo. Don't misunderstand me, this is a great movie and if you're any kind of a movie fan, I suggest that you get it as soon as you possibly can. It's just my opinion that there are better, more entertaining Hitchcock movies out there.As far as the film's presentation on DVD is concerned, I was extremely impressed. It was hard for me to believe that the movie is as old as it is when watching it. If you have a DVD player and opt for the VHS version, you are really doing yourself (and the movie) a great injustice. Of course, this applies to almost any movie that is available on both DVD & VHS

Atreyu_II (17 April 2013)

Not really all that great, but not very bad either

'Vertigo', now one of the most praised and popular Alfred Hitchcock'sfilms, brought me mixed feelings. The first minutes are veryinteresting for what happens in them and also because they take placeon the rooftops of San Francisco. Then the movies goes to a somewhatslow start but ends up becoming interesting and intriguing from themoment when Madeleine enters in scene. There are also many filmingangles which are unique, typical from The Master of Suspense, as wellas some lovely vistas: the streets of San Francisco, the Fort Point(near the Golden Gate Bridge), the San Francisco Bay, the Mission SanJuan Bautista...While Madeleine is on screen, the movie is good, but after shedisappears the movie loses its interest. Scottie becomes obsessed withan unpretty woman named Judy who doesn't look like Madeleine at all(but somehow, for him she does). Eventually she transforms to the pointof looking almost identical to Madeleine and apparently (which I findridiculous) she *is* the same person. The ending is good, though, as ittakes us one more time to the Mission San Juan Bautista.James Stewart offers a good performance as Scottie and his acrophobiaproblem. Kim Novak is very good as the beautiful and lovely (howeverwith a problem of major depression) Madeleine. Her look as Madeleine issimple and old-fashioned but an example of classic beauty: attractive,classy, undeniable pretty and charming. It's hard to believe that thesame actress portrayed the completely different in every way Judy.In conclusion, a movie that doesn't completely satisfy but also doesn'ttotally disappoint. However, it does not live up to its status andfame, being clearly overrated.

(29 March 2013)

Vertigo is why cinema is great

I would give so much just to see the film again as though it were my first time viewing this masterpiece. The film is as haunting as it is romantic, and works even better today than it did in 1958. Kim Novak plays the troubled Madeline, who is "possesed" by a ghost driving her to suicide, and Jimmy Stewart is a man hired by her husband to follow her.....and that's just the begining. The film is full of brilliant plot twists, and has moments of romance and suspense that will forever remain in our memory. Vertigo is an immortal film, one that remains, along with Psycho, to be his most disturbing and most discussed. See it, especially the DVD, which is full of great extras and a great widescreen transfer.

MuteMae (28 March 2013)

Wild and frantic

This thriller about a detective who's drawn into a complex plot, which isindirectly involved with his fear of heights, is one of Alfred Hitchcock'smost discussed films. James Stewart plays the acrophobic detective hiredbyan old friend to watch his wife, played by Kim Novak. Stewart falls inlovewith the mysterious woman, who is preoccupied with the life of a 19thcentury beauty. An unusual role for Stewart, whose humble, good-guy imageisat odds with his character here - an obsessed, guilt-ridden man driven toextreme actions. Enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's hauntingscore.

slabihoud (22 March 2013)

Let there be color!

Since there are already so many real good comments on this film I wantto focus on only one aspect.Vertigo is a great example for what color films really can look like!Not only do I want to praise the quality of the Technicolor dyetransfer prints but also more the way Hitchcock used color to createmoods. Many directors used light to create moods in black and whitemovies but only very few ever got so far as to use the much greaterpalette of colors for the same purpose. One wonders why. Some directorsdecide for an overall color look, which is often done in the lab, butnot on the set.Vertigo is full of scenes where the colors have been saturated orchanged to create a special feeling. Hitchcock even went so far as toopenly dye some frames is bright unnatural colors. He played aroundwith colors in all his color films but never as much as in this one.Think for example on James Stewart's nightmare in the middle of thefilm. There are frames dyed purple and green; the cemetery scenes arered, inserted to the rhythm of the music with normal frames. Kim Novakis often bathed in colored light like in the famous hotel room scene,where she appears like a ghost with all the green light around her.The shading is also important. In the scene in the bookshop we hear adark and sad story while at the same time the light dimes down tosimulate dusk. In the scene where Judy remembers the real events in thebell tower it starts with an outdoor scene, which we have already seenbut it is now much darker than the first time. In the sequence whereStewart follows Novak to the cemetery everything feels unnatural sinceevery scene glows through the use of a filter that creates a blur. The non-color of Kim Novak's dress as Madeleine is also a veryimportant aspect in the film. She has to color her hair to becomeMadeleine again at the end of the picture.The way color is used in this film gives it this dreamlike quality thatallows endless interpretations. A true masterpiece!

Petri Pelkonen (22 March 2013)

Fascinating masterpiece

James Stewart plays a San Francisco detective John 'Scottie Fergusonwho is suffering from fear of heights.An old college friend GavinElster (Tom Helmore) hires him to watch his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak)because she's acting weird.It looks like she's possessed by herancestor's spirit named Carlotta.Of course Scottie doesn't pay that.Hebecomes more and more interested in the case when he finds out whatkind of beauty Madeleine is.Naturally he falls for her.AlfredHitchcock's Vertigo (1958)keeps you in it's touch from the firstminutes on.You can't leave it for a second.You can't miss amoment.James Stewart was the perfect choice to play the lead.Nobodycouldn't have done it like Jimmy.Kim Novak is beautiful, she'smysterious and a true talent.Barbara Bel Geddes does the part ofMarjorie 'Midge' Wood and she does it very good.Hitch knew how to keepthe viewers nailed to their seats.Who has that ability this day?

(15 March 2013)

Excellent restoration of a true Hitchcock classic

Hitchcock has always known how to protray San Francisco at its best. An excellent setting for the confused dilema Jimmy Stewart finds himself in. Nothing like taking a jump into San Fran bay or spinning with vertigo in the bell tower of an old Spanish mission.