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 | California Mission | Dolly Zoom | Beautiful Woman | One Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 4

1:30 PM

TCM

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:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) (1983) | Spain:T | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (1997) | Brazil:14 | USA:Approved (PCA #18867) | Brazil:18 (original DVD rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1983) (certificate no. 27072) | Brazil:12 (2007) (DVD re-rating) | 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 screenplay is credited to Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor, but Alec Coppel didn't write a word of the final draft. He is credited for contractual reasons only. Samuel A. Taylor read neither Alec Coppel's script nor the original novel, he worked solely from Alfred Hitchcock's outline of the story.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Judy packs to run away, the breast sections on Madeleine's gray suit in her closet are popped out in one shot and pushed in in another

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Teenagers from Outer Space (#5.4)" (1992)

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!