Vertigo (1958)

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
• Bess Flowers Diner at Ernie's (uncredited)
• Alfred Hitchcock Man Walking Past Elster's Office (uncredited)
• David Ahdar Priest (uncredited)
• Sara Taft Nun (uncredited)
• Ezelle Poule Older Mistaken Identity (uncredited)
• John Benson Salesman (uncredited)
• Paul Bryar Captain Hansen (uncredited)
• Steve Conte Burglar (uncredited)
• Fred Graham Policeman on Rooftop (uncredited)
• Forbes Murray Diner at Ernie's (uncredited)
• Raoul Freeman Diner at Ernie's (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Director of Photography

Robert Burks

Editor

George Tomasini

Novel

Pierre Boileau

Novel

Thomas Narcejac

Original Music Composer

Bernard Herrmann

Producer

Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay

Alec Coppel

Screenplay

Samuel A. Taylor

Details

Budget

$2,479,000

Revenue

$7,808,900

IMDb

tt0052357

TMDB

426

Keywords

• bachelor
• complicated
• dark romance
• detective
• fear of heights
• film noir
• golden gate bridge
• insurance fraud
• love of one's life
• museum
• necklace
• neo-noir
• nervous
• obsession
• painting
• paranoid
• plan
• psychological thriller
• rescue from drowning
• san francisco, california
• sense of guilt
• suicide attempt
• vertigo
• vistavision

Videos

• Official 60th Anniversary Trailer Clip
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): "If You Love Me" Clip Clip
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): Presented by TCM - Midge One Liners Clip
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): Rooftop Chase Clip Clip
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): Scottie's Nightmare Clip Clip
• Bill Hader on Vertigo Featurette
• The Making of Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' Featurette
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): Presented by TCM - Verified Vertigo Facts Featurette
• Vertigo 60th Anniversary (1958): Presented by TCM - What Is Vertigo Featurette
• TCM 60th Anniversary Spot Teaser

Reviews

coddest · ★ 6 · 2026-09-16

A slow paced but good movie if we disregard the ending, it feels like writers did not have any idea how to finish the story.

James · ★ 9 · 2023-10-14

Perhaps it’s due to my dislike for the overrated “North By Northwest”, but as of now this is my favourite Hitchcock.

JPV852 · ★ 8 · 2020-09-05

Not one of my favorites from Hitchcock, and certainly dower, but still visually striking and two amazing performances from James Stewart and Kim Novak. This is only the second time seeing this, guessing the last time was maybe 10 years ago or so, not entirely sure when I'll revisit it. **3.75/5**

barrymost · ★ 8 · 2020-03-30

A tense, dizzying thriller from the Master. Plot in a nutshell: A retired detective suffering from acrophobia takes the case of an old college chum's wife, who may be possessed by the spirit of her great-grandmother who committed suicide many years previous. But of course, a much darker, and more down-to-earth, secret lies beneath the surface. Comments: James Stewart is the perfect anti-hero in this: clever and brave, but also disturbed, unhinged, and at times possessive. He does a stellar job with a difficult role. In the supporting role of Stewart's faithful friend "Midge" is Barbara Bel Geddes, and she does a delightful job. According to one source I've read, after Vertigo flopped upon release, Hitchcock blamed Stewart, claiming he (Stewart) was too old and people no longer wanted to see him, hence the film's lack of success. When Hitchcock went on to do North By Northwest, Stewart reportedly begged Hitchcock for the lead role, but Hitchcock refused, giving the lead to Cary Grant, who was actually four years older than Stewart. But according to a biography of Cary Grant written by Pamela Trescott, the reason Hitchcock wanted Grant instead was simply because they worked well together and had wanted to do another collaboration after the success of To Catch a Thief. In short, that the lead role for North By Northwest had been intended for Cary Grant, and no one else, right from the beginning. All that aside, Vertigo has established a high reputation as a masterpiece of film, and rightly so. It's also beautifully photographed, and the entire film has a soft, haunting, dreamy quality to it that's utterly captivating.

tmdb47633491 · ★ 4 · 2018-04-07

I will never understand the universal adoration for Vertigo. Blindly inherited wisdom is the only explanation. How anyone could prefer this to North by Northwest or Rear Window is beyond me. An exceptionally made, exceptionally boring movie

Eky · 2012-06-16

All I know, this film wasn’t so successful at first and this probably because the audience didn’t expect a film so dark and claustrophobic. Vertigo was so strange already from the beginning because of its surreal and nightmarish atmosphere. I bow to Hitchcock in his creativity in visualizing Jimmy Stewart’s acrophobia by implementing one of the oldest cinematography techniques, using zoom lens as it zooms in while the object moves away, emphasizing his terrified feeling and insecurity whenever he’s at a particular height due to a chronic vertigo he suffers. As always, the film director’s cameo appearance has always been fascinating since we know it’s his habit therefore we will usually let our eyes wander throughout the film, trying to spot him. In conclusion, this timeless thriller remains a classic gem despite the emergence of new modern films. The great visual effects also seem timeless when compared to digital effects. I hope my review doesn’t give you vertigo = )

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