Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Duration: 128 minuten
Alternative title: De Vrouw Die Tweemaal Leefde
Country:
United States
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes
IMDb score:
8,2 (458.888)
Releasedate: 28 May 1958
Vertigo plot
"Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tension!"
Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) is a former San Francisco police officer who has retired due to his fear of heights. An old friend asks him to follow his wife because of her suicidal tendencies. After successfully rescuing her from a jump into the water, he slowly becomes obsessed with this beautiful but confused woman.
Actors and actresses
Det. John 'Scottie' Ferguson
Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton
Marjorie 'Midge' Wood
Gavin Elster
Coroner
Scottie's Doctor
Manager of McKittrick Hotel
Pop Leibel
Car Owner Mistaken for Madeleine
Diner at Ernie's (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
My third James Stewart movie in a Hitchcock movie after Rear window and The man who knew too much. I also liked this Vertigo, although I don't have the wow-feeling of "the best Hitchcock" that this film bears. However, you get a feeling of unease when you see the intro. Somewhere in the middle of the film there are also experiments with colors and turning circles. Nice! Vertigo has become a psychological film about a detective who suffers from a fear of heights as a result of an accident. Throughout the film you wonder what this is for, but luckily you could do something with it at the end. Was this subplot absolutely necessary to produce the same movie, maybe not. Still, that rooftop chase scene is blood-curdling.
The story is largely about Madeleine, the wife of an acquaintance. She is a bizarre suicidal woman who struggles with the past of one of her ancestors. The great thing about the story and plot is that history repeats itself and Ferguson also finds himself obsessed with a "dark-haired Madeleine". From then on, the film really gets interesting. However, I found the ending a bit bizarre. The nun for example?
Technically, the film is clever and cleverly put together, but that should not come as a surprise to Hitchcock. It seems obvious, but this film will be 60 years old next year. It remains good to see that this and many other of his films continue to look good.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 11558 messages
- 6803 votes
Thin.
Sometimes the older classics still want to catch me. Knowing that Hitchcock could go ahead with some cool tricks at the time, it is mainly other elements that just don't make it complete here unfortunately.
Because when Hitchcock comes out in style, it looks good. The film is already alive when the Vertigo scenes begin. Those are the parts that make the film special. Also something like that opening are nice additions to the film.
The film is never very exciting and rarely manages to be intense. The moments of tension are scarce and the mystery not too catchy. I didn't really like the twist either. Doubles aren't exactly innovative in the film world anymore.
Acting is way below par. Novak was too bad for words. Stewart too old. The romance soon doesn't really feel that way. Moreover, I think the romance really belongs to the worst romance in the entire history of cinema. So exaggerated, so fake. The dialogues are of a sad level.
I'm shocked that it came from Hitchcock, who I always saw as a somewhat more modern director at the time. Certainly the colors show that Hitchcock was a peculiar man and wanted to dare to do something. But on other genres, especially romance and drama, it really fails miserably.
The scene transitions are old-fashioned, which goes without saying. But I still find it sloppy and abrupt transitions. It all feels quite rushed. The rest of the film has its charms. I'm going to repeat it again, the colorful images. The thriller is intriguing at times and the Vertigo very catchy.
I'm sure it'll be monumental in movie history, but the romance is so annoying that I can't help but enjoy the history.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 12190 messages
- 10362 votes
Robert Burks' camera work is superb, Bernard Herrmann provided the musical score that is as beautiful as it is effective and James Stewart impressively portrays the complex protagonist in this romantic mystery. Despite this, this is Hitchcock's weakest film from the 50s and that is mainly due to an extremely far-fetched story that is also full of plot holes and a single coincidence.
The scenes with Barbara Bel Geddes, in a very thankless role, add nothing and without Herrmann's atmospheric music the first half of the film - especially the sequence in which John Madeleine [Kim Novak] shadows endlessly - [/ spoiler] barely get through. Fans of this movie often refer to a few moments (the scene at San Francisco Bay, the famous clock tower zoom shot, and the moment Judy's transformation into Madeleine is completed), but those moments still make not a monumental masterpiece. An overanalyzed and overrated film.
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