Vertigo

"Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tension!"

1958 2h 8m EN

🙌

8.1

BANGER

★8.1TMDB · 6,543

MysteryRomanceThriller

Synopsis

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A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

“Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tension!”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Samuel A. Taylor, Alec Coppel
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Tomasini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Stewart and Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tension!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Robert Burks behind the camera. Bernard Herrmann scores. George Tomasini cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.
368 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor George Tomasini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Stewart and Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Alfred Hitchcock engulfs you in a whirlpool of terror and tension!".
9IMDB entry: tt0052357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "plan", "love of one's life", "sense of guilt", "san francisco, california".
11Released under 23 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Burks
Original score: Bernard Herrmann
Editing: George Tomasini
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,479,000
Box office: $7,808,900
Return: 315% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Vertigo (1958)

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Alfred Hitchcock

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Eky2012-06-16
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 = )
tmdb476334912018-04-07
★ 4/10
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
barrymost2020-03-30
★ 8/10
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.