Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock, USA 1958, 128 minutes

Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) is a detective who develops acrophobia (fear of heights) after watching a man fall to his death during a police chase. Upon quitting his job he is contacted by an old friend who offers him an unusual job - to follow his friend's wife Madeline Elster, who has apparently been possessed by the spirit of an ancestor. Scottie's vertigo stops him from preventing Madeline's suicide and he has a nervous breakdown. Whilst recovering he meets Judy Barton, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Madeline [they are, after all, both played by Kim Novak] and Scottie attempts to recreate the image of his lost love.

Based on the novel D'entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau, Vertigo is one of Hitchcock's finest films. It may lack the visceral jump-in-your-seat moments of Psycho, but in Psycho's vein Hitchcock draws us into a mind that is twisted by its relation to women. The performances are excellent, especially Barbara Bel Geddes's poignant cameo of the girl who silently loves Scottie and loses him to an unattainable ideal. Novak is the epitome of the icy blonde standard to Hitchcock films and her aloofness contributes to the other-worldly aura surrounding Madeline. The performances are complimented by Bernard Hermann's haunting music, careful use of lighting and excellent camera-work, notable in the latter half of the movie, especially the now oft-copied stair shots.

If you are going to watch one Hitchcock classic, make it Vertigo. Deceit, obsession, the searing pain of loss, beauty and death all combine to form a film that is influential but, like Madeline, never equalled.

Review by Jenny Jackson
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2006

Madeline Elster (Kim Novak) has been behaving fairly oddly so her husband hires old pal and ex-cop with a major fear of heights Scotty (James Stewart) to follow and generally keep an eye on her. When Scotty saves her from a would-be suicide by drowning, he starts to become as obsessed with her, as she becomes with a morbid painting that she closely resembles and the legend that accompanies it. After her disappearance, he becomes fixated with a woman who looks similar to Madeline but denies any connection…

This is one of Hitchcock’s darkest films purely because of the level of obsession and eventually fetishism involved and the inspired casting of America’s good guy, the fantastically clean cut Jimmy Stewart. And he’s perfect for the part as his character’s gradually dwindling sanity plays so well on such a normally sensible figure. His increasing obsession, to the point of heavily hinted sexual fetishism (look out for the green and red lighting in the hotel room), is actually genuinely shocking to watch and also provides Novak with plenty to play against.

Barbara Bel Geddes adds light relief as Scotty’s girlfriend early in the film but the picture belongs to the three leads: Stewart, Novak and San Francisco, the film’s inspiring setting. Shot with bright sometimes overpowering Technicolor the city has rarely looked so mysterious and beautiful and it’s no coincidence that this film has been regularly referenced in ‘Cisco set fiction ever since. The music will also be instantly recognisable as it’s yet another Bernard Herrmann score. Capturing both the story’s intrigue and anxiety so well that this too has been “borrowed” by plenty of film and television productions since the film’s 1958 release.

It may not be as funny or light as the best known of Hitchcock’s work but this is certainly a classic largely because of it’s impressively unlikeable, intense characters so at odds with Hitch’s trademark Hollywood glamour films of the same time. A must see particularly for anyone obsessed with San Francisco.

Review by Nicola Osborne
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2002

Chasing a suspect along the rooftops, detective "Scottie" Ferguson (James Stewart) slips and ends up hanging off a ledge. Another cop tries to save him, but falls to his death. Scottie survives. When it emerges that he suffers from vertigo, he is invalided out of the police force. While pondering what to do next he receives an offer from an old friend, Gavin Elster. Elster's wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak) has been acting strangely and Elster fears for Madeleine's safety. Scottie takes up the task of keeping an eye on her, quickly becoming infatuated with the woman. She, on the other hand, seems to be possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor, whom she resembles.

It's difficult to say much more about Vertigo without spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it before. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to explain just what is so brilliant about Hitchcock's masterpiece. However, certain features do stand out; the incredible use of Technicolor and the technically brilliant track-out/zoom-in shot in particular. The shot was developed by Hitchcock especially for Vertigo and allows the audience to actually experience the sensation of that name.

What I can say? Though Vertigo is a deeply disturbing film for its subtexts and what it might reveal about Hitchcock himself, if you're intrigued and want to know more, go and see it for yourself. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Review by Keith H Brown
Taken from EUFS Programme 1997-98

Vertigo is one of Hitchcock's greatest, most sublime works. Almost every scene has a relevance to all the others, forming a masterful whole. It is a film about the destructive forces of obsession, and the influence of the dead on the living. But above all it is about deceit - nowhere else in Hitchcock's oeuvre is his fascination with the illusion of reality and the reality of illusion so powerful.

Ex-detective John 'Scottie' Ferguson Games Stewart) suffers from vertigo. Gavin Elster (John Helmore) asks him to tail his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), whom he believes is suicidal. Scottie soon falls in love with her. But the suicidal Madeleine throws herself from a church tower - Scottie's vertigo prevents him from stopping her.

Devastated by her death, Scottie's obsession with Madeleine grows to the extent that he becomes obsessed with Judy Barton, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Madeleine. In a flashback, the viewer learns that Madeleine never actually existed - she was a lie invented by Gavin EIster and acted out by Judy. Scottie uncovers this deception and, overcoming his vertigo, forces Judy to the top of the church tower to get the truth from her. Judy stumbles backward, falling to her death.

The overriding effect of the film is Hitchcock's use of a great deal of fluid camera movements, and long, slow, silent pursuit sequences. The film gives the impression of a dreamlike pursuit. But it is a pursuit which, because of its obsessive and vertiginous nature (the theme of dizzying spirals can be seen throughout the film), becomes suffocating and nightmarish. The object of desire is a complete hoax, and so one sees the agony of the wasted energy - indeed life - in the elusive hunt for something which does not and can never, exist.