Kim Novak Sizzles as Clever "Dumb Fox"
In Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, Vertigo, Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton (Kim Novak) is the ultimate femme fatale. Using beauty and the vulnerability of men to her advantage, Madeleine succeeds at getting two things: money and power.

Even... (read full)

3.5/4  Vertigo
Vertigo, on the surface, is a film that seems to be almost intentionally deceptive. It gives one all sorts of ideas, leads one to all sorts of conclusions, only to act in a manner completely different from what one expected. It starts out ... (read full)

4/4  vertigo
Considered Alfred Hitchcocks greatest achivement Leonard Maltin gives Vertigo 4 stars.

James stewart give a brilliant performance as Scottie Ferguson, an acrophobic (fear of Heights) detective hired to shadow a friends suicidal wife, Ma... (read full)

3/4  Completely Unique
A great Hitchcock film full of twists and mysterious turns. Well, then again it is a hitchcock. I really liked this one but for some reason I couldn't enjoy it to to the full extent I knew was capable. Still a great thriller and fans of Hi... (read full)

4/4  "I heard voices."
Such a beautiful, beautiful movie. It's like watching a dream. Hitchcock uses Stewart better than anyone ever did, taking his innate Everyman sensibility and placing it in the most disturbing of situations. Stewart shines as the melanch... (read full)

4/4  Fallen.
Possibly the most twisted Hitchock (yeah, even more than psycho). Spectacular treatment of phobias, fears, desires. James Stewart is fantastic in this film that is technically revolutionary speaking about how was filmed, and the uses of ca... (read full)

4/4  Vertigo Quick Review
A master of his craft at the top of his game. Hitchcock has made many great films, but Vertigo is on another level. Everything aligns from the actors, the story, camera, score - it all comes together to form this perfect film.

4/4  Vertigo Quick Review
Vertigo is one of those masterpieces. I love everything about it. It is about the only Kim Novak movie worth watching. Hitchcock knew what he was doing.

4/4  Vertigo Quick Review
Hitchcock's best. And it has the impeccable Jimmy Stewart, what else could you ask for.

3.5/4  Vertigo Quick Review
This is a great mystery. I miss the style of hitchcock. If there was only a way to combine Hitchock with Speilberg....

5/5 Obsession and Tragedy
  by Baron Sardonicus (Pennsylvania)
Spoiler Warning; Do Not Read Further If You Haven't Seen the Film
(This is an analysis of the film from start to finish)

Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" is a movie worth exploring, studying, knowing. If I were to compose a list of my favorite films, "Vertigo" would surely be up in the top twenty. It is a masterpiece of cinema.

The opening credits show parts of a woman's face (not the entire face, mind you, but parts or pieces... incomplete sections of someone, like a puzzle) in black and white, and we zoom into the eye which soon changes to red. Bernard Hermann's wonderful and haunting music here is an arpeggio effect (the melody sinking and rising in a repetitive cycle) that reminds me of a whirlpool that can pull us down into the abyss. Then the titles reveal a graphic of a swirling vortex of blue and then violet and emerald, gold, pink, and back to red again.

A rooftop chase proves dangerous to Scottie, and we see that striking and famous dolly zoom --first developed by Irmin Roberts, a Paramount second-unit cameraman-- a combination shot of zooming in and of simultaneously moving backwards (a shot which we will see again later); it's a dizzying effect, I remember seeing this used in "Jaws" on Roy Scheider during a beach scene when he sees something sinister in the water. The shot is also used in "Goodfellas", "E.T.", and other films. The technique is disorienting because it is two things at once--pulling away and also closing in. This is appropriate for "Vertigo" and its duality, and its vertigo.

Retired detective Scottie has a bad back and he suffers from fear of heights. We will find that he has several problems, some emotional, some physical, and psychological. His designer pal Midge (who calls him Johnny-o) is in love with him. They have a history. Scottie reveals that a college friend named Gavin Elster has been in touch with him. Sidebar: Right now as I view the film I actually wish I could look at this story without knowing what's to come. Innocent things, we will discover before long, are not so. And Gavin Elster is not a good person.

At 11:17 in the movie we see Hitchcock's brief cameo as he walks across the scene. Elster seems to be doing nicely with his big desk and polished leather furniture (it's actually his wife's family's shipbuilding business). Elster wants Scottie to follow his wife Madeline because he's worried about her behavior. Elster mentions something about obsession with, or possession by, the dead. His wife has been acting strangely. (It is a very elaborate ruse, really, for just wanting a witness to Elster's wife's demise.)

At Ernie's resturant Scottie sees Gavin and his wife. The place is red (the wall fabric in particular stands out, almost garishly). Madeline's black gown's wrap is green satin. It stands out like a beacon in that sea of red. She walks and stops, and we linger on her profile. So, Scottie begins to trail Madeline. It will be the start of something that will become his downfall in certain ways. (Hermann's score as Scottie drives around is subtle and tense at the same time.) As he follows her into an alley it feels like we are in film noir territory.

At 21:02 Madeline stands surrounded by flowers in a composition that's nearly suitable for framing. There's something so artistic and visual about "Vertigo"; parts of it are painterly. I have always felt that not only is it a very sad movie but also very unusual visually.
And there is one of Hitchcock's famous cool blonde women in gray clothes, her hair done in such a "just so" manner. She's alluring but also distant. She pulls you in but you're not sure if you should even approach.

Notice, we always are shown Madeline from the back or the side, rarely do we see her from the front (like when someone speaks to you but they do not look you straight in the eye?). I think this is intentional, and there are so many intentional little details like that packed into this movie.

She visits the grave of a Carlotta Valdes (Madeline's great grandmother, according to Gavin Elster) even though she has no idea whose grave it is, and then visits a painting of Carlotta that does not look unlike Madeline--even the twist in the hairstyle. (Scottie has no clue he is being deceived, of course, but knowing that he IS just makes me pity him, even though I also find his behavior later in the film to be questionable and immoral.)

She goes to McKittrick's Hotel (the old Valdes home); Ellen Corby (familiar character actress who would play Grandma Walton on TV) is at the front desk; she's been oiling her rubber plant. The mystery deepens as the mature woman says that the lady is not upstairs, even though Scottie (and we) saw her in the window from street level. She's gone, as is her car. Elusive, this lady.

Sometimes I wonder if Hitchcock, while making these mysterious films, had any inkling of how much they might be studied and enjoyed and marveled at long after they were created. Was he making them for himself, or for the audience, or both? In some of his movies there is so much more going on than what is just in front of us. He must have been very meticulous, a perfectionist, because you can see it in his work. Everything is a certain way. Almost nothing is meaningless.

Even taken at face value (if I didn't know the movie's plot), this "Vertigo" story so far is riveting stuff-- a woman who might be possessed by a dead person whom she knows nothing about. Very intriguing notion.

I hate to think what this movie would be without the glorious music of Bernard Hermann. This may be one of my favorite scores ever made. His music is so emotional and powerful.

Another nicely-composed image at 42:20, Madeline at the bridge. It is here where Scottie has to reveal himself to her in order to save her life. He jumps into the water and we know he is now in deep. Too deep. All this business that Elster has set up has been helping Scottie fall for her, I think. It has given her a mysteriousness and magnetism. At Scottie's place, looking at Kim Novak, we see that she is not a flawless beauty. She's interesting looking and easy on the eyes. Her voice (as Elster's wife) is refined and sexy, and it almost sounds like there's an accent there somewhere. Is this for Scottie's benefit, to make her seem all the more appealing and exotic? There begins a chemistry between the two.

She is deceiving him for Gavin Elster, and Scottie is falling for his married friend's wife. She is a femme fatale but we will see that she is more. Elster and she are planning to kill his real wife who is wealthy.

So much of the chase here, of Scottie tailing/stalking Madeline, is downhill... his car goes downhill a lot, as though he is falling. In love. In danger.

Next time we see Madeline she is in a striking white coat with black clothes and gloves, and a sheer black scarf. Very chic, no question. She is elegant and has taste, that's obvious... unless it is Elster who has dressed her and coached her. Pieces of the puzzle remain unsolved here as to this deception. How intricate was it, how much time went into creating the false Madeline?

After viewing the redwood trees, they are by the sea. Scottie is trying to help her understand these strange occurrences but she thinks she might be mad. (Her telling him "I'm not mad" could be taken as "I'm not Madeline", couldn't it?) The music soars and they kiss. Their first kiss.

At the old Batista mission and museum, Madeline and Scottie confess their love. She then rushes to the bell tower. His vertigo prevents him from catching up with her (something Elster knew would happen). We see that dolly zoom again, twice, as Scottie looks down. But he is too late. He hears her scream and sees her body fall from the tower.

At this point we are devastated for Scottie because he has lost someone very special to him.

At 1:24 is Scottie's dream, a mix of colors and animation and music. He's been in a mental hospital, no longer himself. His guilt and remorse have taken over. Midge is still the steadfast, stalwart chum. The people in this story are a sad bunch, even Midge. She has an unhealthy fixation with Scottie. He had an unhealthy fixation with Madeline, and he's about to have another with Judy.

Now, Scottie finding Judy (who we see in a prominent profile angle) is simply one of those magical Hollywood coincidences that we accept because it's fiction. When he tries to make her over we realize how desperate he truly is. He wants to recapture the past love but at the expense of her own identity. And Judy lets him. They are both really messed up.

Much has been said about Hitchcock's treatment of women in his films. They are often portrayed as objects. In "Vertigo" the woman is not exactly painted in a flattering light. Judy is Elster's illict lover and co-conspirator in his wife's murder; she falls hard for Scottie but still goes through with the murder.

Novak's Judy is very different from her Madeline. The voice, demeanor, walk, body language. Judy is more common, unpolished, earthy. It's a good dual role. When Judy has a flashback (shared with only the audience), the mystery is revealed. She then writes a letter telling Scottie everything. And then tears it to pieces. Another bad decision by one of Hitchcock's females.

The `Hotel Empire' sign is a vivid green. Green and red, red and green. Opposites. Together the colors pop. Warm and cool, female and male. Judy's silhouette in front of the curtains (tinged in green by the neon) is striking.

Scottie's makeover of Judy is pathetic and disturbing. He is erasing her and creating a second Madeline. Her first instinct is to refuse the alteration but he insists. This has got to be killing Judy. Novak is very good here, you can just feel that Judy is broken and sad and eaten by guilt (just as Scottie was consumed by guilt).

I just feel so many different things for these two characters: repulsion, pity, sympathy. Really, can there be any happiness for them, together or on their own?

For me the most powerful shot in the film comes after her transformation (as the music slowly builds to an aching crescendo), at 1:55:15 as she steps out of what seems like a diaphanous green mist or dreamy haze.
It is at this moment that the sadness of this story becomes extremely powerful. Love based on lies and obsession. Such strong desire but at what cost?

When they kiss they are transported to the mission stables. But a moment later it's back to normal.

Time passes. All is happy on the surface but then Scottie gets a glimpse of Madeline's necklace and the truth jolts him like a bee sting. What must a person in his current situation and mindset feel? Seething rage? Utter heartbreak? Icy betrayal?

Scottie, livid and rigid, takes Judy to the bell tower. What does he intend to do? His vertigo appears (with that dolly zoom again) but he presses on, overcoming it. "Did he train you? Did he rehearse you?" says Scottie in his rage. He knows she loves him; she wouldn't have kept the necklace if she wasn't madly in love. She thinks there's still a chance for them. One more kiss, and then a figure appears from the shadows.

This ending is like an open wound to me. But a story like this could not end happily, could it? This is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most emotional and personal stories, no question. It goes places where we usually avoid, it delves the darkest nether regions of the soul. And it's a treat because it's not what it seems, with layers and meanings beneath the surface.

For me, Hitchcock's three best creations will always be "Rear Window", "Psycho", and "Vertigo". "Vertigo" remains one of the most powerful and beautiful films created.

5/5 1958 Hitchcock
  by Dr. Feelgood (USA)
One of Hitchcock's best films, which still holds up today, on DVD. Primarily, because it is a very visual film, at times, almost dream like, supported by the Bernard Hermann score, and the acting talents of Jimmy Stewart.

5/5 An Overwhelming Film Experience
  by Tom Without Pity (A Major Midwestern Metropolis)
Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO is without question a masterpiece and quite possibly the master's
greatest, most personal work. I have recently viewed and viewed again the restored DVD version of VERTIGO and I doubt that I have ever had such an overwheling home viewing experience.

The colors, the music and especially the different scenes, like moving paintings in some cases,
were an overwhelming sensory experience for me. And James Stewart, Barbara Bel Geddes and especially the underrated Kim Novak were the charismatic stars in a cast of more than able
players who brought this improbable story to life in a beautiful yet realistically artful
way.

I know that there are, well, how many do you need, Hitchcock films that could be called classics but at this point in my Hitchcock viewing career VERTIGO takes the bue ribbon prize.

The story concerns James Stewart playing Scotty Ferguson, a retired San Francisco police detective who suffered vertigo during a chase which led to the accidental death of a another policeman. Scotty's having a hard time dealing with his guilt and eventually, trying to find something to occupy his mind and his time, attempts to help an old college chum who is fearful that his wife is slowly going insane.

One complication leads to another and before the viewer knows it he is smack dab in the middle of a ghostly romance as well as a possible murder case. This is the sort of film that invites repeat viewings not just because of the twists and turns of the story but again, because of the way it is built, one amazing scene framed by remarkable music after another.
I was going to try to explain why I feel that this is Hitchcock's most personal film but
that might be giving too much away which I do not want to do.

But I do give the DVD release of a restored VERTIGO an unqualified rave.


5/5 Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece revisited in a great special edition DVD release
  by Anirban Mitra (Calcutta, India)
VERTIGO Vertigo (Universal Legacy Series) is a 1958 classic American psychological thriller made by the Master of Suspense - Alfred Hitchcock and is easily the Director's one of the finest works. This film written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor is based on a novel by Boileau-Narcejac and stars the great James Stewart and Kim Novak in the leads. The film received mixed reviews upon its initial release, but has garnered much acclaim since then and is now frequently ranked amongst the greatest films of all times. With a magnificent musical score by one of Hitchcock's greatest collaborators Bernard Herrmann and a brilliant cinematography by Robert Burks, the film is simply a delight to watch and own as a home-viewing private DVD collection.

The newly released 2-disc Special Edition Universal Legacy Series DVD set has a superior transfer than the past releases with sharper and smoother image quality and improved compression coupled with a higher bitrates. Packed in an attractive and durable book style case, the real goodies of this release are the loads of extra features that come bundled in the package. Those featurettes along with the film are excellent memorabilia and valuable material on Hitchcock's movie making legacy.

Overall, this DVD set is a great buy at a very decent price and a complete suite in terms of the best possible digital transfer of the film in DVD and a plethora of extra features packed in a classy case to adorn your private collection.

The contents of the DVD set are listed below for reference:


DVD 1

* Vertigo (1958), Technicolor, 1.85:1 (anamorphic widescreen)
o length: 129 minutes (02:09:28)
o audio: English (DD5.1, 448Kb/s) surround and English stereo (DD2.0, 192Kb/s)
o subtitles: English (hard of hearing), French, and Spanish
o Feature length commentary track - featuring restoration team Robert A Harris and James C Katz, Herbert
Coleman and others ; Audio: English; subtitles: none

o Feature length commentary track - featuring director William Friedkin ; Audio: English; subtitles: none
* Foreign censorship ending
* Theatrical trailers
o original theatrical trailer, and restoration theatrical trailer
* "The Vertigo Archive" - production photographs and storyboards
* Production notes


DVD 2

* "Obsessed with Vertigo - New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece" featurette
o length: 29 minutes (00:29:18)
* "Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators"
o featurettes about Saul Bass, Edith Head, Bernard Herrmann and Alma Reville
* "Hitchcock/Truffaut" - audio interviews with a montage of footage from the film
o length: 14 minutes (00:14:18)
* Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Case of Mr. Pelham
o length: 26 minutes (00:25:34)

***



5/5 Overlook the Plot Holes and be Wholly Entertained
  by Susan Y. Schoonover (Boulder, CO)
For classic suspense entertainment a viewer can't go wrong with Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO. The plot is intriguing as we are first presented with an apparent tale of reincarnation or soul possession. There are at least two major twists that are likely to really shock those fortunate enough to watch the movie with no prior knowledge of the story. Of course with too much thought the improbability of these twists become apparent so the wise viewer will simply suspend disbelief and enjoy.

The acting in VERTIGO is top notch. Nice guy James Stewart plays early retired detective Scottie with just enough hint of character imperfection to make him believable. Kim Novak is not just gorgeous but fully creates both the lovely, troubled aristocrat Madeleine and the practical beauty, sales clerk Judy. And I especially like Barbara Bel Geddes (known to baby boomers as Dallas's Miss Ellie) playing Scottie's artist/friend Midge who somehow seems a little mysterious herself. Baby boomers who watched a lot of TV in their youth will l also recognize Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) as a hotel clerk who puzzles Scottie and Raymond Bailey from The Beverly Hillbillies playing a psychiatrist. The city of San Francisco and some of the surrounding area are so beautifully photographed VERTIGO could be a travelogue. Fans of Alfred Hitchcock will not want to miss this masterpiece.