Vertigo Overview:

Vertigo (1958) was a Crime - Mystery Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and Herbert Coleman.

The film was based on the novel The Living and the Dead written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac published in 1954.

SYNOPSIS

When the restored version of Vertigo debuted in theaters, it reignited interest in and appreciation for what is generally considered to be Hitchcock's most personal work. It also underlined Hitchcock's technical mastery in the use of color and camera effects (the famous zoom-in-doily-out shot used to simulate vertigo) and the importance of Herrmann's jittery score. Stewart plays another character (as in Rear Window) who, because he is psychically or physically separated from his real life, creates an imaginary, anxiety-provoking substitution. Stewart leaves the San Francisco police force after his vertigo leads to a partner's death. He takes a job tailing the wife (Novak) of a school friend who has been behaving strangely. When he saves her from a suicidal plunge, his fascination turns to longing, a longing that comes to a bitter end when she seemingly succeeds in dying, again due to Stewart's vertigo, in a leap from a bell tower. After gathering his shattered mind in an institution, Stewart spots a woman with an uncanny likeness to his lost love. His obsession drives him to re-create her in the exact image of his suicidal lover, forcing a confrontation with the truth of her identity. Critics have long discussed the relevance of the Stewart character's manipulating of the Novak character and the director's own obsession with creating the ideal cool-blonde heroine. Among the most fascinating and suspenseful of classic movies. The special edition video release has been restored and remastered from the original negative. Based on the novel D'Entre Les Morts by Boileau and Narcejac, the authors of the story for French director Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Vertigo was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989.

Academy Awards 1958 --- Ceremony Number 31 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Frank McKelvyNominated
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BlogHub Articles:

4K UHD Blu-ray Review: Vertigo

By Devon Powell on Sep 13, 2021 From Hitchcock Master

Distributor: Universal Pictures Release Date: September 07, 2021 Region ? 4K UHD: Region Free BLU-RAY: Region A Length: 02:08:27 Video ? 4K UHD: 2160P (HEVC, H.265) BLU-RAY: 1080P (VC-1) Audio ? 4K UHD: English DTS X 2.0 Mono English Digital Audio 2.0 Mono Spanish (Latin American) DTS Digital Audio... Read full article


Vertigo: Another Life for Alfred Hitchcock?s Classic

By Devon Powell on Sep 16, 2020 From Hitchcock Master

Exclusive Guest Article By: Dan Auiler This article is the second in a series of four guest articles to appear on this page in celebration of Universal?s release of??The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection.? Vertigo in 4K?The clarity, the better black levels from HDR, the extraordinary color?but I... Read full article


The Directors' Chair: Vertigo

By Theresa Brown on Apr 18, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

The Directors’ Chair: Vertigo (1958) ….. VERTIGO? ( 1958 ) ~ YOU STEPPED OUT OF MY DREAMS…AND INTO THE NIGHTMARE I CREATED VERTIGO is my favorite movie. Hands down, this is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie. In fact, caveat emptor…if you fall in love in Hit... Read full article


Bernard Herrmann and Vertigo (1958)

By Carol Martinheira on Jan 27, 2020 From The Old Hollywood Garden

Bernard Herrmann and Vertigo (1958) On January 27, 2020 By CarolIn Uncategorized If pressed, I would have to say that Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) is my all-time favorite movie score. I’ve mentioned this a few times h... Read full article


Film Noir Review: Vertigo (1958)

By Danilo Castro on May 22, 2018 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

“If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?” As cinema?s reigning ?Master of Suspense?, Alfred Hitchcock usually made a point of keeping his audience in the loop. He believed that information and tension went hand in hand, and that by telling us ... Read full article


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Quotes from

Midge: I talked to the woman in musical therapy, and she said that Mozart's the boy for you.


Madeleine: Here I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you; you took no notice.


[to Scottie]
Gavin Elster: There's no way for them to understand. You and I know who killed Madeleine.


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Facts about

Scottie's car is a white 1956 Desoto Firedome Sportsman Hardtop Coupe. Madeleine's is a green 1957 Jaguar Mk. VIII. Midge's is a gray 1956 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe.
Kim Novak hated wearing the important gray suit because it felt confining. However, she learned to make it work for her, as she saw it a symbol of Madeleine's character.
On-location filming lasted 16 days.
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National Film Registry

Vertigo

Released 1958
Inducted 1989
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