Vertigo is a classic 1958 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
James Stewart portrays an acrophobic detective hired to trail a friend's suicidal wife (Kim Novak). After he successfully rescues her from a leap into the bay, he finds himself becoming obsessed with the beautifully troubled woman.
One of cinema's most chillingly romantic endeavors: its fascinating myriad of haunting camera angles shot among some of San Francisco's renowned landmarks. This film is a must for collectors: Leonard Maltin gives Vertigo four stars and hails it as “A genuinely great motion picture that demands multiple viewings.”
Special Features
- OBSESSED WITH VERTIGO NEW LIFE FOR HITCHCOCK'S MASTERPIECE (29:14)
- PARTNERS IN CRIME: HITCHCOCK'S COLLABORATORS (56:15)
- HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT (15:00)
- FOREIGN CENSORSHIP ENDING (02:07)
- THE VERTIGO ARCHIVES (IMAGE GALLERY)
- FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH FILM DIRECTOR WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
Awards
- Academy Awards 1959 – Nominated for Oscar Best Art Direction-
- Directors Guild of America 1959 – Nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
- San Sebastián International Film Festival 1958 – Won Silver Seashell
- Sant Jordi Awards 1960 – Won Sant Jordi Best Cinematography in a Foreign Film
Vertigo Reviews
““Vertigo” (1958), which is one of the two or three best films Hitchcock ever made, is the most confessional, dealing directly with the themes that controlled his art…” Roger Ebert
“One of the landmarks–not merely of the movies, but of 20th-century art.” Chicago Reader
“Hitchcock's twisty, suspenseful tale is far more involving and memorable than most recent Hollywood thrillers.” TheMovieReport.com
“Vertigo is an acknowledged masterpiece, one of those narrative films in which a bracing and unpredictable story has been distilled into a form that is at once classic and inventive.” Orgeonian
“What can one say? Exquisitely controlled, framed, scored, acted, and edited. A peerless triumph.” Nick Davis
“Hitchcock's rich and strange fable of love lost, and lost again, makes the case for him as a grand experimental artist who labored in genre cinema.” Slant Magazine
“Hitchcock does a masterful job blending all of Vertigo's diverse elements together. It's a love story, a mystery, and a thriller all rolled into one. It deals with issues of obsession, psychological and physical paralysis, and the tenuous nature of romantic love. Vertigo should really be seen more than once to be fully appreciated.” Reelviews
“A rich, resonant meditation of male romantic obsession … Not only does Hitchcock demonstrate a total mastery of cinematic point-of-view, but he turns what might have been mere melodrama into film poetry. Perhaps his greatest film.” Boulder Weekly