"Scottie, do you believe someone dead can enter and take possession of a living person?"

How does one go about recommending this great film, a film I consider to be Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece? "Vertigo" is certainly one of the great romantic classics from one of Hollywood's greatest directors, the master of suspense himself. Not a thriller in the same sense as other Hitchcocks like "Psycho", "The Birds", this is more of a leisurely pace psychological thriller, a film that draws you in with its power and leaves you shaken when it ends.

James Stewart plays San Francisco detective John "Scottie" Ferguson. While chasing a suspect across the rooftops of San Francisco, Scottie loses his footing and finds himself dangling by his hands hundreds of feet above the ground. When his colleague tries to rescue him, he too loses his footing and ends up plunging to his death.

Now consumed with guilt and a paralyzing fear of heights (the "vertigo" of the title), Scottie quits the police force, fearing his fear of heights could get him into trouble again. Scottie instead hangs out at his ex-fiancee's studio, gabbing with her. However, a phone call from his old friend Gavin Elster puts Scottie back on the job again.

It seems Elster's wife Madeleine has been acting very strange lately. She goes into long trances where she doesn't seem to recognize him. She goes for long drives visiting San Francisco's landmarks, yet does not remember these trips when she returns. Elster is convinced that Madeleine has become possessed by the spirit of a long dead woman. Elster wants Scottie to follow Madeleine to get more information, and find out whether she is mad or truly is possessed. Having nothing better to do, Scottie agrees.

Scottie follows Madeleine in his car. Among the destinations Madeleine leads Scottie in her journeys are Ernie's restaurant, a flower boutique, a church cemetery, the art gallery, and an old house. At the cemetery, Madeleine pauses by a tombstone with the name "Carlotta Valdes" inscripted on it. At the art gallery, Scottie notes that Madeleine sits and stares at a painting of a woman who bears an eerie resemblance to her, even to the point of having a similar necklace, and a similar bun in the hair. Upon questioning an employee, Scottie learns the painting is of Carlotta. At the old house, now converted into an apartment building, Scottie learns from the manager that Madeleine comes to visit several times a week, registering under the name "Carlotta Valdes".

From an old historian on San Francisco history, Scottie learns that Carlotta Valdes was a woman who committed suicide back in the the nineteenth century. Carlotta had married a man and given birth to a child. But her husband grew tired of her and threw her away, keeping the child. Upon further conversation with Elster, Scottie learns that the child was Madeleine's grandmother. Madeleine's mother and grandmother both committed suicide when they were twenty-six, as Madeleine is now. Elster is fearful that Madeleine will do the same.

One day, Madeleine journeys out to San Francisco bay. Scottie, following as usual, witnesses her fling herself into the water. Scottie rescues her and takes her back to his apartment. The two become close and Scottie does his best to help her. However just as the two begin to fall in love, tragedy strikes and Scottie finds his vertigo renders him impotent to save Madeleine. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, Scottie suffers a breakdown and is institutionalized for over a year.

For those of you who are wondering, this is not the end of the story, but simply the beginning

Upon "recovery", Scottie finds himself wandering the streets of San Francisco visiting the sites he and Madeleine visited. He seems to see Madeleine in the faces of every woman he passes. One day, Scotty sees a woman whose face looks very much like Madeleine's, despite having different colour hair and wearing different clothes. Scottie follows her to her apartment, learns her name (Judy Barton) and the two strike up a relationship. However, the relationship soon becomes strained as Scottie begins making demands on Judy. And Judy has a shocking secret that she must keep from Scottie at all costs.


Film critics seem to have been debating what "Vertigo" is about since the day it was released. For me, "Vertigo" is about many things. For one thing, it's a cynical look at male/female relationships. Hitchcock seems to be saying that men treat women callously. Carlotta's husband abandons her taking her child (Pop Leibel somberly notes that men could do that in those days), and Scottie is controlling towards Judy, demanding that she dress in Madeleine's clothing. Much could be made of the fact that Elster, Scottie, and Carlotta's husband end up treating their partner's the same way.

It's also about the attraction to death. Scottie is guilt stricken after his colleague falls to his death, something Scottie believes he was destined to do. Scottie is attracted to a woman who believes herself to be possessed by a long dead spirit. Madeleine herself is attracted to death, a path to which she believes she is destined just like her ancestors. After Madeleine's death, Scottie becomes attracted to a woman who resembles Madeleine, even getting her to dress like Madeleine in order to fulfill the image. The "vertigo" of the title could be said to be about both the attraction of and the revulsion to death that the characters feel.

There's also a lot of debate about whether Hitchcock was right to reveal Judy's secret to the audience two thirds of the way through. My feeling is that he was not correct. "Vertigo" is supposed to be about the world as seen through Scottie's eyes. When the secret is revealed to us two thirds of the way through rather than at the end, Scottie's world is shattered to us. Had Hitchcock held out to the end, then the twist ending might have rivaled that of "Psycho" in its catching the audience by surprise. Nevertheless, it's a small debit to a great film.

Hitchcock's colour photography is superb. "Vertigo" was shot in VistaVision, a high definition colour and widescreen process which competes well with some of the digital video that's starting to come out today. Hitchcock didn't like to work on location, so many of the shots of San Francisco were shot then brought back to the studio. While this makes it look somewhat fake, it also gives the film an eerie unreal feel and allows Hitch to get the colour and lighting just right. San Francisco seems to be bathed in yellows, oranges, and reds.

Bernard Hermann composed one of his all time best scores to accompany this film. It's sure to echo in your head for days after you've seen this movie. I'd recommend that viewers purchase a copy of this film score, if it's available.

The actors are well cast. Jimmy Stewart as Scottie makes a likeable everyman whom the audience identifies with. We find ourselves sympathizing with Scottie's impotence and obsession, even as we are horrified with his later treatment of Judy. Barbara Bel Geddes is also excellent as Midge, Scottie's ex-fiancee who still has feelings for him. We end up feeling sympathetic for Midge as she senses, correctly, that she is losing Scottie. Kim Novak, under Hitch's direction, manages to disappear into both her dual roles. Novak of course was not Hitchcock's first choice for the role, that was Vera Miles. However, Hitch managed to effectively mold Novak into Miles' image, just as in the film Scottie molds Judy into Madeleine's image. There's a reason why "Vertigo" is considered to be Hitchcock's most personal film.

Some shots that stood with me; one was the psychedelic animation in the opening credits. As the credits role, we see an animated circular design emerging from a nameless woman's eye and enveloping us. Another terrific shot was famous 'vertigo' shot, where Scottie looks down the stairwell in the church tower and the stairwell seems to expand and contract at the same time. This shot has been copied many times in subsequent films. However, my personal favourite shot was in the scene in Judy's apartment, where Judy emerges from bathroom dressed in Madeleine's clothes with her hair dyed and her body bathed in green light. Scottie's illusion is complete, "Madeleine" has returned from the dead.

Many great films benefit from repeat viewings. This is especially true of "Vertigo", even more so than "Citizen Kane". For instance, pay attention to some of the things Madeleine says to Scottie in his apartment, in the forest, and at the old Spanish mission. What does she mean by them? You are likely to interpret different meanings the second time once you know the "twist" to the story.

"Vertigo" is a must to any film lovers video collection. The DVD is an excellent buy, presenting the image and music with sharp clarity. There's also a fascinating documentary "Obsessed With Vertigo" which details the film's making and restoration. I highly recommend "Vertigo" for all you film buffs out there.