{"id":40436,"date":"2025-11-06T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=40436"},"modified":"2025-10-31T17:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T21:36:08","slug":"vertigo-1958-directed-by-alfred-hitchcock-starring-james-stewart-and-kim-novak-z-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=40436","title":{"rendered":"“Vertigo” (1958) directed by Alfred Hitchcock; starring James Stewart and Kim Novak \/ Z-View"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Vertigo <\/strong><\/em>(1958)<\/p>\n

Director:\u00a0 Alfred Hitchcock<\/strong><\/p>\n

Screenplay: Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor; <\/strong>based on D’entre les morts <\/em>by Pierre Boileau<\/strong> and Thomas Narcejac<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Ellen Corby, Konstantin Shayne, Lee Patrick, John Benson, Paul Bryar <\/strong>and Raymond Bailey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tagline: Somewhere…Somehow – He’d Loved and Killed That Self-Same Girl Before!<\/em><\/p>\n

The Plot\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

San Francisco Detective John “Scottie” Ferguson and a patrol cop are in a rooftop chase of a wanted man.\u00a0 The chase, high above the city, goes from building to building.\u00a0 When Scottie falls short on a jump, he barely grabs hold of a gutter.\u00a0 As Scottie begins to slip to a sure death, the cop eases down to assist.\u00a0 The cop makes a misstep and plummets to his death.<\/p>\n

Scottie survives but is traumatized from his near fall.\u00a0 Scottie’s vertigo and fear of heights is so bad he retires from the force.<\/p>\n

Gavin Elster, a college buddy that Scottie hasn’t seen in years, reaches out.\u00a0 Elster is worried about his wife Madeline’s recent strange behavior.\u00a0 He wants Scottie to follow her to see what’s up.<\/p>\n

Scottie trails Madeline for days. He discovers she’s obsessed with a woman named Carlotta Valdes who committed suicide in 1857.\u00a0 Elster becomes worried that Madeline may believe she is possessed by Carlotta’s spirit.\u00a0 Worse still, Madeline may commit suicide herself.<\/p>\n

The next day Scottie follows Madeline all over town.\u00a0 She ends up at the San Francisco Bay where she jumps in.\u00a0 She is drowning when Scottie pulls her out.\u00a0 Madeline has no memory of the places she’s been or her attempt to kill herself.\u00a0 Scottie has become infatuated with Madeline.\u00a0 They begin spending time together… and she falls in love with him.<\/p>\n

One day Madeline tells Scottie about a nightmare she had.\u00a0 The setting was at the Mission San Juan Bautista.\u00a0 It was Carlotta’s childhood home.\u00a0 They decide to drive there.\u00a0 Once there Madeline breaks away from Scottie.\u00a0 She runs to the church’s bell tower and heads up.\u00a0 Scottie attempts to follow, but his vertigo and fear of heights slows him down.\u00a0 He isn’t to the top when he sees and hears Madeline fall to her death.<\/p>\n

Scottie is devestated.\u00a0 He was unable to save the woman that he loved.<\/p>\n

Time passes.\u00a0 One day Scottie is in the city.\u00a0 Across the way he spots a woman who looks like Madeline.\u00a0 It’s not the first time it has happened.\u00a0 But this time is different.\u00a0 Although there are subtle differences the woman could pass as Madeline.\u00a0 Scottie makes a point to meet her.\u00a0 He’s obsessed with winning her over.<\/p>\n

Scottie has no idea what he is in for.<\/p>\n

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vertigo<\/em> was nominated for two 1959 Academy Awards<\/em>…<\/p>\n