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Vertigo
1958 128 min United States of America PG 12+
★8.7
Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
📖 Based on the novel
«The Living and the Dead»
byBoileau-Narcejac
Trailers
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Description
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Budget:
$2.48M
US Gross:
$7.86M
Worldwide:
$7.81M
Starring
James Stewart
Actor
Kim Novak
Actor
Barbara Bel Geddes
Actor
Awards
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1958
— Zulueta Prize – Best Actor
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1958
— Silver Shell
Academy Awards 1959
— Best Production Design
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1958
— Silver Shell
Key opinion
Vertigo is widely celebrated as a masterwork of suspense and psychological depth, noted for its innovative visual storytelling and exploration of obsession. While most viewers praise its technical prowess and lasting influence, a minority find the pacing sluggish and the performances disconnected from modern sensibilities.
| Cinematography | Hitchcock's innovative use of the zoom lens perfectly externalizes the protagonist's internal struggle with acrophobia and vertigo. | |
| Screenplay | The film maintains a high level of narrative tension, effectively transforming from a detective mystery into a layered psychological drama. | |
| Acting | James Stewart and Kim Novak deliver nuanced, masterful performances that anchor the complex, obsessive relationship at the heart of the film. | |
| Production | The film's visual aesthetic, including its use of color and set design, creates an enduring, dreamlike atmosphere that continues to influence the thriller genre. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the pacing are split; some find the slow, contemplative tempo essential to the film's hypnotic quality, while others find it dramatically inert and in need of cutting. | |
| Score | The score is subject to debate; some viewers find it integral to the mounting suspense, while others perceive it as intrusive and draining during slower sequences. |