Hitchcock’s Mesmerizing Vertigo Finds James Stewart and Kim Novak in a Web of Intrigue

 

                Comprising perhaps the most personal and complicated work in Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock’s film canon, 1958’s Vertigo contains strong elements of mystery often associated with Hitchcock, but delves much deeper into the nature of love and relationships, specifically how obsession can turn fatal. The surprising twists involved in the premise concerning retired detective Scottie Ferguson and his interactions with two women, the haunted Madeleine Elster and her twin alter-ego, shopgirl Judy Barton, could have read as far-fetched in less skillful hands. However, by 1958 Hitchcock was at the top of his game and clearly invested all his considerable talents into a project that, in some respects, possibly hit too close to home, taking the incisive screenplay by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor (based on D’entre les morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac) and weaving a potent and fascinating cinematic tale that will cause many viewers to desire (at least) a second look at the masterfully crafted film. Aided by artful Saul Bass titles that immediately draws one into the dreamy world of Vertigo, a hypnotic score by Bernard Herrmann that deftly alternates between tense and tranquil to set the appropriate tone of each sequence, Paramount VistaVision that offers a gorgeous viewing format for the lush Robert Burks Technicolor cinematography and rich portrayals by a top cast who bring distinction and dramatic flair to their roles, Vertigo stands among the most creative and impactful movies made by Hitchcock, or any other director.

                In prime position to take on his most challenging effort to date after achieving phenomenal success in the 1950’s with a string of quality entertainments such as Strangers on a Train, Dial “M” for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, then becoming even more of a recognizable cultural icon with weekly appearances on televisions The Alfred Hitchcock Hour starting in 1955, Hitchcock unfolds the amply layered tale with all the precision and talent he had honed since his early work starting in 1920’s British film industry. After such classics as The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, Hitchcock would smoothly transition to Hollywood where, under contract to David O. Selznick, he’d debut with the Best Picture Oscar winner Rebecca, before amassing several more esteemed 1940’s hits, such as Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock’s favorite of his films, which also features complex themes and relationships) and Notorious. For Vertigo, Hitchcock forgoes much of the sly comedic material he often employed in his suspense hits to focus on the central, highly involved and serious personal connections Scottie forms with Madeleine, then Judy. Hitchcock, aided by Herrmann’s score and ace editor George Tomasini, explicitly shows true virtuosity in illustrating thought-provoking dream or dream-like sequences, including a stylized nightmare that includes animation, and a seemingly 360 shot featuring an embrace by Scottie and Judy, or possibly his beloved Madeleine. Two exciting passages (one mid-film, one during the finale) at a bell tower also demonstrates Hitchcock’s gifts to generate tense, riveting scenes in a manner unlike any other filmmaker. Following Vertigo, Hitchcock would reach the peak of his commercial appeal, with plenty of critical hosannas to boot, with North by Northwest, Psycho and The Birds, before gaining uneven reactions for his final few films, with 1972’s Frenzy a highlight that proves Hitchcock could handle an R-rated murder mystery with the same finesse, wit and thrills found in his other chief works, before finishing his career with 1976’s Family Plot.

As the tormented Scottie Ferguson, James Stewart takes on one of the most emotionally demanding portrayals of his career, and is interesting to watch in a change-of-pace role far from the often genial, idealized All-American male persona that placed him among the top stars of his era as a leading box-office draw with a heap of critical praise for excellent work in a series of classic dramas and comedies such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Shop Around the Corner, an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story and Harvey. After serving in the military with distinction as a pilot during WWII and beyond, Stewart returned to screens with his now-iconic work as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life which, along with gritty work in some exciting 1950’s Anthony Mann-directed Westerns such as The Naked Spur and The Man from Laramie, offered Stewart an opportunity to explore more mature, psychologically unsettled characters in his work, leading to his stark work as Scottie in his final collaboration with Hitchcock, after appearing in Rope, Rear Window and 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much. Although the nature of the role has Scottie in a benumbed state during portions of the film, as he displays more overbearing and selfish traits in his relationship with Judy, the audience empathy usually a given for Stewart onscreen is subdued as darker aspects of Scottie’s controlling behavior rise up, while Stewart enlivens the part with an aggression and bitterness rarely seen in his work. Following this central performance, Stewart would finish the decade strongly with his perceptive, deftly played work as a  shrewd lawyer in director Otto Preminger’s adult and engrossing hit drama Anatomy of a Murder (gaining his fifth and final Best Actor Oscar nomination, as well as the NYFC Award and British Academy Award) , followed by 1960’s hits such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance opposite John Wayne and Shenandoah, then becoming beloved as a folksy, fatherly figure on television talk shows in his later years, before his passing in 1997 at age 89.

Given the most multi-faceted and formidable role of her career, Kim Novak uses her contemplative, ethereal presence to bring exactly the right enigmatic air to the part of the dreamy Madeleine, while also revealing a coarse, more emotionally direct acting style as the tough and vulnerable Judy. Discovered by Columbia and given a big build up by the studio in the mid-1950s, the remarkably beautiful Novak quickly established herself as a top screen goddess of the era in major hits such as Picnic, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Eddy Duchin Story and Pal Joey. Although audiences had no hesitation in embracing Novak as a favorite, her sensitive, intuitive and individual acting made her a much-maligned target of some critics, who were familiar with stars emoting in a much more overt fashion. Fortunately, Novak and her calm, fragile playing style proved an ideal fit for the complex, secretive nature of Vertigo’s twin female leads, and she’s a viable-yet-ambiguous force throughout the film, illustrating accomplished screen acting of the highest order, whether detailing Madeleine’s distance, forlorn persona or Judy’s needy desperation as she attempts to change her destiny and find love with Scottie. Novak would continue for another ten years in Hollywood with films of various quality before largely walking away from films for a quieter but rewarding life, occasionally returning to the screen, perhaps most gloriously trading bitchy barbs with Elizabth Taylor as rival cinematic divas in 1980’s the Mirror Crack’d. With her magnificent turn in Vertigo leading the way, a re-assessment of Novak’s substantial onscreen thespian gifts by modern critics who now view her as one of the most distinct and watchable of the stars created during the reign of the Hollywood Studio System has brought interest and appreciation of her filmography to newer fans happy to see Novak om screen, as well as her public return, specifically at events honoring Vertigo and her bravura work therein, including a recent Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.

Barbara Bel Geddes, a star of stage (with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof a major 1950’s success) and film (Oscar-nominated for her 1948 debut in I Remember Mama) is very likable as Midge, Scottie’s available girlfriend. Bel Geddes, who had already made a mark in one of Alfred Hitchcock Presents most well-regarded episodes, the wryly morbid “Lamb to the Slaughter,” invaluably brings some warmth and humor to the often-dire plot structure with her playing of Midge, while also movingly depicting Midge’s heartbreak as the traumatized Scottie withdraws from her and everyone. Tom Helmore cuts an urban and opaque figure as Gavin Elster, a former college colleague who hires Scottie to follow his troubled wife. Henry Jones makes a potent impact as the passive-aggressive coroner who in a calm-yet-sadistic manner cuts Scottie down in a brief but key scene, and Ellen Corby paints a highly interesting figure as a hotel manager Scottie questions, especially on repeat viewings of the film wherein a viewer has to gauge how direct she is being with Scottie. Konstantin Shayne also has a significant, well-played moment as Pop Liebel, a bookstore owner and friend of Midge, who recounts a story concerning Carlotta Valdes after Scottie (literally) spies Madeleine at Carlotta’s grave. Finally, well-known character player Lee Patrick pops up in a bit as a woman who queries Scottie, and the director himself can be glimpsed early on walking across the screen.

                Upon release, Vertigo appeared to puzzle critics and moviegoers accustomed to lighter and/or more direct storylines in Hitchcock fare on the big or small screen. However, countering popular opinion that Vertigo was one of Hitchcock’s biggest flops, based on rentals of $3,200,000 (according to Variety) which placed the movie just outside the top twenty box-office hits of the year, the director was able to gain a solid if not massive audience for his labor of love. Critics have done a bigger 1-80 than perhaps with any other classic in re-assessing the merits of the film, with Vertigo consistently rising on lists of the great movies, specifically a mid-1980’s re-release of the film after it had been largely unseen for about twenty years along with other Hitchcock Paramount titles (Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry and 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much), and eventually placing at #1 on the 2012 Sight and Sound poll and #2 on the most current Sound poll from 2022. Vertigo also has a unique, lasting history in regards to one of the film’s most famous filming locations, as the serene Mission San Juan Bautista, which is an integral locale in the plot, can be visited today looking nearly identical to how it is seen in Vertigo, sans the tower that was never there anyway (it had to be created via Tinseltown magic). Although a must for cinephiles studying the history of films and the most highly regarded works therein, Vertigo is sure to grant a surprising, gripping viewing for anyone interested in diving into its vortex and discovering one of filmdom’s most stunningly contrived, enthralling mysteries.