Overview
A haunting tale of obsession and identity unfolds against the backdrop of San Francisco's iconic skyline.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- surreal
- claustrophobic
- classic cinema night
- hitchcock marathon
What critics said
Although initially divisive for its slow pacing and far-fetched psychological mystery, critics broadly recognize the film as a visually dazzling, formally inventive, and deeply influential Hitchcock achievement.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hitchcock repeatedly visualizes Scottie's acrophobia through the famous disorienting zoom-and-track effect on stairways and elevated spaces.
Scottie attempts to transform Judy's appearance, clothing, and manner into those of Madeleine, turning romantic grief into coercive re-creation.
Madeleine's apparent possession by Carlotta Valdes creates an occult explanation that conceals the film's human scheme and sustains Scottie's investigation.
Green light, red interiors, spiral motifs, and San Francisco locations turn Scottie's longing, dread, and disorientation into visual patterns.
Films like Vertigo, and why
Rear Window
Shares Hitchcockian mystery, romantic obsession, psychological suspense, and a morally troubled protagonist with an investigator pursuing an enigmatic woman.
The Lady from Shanghai
Shares noir-inflected suspense, mistaken identity, elaborate deception, and a charismatic but psychologically destabilizing romance.
Mulholland Drive
Shares psychological mystery, obsessive desire, surreal atmosphere, and a protagonist drawn into an unstable double identity.
The Conversation
Shares San Francisco suspense, elaborate plotting, romantic pursuit, and Hitchcockian themes of identity and illusion.
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Release Date
- 1958-05-28
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (6522)
Cast
- James Stewart
- Kim Novak
- Barbara Bel Geddes
- Tom Helmore
- Henry Jones
- Raymond Bailey
- Ellen Corby
- Konstantin Shayne
- Lee Patrick
- Bess Flowers
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV, TCM
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Vertigo about?
- A retired San Francisco detective’s fear of heights becomes inseparable from his dangerous fixation on a woman who seems to return from the dead.
- What is Vertigo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Vertigo as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Vertigo violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Vertigo as mild.
- What did critics think of Vertigo?
- Although initially divisive for its slow pacing and far-fetched psychological mystery, critics broadly recognize the film as a visually dazzling, formally inventive, and deeply influential Hitchcock achievement.
- Which films are like Vertigo?
- Films with a similar feel include Rear Window, The Lady from Shanghai, Mulholland Drive, and The Conversation.
- How long is Vertigo?
- Vertigo runs 128 minutes.
- Where can I watch Vertigo?
- In United States, Vertigo streams on YouTube TV, TCM.
