don't look down

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2005)

You understand "Vertigo" better once you know the word's definition. It refers specifically to dizziness, not acrophobia as some people mistakenly believe. Dizziness plays a major role in the movie. Jimmy Stewart plays San Francisco Det. John "Scottie" Ferguson, who gets uncomfortable in high places. Hired to follow Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak), he rescues her from drowning. As he stays with her more and more, he begins to suspect something strange about her. It all comes to a head at the San Juan Bautista Mission, when she jumps off of the bell tower. Scottie feels guilty, but some questions remain unanswered. Just who is that woman whom Scottie sees in the museum? Why does she look exactly like Madeleine? And how does a Spanish woman who lived almost 100 years earlier relate to all this? The spirals are an eye-opening aspect. Not only the opening credits, but also Scottie's acrophobia, and the staircase in the bell tower. As is often the case in Alfred Hitchcock's movies, the lighting tells part of the story; in this case, a sign outside the apartment illuminates Madeleine and her dress.
The San Juan Bautista Mission is not an accident. Hitchcock was raised Roman Catholic, so it makes sense that he might want to use such an institution. But the movie's final scene - which happens at the Mission - seems to be a metaphor for things coming back to haunt people.
And of course, Kim Novak was one of Hitchcock's "icy blondes", in the same category as Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Eva Marie Saint, Janet Leigh and Tippi Hedren. All I can tell you further is that there is a scene in which Madeleine is next to a window, and you see her reflection; that appears to be foreshadowing.
All very vertiginous.