Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor
Primary Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak
By itself, the twisted story of suspense and romance in Vertigo is gripping and complex enough to make it one of the greatest thrillers of all time. But it's Hitchcock's meticulous attention to detail -- in what he calls his "most personal film" -- that has made the film transcend all others in any genre from any time.
In every scene, there is building intensity. Every camera angle, every actor's expression, every scene transition were tools for Hitchcock to get the audience to sympathize the film's leads. He nearly makes it impossible not to feel the characters' fears and paranoias.
Some may choose Psycho or North by Northwest as Hitchcock's finest work, but it is the emotional power of Vertigo combined with the director's usual flair for great storytelling and techical creativity that make it untouchable.
ACADEMY AWARDS
Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Nominee)
Best Sound (Nominee)
DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA
Best Director (Nominee)
OTHER RECOGNITION
Sight & Sound 2002 Poll: #2
AFI 100 Movies
AFI 100 Thrills
AFI 100 Passions
ONLINE
IMDb
All Movie Guide
Roger Ebert: Great Movies
Widescreen Cinema
MoMA
Magill's Survey of Cinema
BOOKS
Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic
by Dan Aulier
Vertigo (BFI Film Classics)
by Charles Barr
