Vertigo is a 1958 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. The story was based on the 1954 novel D'entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor. The film stars James Stewart as former police detective John "Scottie" Ferguson, who has retired because an incident in the line of duty has caused him to develop acrophobia accompanied by vertigo, a false sense of rotational movement. Scottie is hired by an acquaintance, Gavin Elster, as a private investigator to follow Gavin's wife, Madeleine, who is behaving strangely.
Theatrical release poster by Saul Bass
Drive-in advertisement from 1958
"Madeleine" at Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point, shortly before she jumps into the bay.
Kim Novak as "Madeleine", who wakes in Scottie's bed after apparently trying to drown herself
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the "Master of Suspense", Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo appearances in most of his films, and his hosting and producing the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65). His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director, despite five nominations.
Hitchcock, c. 1960s
William Hitchcock, probably with his first son, William, outside the family shop in London, c. 1900; the sign above the store says "W. Hitchcock's". The Hitchcocks used the pony to deliver groceries.
Petrol station at the site of 517 High Road, Leytonstone, where Hitchcock was born; commemorative mural at nos. 527–533 (right)
Hitchcock (right) during the making of Number 13 in London