San Francisco police detective Scottie Fergusson (James Stewart) develops a fear of heights and is forced to retire when a colleague falls to his death during a chase. An old college friend hires Scottie to watch his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak) who has reportedly become possessed by her ancestor’s spirit named Carlotta. Scottie follows her around San Francisco and is drawn to Madeleine and her obsession with death. He unwittingly becomes a figure in a complex plot, and is determined to discover the truth behind it all.

Vertigo was not a success when it was first released but has since become one of Hitchcock’s most critically acclaimed films. It consistently ranks among the top 10 movies ever made in the once-a-decade Sight & Sound international critics poll.

“Vertigo stands as one of the thrill master’s most psychologically dense and twisted works in which obsession, commitment, and dual identities all merge to create a voluptuous tale of thwarted love.”
—Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 1959, USA • 129 mins. • 35mm