"Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past - someone dead - can enter and take possession of a living being?"
A Detective, John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson
(James Stewart) is chasing down a criminal over the rooftops of San Francisco when he
falls and is left hanging on a gutter. When a cop comes to his aid he falls,
leaving the Detective racked with guilt and a new found fear of heights which
brings on vertigo. After retiring from the police force he receives a call out
of the blue from an old college friend (Tom Helmore) who asks Scottie to follow
his wife who isn’t herself. Scottie follows the young woman, named Madeleine
(Kim Novak) as she drives to strange places then claims to forget ever being
there. There appears to be some sort of paranormal explanation to the
proceedings as Madeleine keeps returning to the significant places in the life
of a long dead relative of hers. Tragedy strikes at an old church which leaves
Scottie facing questions about his own sanity. Slowly he must try to bring
together the pieces of a puzzle which appears to be come from a box a few
pieces short.
I recently read that Sight
and Sound voted Vertigo as the
greatest film ever. It was a combination of this fact and my recent discovery
of Alfred Hitchcock’s films which drew me to this movie. Having now seen it I
strongly disagree with Sight and Sound’s placing
of Vertigo at number one but still
believe it is a good, but not great film.
