Movies
Vertigo (1958)
『めまい』1958年
Fan page about the movie “Vertigo” (1958), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak.
The Story
John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) is a retired San Francisco police detective who quit service because of his fear of heights. A former classmate, shipping magnate Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), asks the ex-policeman to play detective and shadow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), who has begun behaving strangely and self-destructively. Reluctantly, Scottie takes the job, tracking his client’s wife on her walks and car rides throughout San Francisco. These rides lead her to varios locations that are all in some way connected with her great-grandmother Carlotta, who died tragically a long time ago. Delving further, Scottie learns that Carlotta went mad after her husband left her and took their child, then killed herself at age twenty-six - Madeleine’s age. While closely following Madeleine, with whom he is becoming increasingly fascinated, Scottie watches as she walks to the edge of the San Francisco Bay and jumps into the water, trying to kill herself. Scottie fishes her out and takes the unconscious woman back to his apartment. A short time later, Madeleine turns up at Scottie’s apartment and describes a dream she had. Scottie recognizes the dream’s setting as the restored Mexican mission town of San Juan Batista, where Carlotta jumped to her death. The two go to San Juan Batista, where Scottie cannot prevent Madeleine from running towards the church to climb to the bell tower. Before he can follow her, he hears a scream and sees Madeleine’s body falling past the window.
After this traumatic experience, Scottie falls apart and is committed to an asylum. After a long period of treatment, he reenters the world, haunting the places where he used to see Madeleine. While roaming the hilly San Francisco streets, he spots Judy (Kim Novak), a brunette who bears a striking resemblance to Madeleine. Step by step, Scottie becomes aware of the foul play that Gavin and Judy have done to him: Judy was Gavin Elster’s lover, and the two of them had set up the murdering of the real Ms. Elster in a way that vertigo-suffering Scottie had to be convinced that he had witnessed a suicide …
Vertigo is hailed as Hitchcock’s masterpiece by many critics, who like to point out that James Stewart serves as an alter ego who lives out the director’s fears and obsessions. In addition to that, I adore the magnificently photographed San Francisco Bay locations and Bernard Herrmann’s riveting score which pulls the viewer even deeper into the haunting, dream-like atmosphere. Underrated Kim Novak turns in a bravura performance, and James Stewart was rarely more impressive than in this very part.
In October 1996, a restored version of Vertigo made its way into the theaters, captivating a whole new generation of moviegoers.
Star Bios
James Stewart was born on May 20, 1908, in Indiana, PA. In his youth, he aspired to be an architect, and he applied himself to that goal during his stay at Princeton, but in 1932 fellow classmate Joshua Logan convinced him to join the University Players at Falmouth, MA. When Hollywood beckoned in 1935, Stewart was already a Broadway veteran. His first feature appearance was at MGM Studios’ Murder Man (1935), where he played a reporter named Shorty. In subsequent years, he was one of the busiest actors in town, graduating from supporting roles to more important parts, like in You Can’t Take It With You (1938). That picture marked the beginning of his fruitful association with director Frank Capra., who saw in Stewart’s shy, stammering, sincere screen character the ideal incarnation of his American Every-man. So it was only logical for Capra to cast Stewart as the idealistic young senator in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), a box-office blockbuster that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He followed it up that same year with a well-remembered turn as the seemingly gun-shy sheriff in Destry Rides Again (opposite Marlene Dietrich), and won his Best Actor Oscar in 1940 for his surprising portrayal of a fast-talking reporter who falls for Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. During World War II, Stewart rose from private to colonel in the U.S.Army Air Corps, flying in more than 1,000 missions over enemy territory and winning both the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Upon his return to Hollywood, he teamed up once again with Frank Capra for It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). As George Bailey, the small-town dreamer who reaches neck bottom - the literal depths of despair - before learning how many lives he has touched, Jimmy delivered what may be his best performance, but definitely the one he is most remembered and loved for. In his post-war career, Stewart broadened the range of characterizations in his roles. He was just as believable as a tough Westerner (in several movies directed by Anthony Mann) as he was as a crusading reporter in Call Northside 777 (1948), and as eccentric dreamer Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey (1950), where he befriends a six-foot-tall white rabbit. He worked for Alfred Hitchcock in Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and Vertigo, and portrayed two great American heroes of the 20th century in The Glenn Miller Story (1953) and The Spirit Of St. Louis (1957, as Charles Lindbergh). Of his late films, the most memorable are Flight Of The Phoenix (1966) and The Shootist (1976), which gave him a small but juicy supporting role as the doctor who tells aging gunfighter John Wayne that he is terminally ill. In the 1973-74 season, he starred as counselor Billy Jim Hawkins in the TV show, Hawkins (On Murder). His last feature work was a delightful piece of voice-over work as Sheriff Wylie Burp in the animated film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). When Stewart passed away in Beverly Hills, CA, on July 2, 1997, America wept for a man who had gracefully embodied values and traditions the American nation holds dear - a man who had been revered for decades as an incarnation of the “Decent American”, and who arguably was the most loved actor ever to grace the silver screen.
Kim Novak was born Marilyn Pauline Novak on February 13, 1933, in Chicago, IL. She made an inauspicious entry into show business, touring the country as “Miss Deepfreeze” and pitching refigerators. She also modeled and was signed by Columbia Pictures, who were looking for a star to replace the “difficult” Rita Hayworth, in 1954. Despite her seemingly limited talents, Novak became a box office attraction; she worked hard and delivered credible performances in The Man With The Golden Arm (1955, opposite Frank Sinatra), Picnic (1955) and Pal Joey (1957). By that time she was Hollywood’s #1 draw, and her off-screen relationships with Sammy Davis, Jr., Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra filled newspaper gossip columns. In 1958, she appeared in her two most enduring pictures, both costarring James Stewart: Vertigo and Richard Quine’s Bell, Book And Candle, where she played a fetching with who charmed about-to-be-married publisher Jimmy Stewart. In the early 1960s, she was seen in comedies like Billy Wilder’s Kiss Me, Stupid (1964). She has worked in film infrequently since then, and made occasional TV appearances over the years. During the 1996 theatrical re-release of Vertigo, she made the newspaper and magazine headlines once again, but has otherwise mostly stayed out of the limelight since.
The Director
Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899, in London (England). The “Master of Suspense” lived to see his name become synonymous with stylish, sophisticated suspense, laced with humor and romance. Educated by Jesuits, the young Hitchcock developed a flair for all things mechanical and began to work in films by 1920, starting out as a title card designer for silent motion pictures. In 1925, he directed the first of his 53 feature films. Early British classics such as The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) showed his most common motif: Ordinary people, with whom audiences can easily identify, all of a sudden are placed in life-or-death situations, being chased by the authorities as well as by the villains. In 1939, Hitchcock succumbed to the lure of Hollywood; his first film there was Rebecca (1940), which won the Best Picture “Oscar” and cemented his standing. He continued to masterly manipulate audiences’ emotions in such classics as
Notorious (1946) with Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant
Dial M For Murder (1954) with Grace Kelly, Ray Milland
Rear Window (1954) with Grace Kelly, James Stewart
To Catch A Thief (1955) with Grace Kelly, Cary Grant
Vertigo (1958) with James Stewart, Kim Novak
North By Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
Psycho (1960) with Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh
The Birds (1963) with Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren
In most of his films, Hitchcock made a somewhat ritual cameo appearance, his portly frame making him instantly recognizable. He brought out the best in his stars (including James Stewart, Cary Grant and the ultimate “Hitchcock blonde”, Grace Kelly), and inspired composer Bernard Herrmann to do some absolutely amazing and much-imitated scores (Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho). Between 1955 and 1965, he even increased his own celebrity through the popular television series, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which he introduced and sometimes directed. He received the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 1979. A year later, on April 29, 1980, he died in Bel Air, CA.
Quotes
(manually transcribed from video)
(The setup)
Gavin Elster: I asked you to come up here, Scottie, knowing that you’ve quit detective work, but I wondered if you’d go back on the job as a special favor to me. I want you to follow my wife. - No, it’s not that. We’re very happily married.
Scottie: Well, then …
Gavin Elster: I’m afraid some harm may come to her.
Scottie: From whom?
Gavin Elster: From someone dead. - Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past, someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being?
Scottie: No.
Gavin Elster: If I told you that I believe that this has happened to my wife, what would you say?
Scottie: Well, I’d say take her to the nearest psychiatrist. Or psychologist, or neurologist, or psycho … or maybe just a plain family doctor. I’d have him check on you, too.
Gavin Elster: Then you’re of no use to me. I’m sorry I wasted your time. Thanks for coming in, Scottie.
Scottie: Okay, I - I didn’t mean to be that rough.
Gavin Elster: No, it sounds idiotic, I know. But you’re still the hard-headed Scott, aren’t you? Always were. Do you think I’m making it up?
Scottie: No.
Gavin Elster: I’m not making it up. I wouldn’t know how. She’ll be talking to me about something. Suddenly, the words fade into silence. The power comes into her eyes, and they go blank. She’s somewhere else, away from me - someone I don’t know. I call to her, she doesn’t even hear me. Then, with a long sigh, she’s back. Looks at me, brightly. Doesn’t even know she’s been away, can’t tell me where or when.
Scottie: How often does this happen?
Gavin Elster: More and more in the past few weeks. And she wanders - God knows where she wanders. I followed her one day. Watched her coming out of the apartment - someone I didn’t know. She even walked a different way. She got into her car and drove out to Golden Gate Park. Five miles. Sat by the lake, staring across the water. The pillars that stand on the far shore, you know, the “portals of the past”. Sat there a long time without moving. I had to leave, get back to the office. When I got home that evening, I asked her what she had done all day. She said she’d driven out to Golden Gate Park and sat by the lake, that’s all.
Scottie: Well -
Gavin Elster: The speedometer on her car showed that she had driven 94 miles. Where did she go? I’ve got to know, Scottie. Where she goes, and what she does, before I get involved with doctors.
Scottie: Well, have to talked to the doctors at all about that?
Gavin Elster: Yes, but carefully. I want to know more before committing her to that kind of care. Scottie!
Scottie: All right, I’ll get you a private eye’s follower for her. They’re dependable, good boys.
Gavin Elster: I want you.
Scottie: Look, this isn’t my line!
Gavin Elster: Scottie, I need a friend. Someone I can trust. I’m in a panic about this.
Scottie: I’m supposed to be retired. I don’t want to get mixed up in this darn thing.
Gavin Elster: Look, we’re going to an opening at the Opera tonight. We’re dining at Ernie’s first. You can see her there.
Scottie: Ernie’s …
(At Muir Woods)
Madeleine: How old?
Scottie: Oh, some 2,000 years or more.
Madeleine: The oldest living things …
Scottie: Yes. - You’ve never been here before?
Madeleine: No.
Scottie: What do you think?
Madeleine: All the people who’ve been born and have died while the trees were all living.
Scottie: Their true name is sequoia sempervirens - always green, ever living.
Madeleine: I don’t like them.
Scottie: Why?
Madeleine: Knowing I have to die.
(They proceed to a place where a cross-section of an old tree is at display. Some of the year rings are labeled with corresponding historic events)
Scottie: Here’s a cross-section of one of the old trees that’s been cut down.
Madeleine: Somewhere in here I was born - and there I died. It was only a moment for you. You took no notice.
Scottie: Madeleine … Madeleine, where are you now?
(Final sequence)
Judy: Scottie, why are we here?
Scottie: I told you. I have to go back into the past once more, just once more. For the last time.
Judy: Why? Why here?
Scottie: Madeleine died here, Judy.
Judy: I don’t want to go. I’d rather wait here.
Scottie: Oh, but I need you.
Judy: Why?
Scottie: I need you to be Madeleine for a while, and when it’s done, we’ll both be free.
Judy: I’m scared!
(She tries to break away)
Scottie: No, no, I have to tell you about Madeleine now. Right there - we stood there and I kissed her for the last time. And she said, “If you lose me, you’ll know that I loved you …”
Judy (trying to break away again): Scottie!
Scottie: “… and I wanted to keep on loving you.” And I said, “I won’t lose you”, but I did. And then she turned and ran into the church. I followed her - it was too late.
Judy: I don’t want to go in there!
Scottie: Too late!
(They enter the church)
Judy: I don’t want to go …
Scottie: I couldn’t find her. And then I heard footsteps on the stairs. She was running up the tower, right here. See?
Judy: Scottie …
Scottie: She was running up the stairs, and through the trap door to the top of the tower. I tried to follow her, but I couldn’t get to the top. I tried, but I couldn’t get to the top. One doesn’t often get a second chance, but I want to stop being haunted. You’re my second chance, Judy. You’re my second chance.
Judy: No way!
Scottie: You look like Madeleine now. Walk the stairs!
Judy: No!
Scottie: Walk the stairs. Walk the stairs, Judy. And I’ll follow.
(They walk up slowly)
This was as far as I could get, but you went on. Remember? The necklace, Madeleine. That was where you slipped. I remembered the necklace.
Judy: Let me go!
Scottie: No, we’re going up the tower, Madeleine.
Judy: You can’t, you’re afraid!
Scottie: Well, we’ll see. We’ll see. This is my second chance.
(They move on)
Judy: I’m afraid!
Scottie: But you weren’t that day when I wouldn’t be able to follow you. Who was up there when you got up there, Elster and his wife?
Judy: Yes!
Scottie: Yes, and she was the one who died. The real wife, not you. You were the copy, you were the clone. Was she dead or alive when you got there?
Judy: Dead. He broke her neck.
Scottie: He had broken her neck. He wasn’t taking any chances, was he? So when you got up there, he threw her off the tower. But is was you that screamed. Why did you scream?
Judy: I wanted to stop it, Scottie. I ran up to stop it, I …
Scottie: If you wanted to stop it, why did you scream? You had tricked me so well up to then. And you played the wife very well, Judy. He made you over, didn’t he? He made you over just like I made you over, only better. Not only the clothes and the hair, but the looks and the manner and the words. And those beautiful phony trances! And you jumped into the Bay, didn’t you? I bet you’re a wonderful swimmer, aren’t you? Aren’t you?
Judy: Yes!
Scottie: And then what did he do? Did he train you? Did he rehearse you? Did he tell you exactly what to do, what to say? You were a very apt pupil too, weren’t you? You were a very apt pupil! Why did you pick out me? Why me?
Judy: Because of your illness …
Scottie: I was the setup, wasn’t I? I was the setup. I was the tailored witness. (They arrived at the top) I made it. I made it.
Judy: What’ll you do?
Scottie: We’re going up and look at the scene of the crime. Come on, Judy!
(They move on through the trap door to the top of the tower)
And this is where it happened. The two of you hid back there and waited for it to clear, and then you sneaked out and rode back to town. Is that it? And Madeleine, you were his girl, eh? What happened, Judy? What happened? Did he ditch you? Oh Judy, with all of his wife’s money and all that freedom and that power, and he ditched you. What a shame! When he knew it was safe, he knew you couldn’t talk, did he give you anything?
Judy: Just some money.
Scottie: … and the necklace. Carlotta’s necklace. There was where you made your mistake, Judy. You shouldn’t keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn’t have been - you shouldn’t have been that sentimental. - I loved you so, Madeleine.
Judy: Scottie! I was safe when you found me. There was nothing you could prove. When I saw you again, I couldn’t run away. I loved you so much. I walked into danger and let you change me because I loved you, and I wanted you. Oh, Scottie, Scottie, please! You love me. We’ll be safe.
Scottie: Too late. It’s too late. There’s no bringing her back.
Judy: Please!
(They kiss. A dark-gowned nun enters the plateau. Judy breaks away in fright)
No!
(Judy falls down the tower)
Nun: I heard voices. - God have mercy! (She rings the bell)
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