History Trivia / Vertigo

* ThoseTwoActors: A dozen years after sharing a memorable scene in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' ("Could I have $17.50?"), James Stewart once again worked with Ellen Corby, who played the desk lady at the [=McKittrick=] Hotel.

* TheOtherMarty: Creator/AlfredHitchcock originally cast Creator/VeraMiles as Madeleine. She performed a costume test and modelled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

** It took a week to film the brief scene of Madeline staring at the painting of Carlotta, just because Hitchcock wanted to get the lighting right. The famous shot of Madeleine's silhouette at Ernie's Restaurant (when Scottie first sees her) was actually a composite of inserts from the original production and reshoots taken long after production had finished because Hitchcock was not entirely satisfied with it.

* TheOtherMarty: Creator/AlfredHitchcock originally cast Creator/VeraMiles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modelled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

* {{Trope Namer|s}}: Hitchcock helped give rise to the term FridgeLogic when admitting that he had no explanation for the scene where Madeline leaves her hotel room without Scottie or the desklady seeing:

** Creator/AlfredHitchcock in his interviews with Creator/FrancoisTruffaut said that he considered ''Vertigo'' one of his best films, but he admitted that it was imperfect and in other interviews, he blamed the poor reception on miscasting James Stewart, saying he was perhaps "too old" for his role. He also later said that Kim Novak was miscast and that he regretted the fact that his first choice Creator/VeraMiles did not play the part. Later scholars, noting Hitchcock's tendency [[UnreliableNarrator for obfuscation]] have questioned this. Stewart was always Hitchcock's first choice for the part, and the film he made after ''Vertigo'' had Creator/CaryGrant who was ''older'' than Stewart. Kim Novak however was indeed forced by the studio, and Hitchcock developed a rapport with Vera Miles who he directed in Film/TheWrongMan[[note]]She would later play Lila Crane in Film/{{Psycho}}[[/note]] and indeed the original costumes designed by Edith Head for Madeleine was made with Miles in mind.

** Creator/AlfredHitchcock in his interviews with Creator/FrancoisTruffaut said that he considered ''Vertigo'' one of his best films, but he admitted that it was imperfect and in other interviews, he blamed the poor reception on miscasting James Stewart, saying he was perhaps "too old" for his role. He also later said that Kim Novak was miscast and that he regretted the fact that his first choice Vera Miles did not play the part. Later scholars, noting Hitchcock's tendency [[UnreliableNarrator for obfuscation]] have questioned this. Stewart was always Hitchcock's first choice for the part, and the film he made after ''Vertigo'' had Creator/CaryGrant who was ''older'' than Stewart. Kim Novak however was indeed forced by the studio, and Hitchcock developed a rapport with Vera Miles who he directed in Film/TheWrongMan[[note]]She would later play Lila Crane in Film/{{Psycho}}[[/note]] and indeed the original costumes designed by Edith Head for Madeleine was made with Miles in mind.

* EnforcedMethodActing: The fact that the role of Madeleine/Judy was intended for Vera Miles and the costumes for Madeleine was designed by Edith Head with Miles in mind allowed Kim Novak to immerse herself into a role of a woman trapped by a man's obsession of shaping her into an ideal image. The grey suit was especially uncomfortable for Novak to wear, because it hadn't been designed for her at all. As such Madeleine comes across as strained, affected and a little distant while Judy is natural and truly herself.

* TheOtherMarty: Creator/AlfredHitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modelled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

** As noted above, Hitchcock's first choice for the role of Madeleine/Judy was Vera Miles. Hitchcock intended this to be her StarMakingRole after she had played the main lead in ''Film/TheWrongMan'', a preceding film of TheFifties. Some have theorized that he saw Miles as the SpiritualSuccessor of Creator/GraceKelly and Creator/IngridBergman. Her pregnancy meant she couldn't commit to the part at the time which Hitchcock greatly regretted and never stopped complaining about.[[note]]Hitchcock generally resented the fact that actresses he developed a strong working rapport with, such as Creator/IngridBergman and Creator/GraceKelly, would get married and become inaccessible for his later projects, many of which he had planned with roles with them in mind, which he had to give up and shelve indefinitely. ''Vertigo'' was one of the few cases [[SunkCostFallacy where he had to more or less go ahead with the project]] in less than ideal conditions[[/note]]

** While many enthusiasts and critics consider his score a masterpiece, Music/BernardHerrmann was rather cheesed off about ''Vertigo''. His main gripe was that he didn't conduct and orchestrate the music. He was one of the few composers of that era who insisted on total creative control who not only wrote his musical scores but personally orchestrated and conducted musicians. For ''Vertigo'', a musicians' strike meant that the orchestration was done in England, conducted by Muir Matheson (a highly respected professional in the field), which was still not good enough because he did feel the composition was one of his best works, and regretted the fact that he never put his own official version on the score (There is no recording of Herrmann's rendition of ''Vertigo''). Herrmann also didn't like the movie a great deal and preferred other Hitchcock films. He felt that it should not have been set in San Francisco, and like Hitchcock, felt Stewart was miscast, albeit for different reasons. [[note]]Herrmann felt that someone like Charles Boyer who was both older than Stewart and also looked older than his age would have been more appropriate for the role of an obsessively romantic male hero. He felt Stewart was too nice and everyman-like to get audiences to buy that someone like him would risk his sanity and his career for a romantic fantasy.[[/note]]

* FollowTheLeader: Creator/BrianDePalma's ''Body Double'', but with claustrophobia instead of acrophobia.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As noted above, Hitchcock's first choice for the role of Madeleine/Judy was Vera Miles. Hitchcock intended this to be her StarMakingRole after she had played the main lead in Film/TheWrongMan, a preceding film of TheFifties. Some have theorized that he saw Miles as the SpiritualSuccessor of Creator/GraceKelly and Creator/IngridBergman. Her pregnancy meant she couldn't commit to the part at the time which Hitchcock greatly regretted and never stopped complaining about.[[note]]Hitchcock generally resented the fact that actresses he developed a strong working rapport with, such as Creator/IngridBergman and Creator/GraceKelly, would get married and become inaccessible for his later projects, many of which he had planned with roles with them in mind, which he had to give up and shelve indefinitely. ''Vertigo'' was one of the few cases [[SunkCostFallacy where he had to more or less go ahead with the project]] in less than ideal conditions[[/note]]

** While many enthusiasts and critics consider his score a masterpiece, Music/BernardHerrmann was rather cheesed off about ''Vertigo''. His main gripe was that he didn't conduct and orchestrate the music. He was one of the few composers of that era who insisted on total creative control who not only wrote his musical scores but personally orchestrated and conducted musicians. For ''Vertigo'', a musicians' strike meant that the orchestration was done in England, conducted by Muir Matheson (a highly respected professional in the field), which was still not good enough because he did feel the composition was one of his best works, and regretted the fact that he never put his own official version on the score[[note]]There is no recording of Herrmann's rendition of ''Vertigo'[[/note]]. Herrmann also didn't like the movie a great deal and preferred other Hitchcock films. He felt that it should not have been set in San Francisco, and like Hitchcock, felt Stewart was miscast, albeit for different reasons.[[note]]Herrmann felt that someone like Charles Boyer (older than Stewart who also ''looked'' older unlike him) would have been more appropriate for the role of an obsessively romantic male hero. He felt Stewart was too nice and everyman-like to get audiences to buy that someone like him would risk his sanity and his career for a romantic fantasy.[[/note]]

** While many enthusiasts and critics consider his score a masterpiece, Music/BernardHerrmann was rather cheesed off about ''Vertigo''. His main gripe was that he didn't conduct and orchestrate the music. He was one of the few composers of that era who insisted on total creative control who not only wrote his musical scores but personally orchestrated and conducted musicians. For ''Vertigo'', a musicians' strike meant that the orchestration was done in England, conducted by Muir Matheson (a highly respected professional in the field), which was still not good enough because he did feel the composition was one of his best works, and regretted the fact that he never put his own official version on the score[[note]]There is no recording of Herrmann's rendition of ''Vertigo'[[/note]]. Herrmann also didn't like the movie a great deal and preferred other Hitchcock films. He felt that it should not have been set in San Francisco, and like Hitchcock, felt Stewart was miscast and that someone like Charles Boyer would have been more appropriate.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As noted above, Hitchcock's first choice for the role of Madeleine/Judy was Vera Miles. Hitchcock intended this to be her StarMakingRole after she had played the main lead in Film/TheWrongMan, a preceding film of TheFifties. Some have theorized that he saw Miles as the SpiritualSuccessor of Creator/GraceKelly and Creator/IngridBergman. Her pregnancy meant she couldn't commit to the part at the time which Hitchcock greatly regretted and never stopped complaining about.[[note]]Hitchcock generally resented the fact that actresses he developed a strong working rapport with, such as Creator/IngridBergman and Creator/GraceKelly, would get married and become inaccessible for his later projects, many of which he had planned with roles with them in mind, which he had to give up and shelve indefinitely. ''Vertigo'' was one of the few cases where he had to more or less go ahead with the project in less than ideal conditions[[/note]]

** While many enthusiasts and critics consider his score a masterpiece, Music/BernardHerrmann was rather cheesed off about ''Vertigo''. His main gripe was that he didn't conduct and orchestrate the music. He was one of the few composers of that era who insisted on total creative control who not only wrote his musical scores but personally orchestrated and conducted musicians. For ''Vertigo'', a musicians' strike meant that the orchestration was done in England, conducted by Muir Matheson (a highly respected professional in the field), which was still not good enough because he did feel the composition was one of his best works, and regretted the fact that he never put his own official version on the score[[note]]There is no recording of Herrmann's rendition of ''Vertigo'[[/note]]. Herrmann also didn't like the movie a great deal and preferred other Hitchcock films. He felt that it should not have been set in San Francisco, and like Hitchcock, felt Stewart was miscast and that someone like Creator/CharlesBoyer would have been more appropriate.

* CreatorBacklash: Creator/AlfredHitchcock was really devastated by the poor reception to this film. He blamed it on James Stewart for being "too old" for his role, and never worked with him again. He also later said that Kim Novak was miscast.

* DeletedScene: During the film's production, a tacked-on ending scene set in Midge's apartment was shot, offering a clearer exposition of Elster's and Scottie's fates. It was shot for overseas prints of the film in countries whose censor boards were tougher than [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode the Hays Office]] (which, by 1958, was a lot more lenient and was entering its twilight), and was eventually included as an extra on various home video releases.
* DoingItForTheArt: It took a week to film the brief scene of Madeline staring at the painting of Carlotta, just because Hitchcock wanted to get the lighting right.
* EnforcedMethodActing: In order to differentiate her two characters, Kim Novak wore tight and stiff costumes for Madeline - the grey suit was especially uncomfortable for her to wear. But for Judy's costumes, she went braless to make herself feel more comfortable.

* {{Jossed}}: For years it was rumoured that Kim Novak dubbed the final line of the film, by the nun. It was even written into the script notes. Kim Novak herself denied this.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/LanaTurner was the first choice for the female lead, but "wanted too much loot". Creator/AudreyHepburn also expressed interest in playing the parts.

* CreatorBacklash: Hitchcock was really devastated by the poor reception to this film. He blamed it on James Stewart for being "too old" for his role, and never worked with him again. He also later said that Kim Novak was miscast.
* DawsonCasting: Scottie and Midge are meant to be the same age, but James Stewart was fifteen years older than Barbara Bel Geddes. He was also twenty-four years older than Kim Novak.

* LyingCreator: Hitchcock claimed for years that his wife hated the film. Alma Reville actually loved it when she first saw it.
* TheOtherMarty: Hitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modelled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Lana Turner was the first choice for the female lead, but "wanted too much loot". Audrey Hepburn also expressed interest in playing the parts.

* TheOtherMarty: Hitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modeled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

* DeletedScene: During the film's production, a tacked-on ending scene set in Midge's apartment was shot, offering a clearer exposition of Elster's and Scottie's fates. It was shot for overseas prints of the film in countries whose censor boards were tougher than [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode the Hays Office]] (which, by 1958, was a lot more lenient and was entering its twilight), and was eventually included as an extra on various home video releases.
* TheOtherMarty: Hitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modeled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.
* {{Trope Namer|s}}: Hitchcock helped give rise to the term FridgeLogic when admitting that he had no explanation for the scene where Madeline leaves her hotel room without Scottie or the desklady seeing:
-->"[This scene] hits you after you've gone home and start pulling cold chicken out of the [[TechnologyMarchesOn icebox]]."

* AFI Accolades:

** "100 Years...100 Movies" - #61
** "100 Years...100 Thrills" - #18
** "100 Years...100 Passions" - #18
** "100 Years of Film Scores" - #12
** "100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)" - #9
** "10 Top 10 (Mystery)" - #1

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Hitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modeled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

* DeletedScene: During the film's production, a tacked-on ending scene set in Midge's apartment was shot, offering a clearer exposition of Elster's and Scottie's fates. It was shot for overseas prints of the film in countries whose censor boards were tougher than the [[HaysCode Hays Office]] (which, by 1958, was a lot more lenient and was entering its twilight), and was eventually included as an extra on various home video releases.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Hitchcock originally cast Vera Miles as Madeline. She performed a costume test and modeled for an early version of Carlotta's portrait, but had to leave the project after becoming pregnant.

* DeletedScene: During the film's production, a tacked-on ending scene set in Midge's apartment was shot, offering a clearer exposition of Elster's and Scottie's fates. It was shot for overseas prints of the film in countries whose censor boards were tougher than the [[HaysCode Hays Office]] (which, by 1958, was a lot more lenient and was entering its twilight), and was eventually included as an extra on the laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases.

* {{Trope Namer|s}}: Hitchcock helped give rise to the term FridgeLogic when admitting that he had no explanation for the scene where Madeline leaves her hotel room without Scotty or the desklady seeing:

-->"[It] hits you after you've gone home and start pulling cold chicken out of the [[TechnologyMarchesOn icebox]]."

* {{Trope Namer|s}}: Hitchcock coined an early version of the term FridgeLogic when admitting that he had no explanation for the scene where Madeline leaves her hotel room without Scotty or the desklady seeing:
-->"[It] hits you after you've gone home and start pulling cold chicken out of the icebox."