Vertigo
Movie4 list appearances
Premise: Adapted from Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac's novel *D'entre les morts*, *Vertigo* stars James Stewart as retired San Francisco detective John "Scottie" Ferguson, whose acrophobia and obsession entangle him with Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton (Kim Novak) Core Thesis: Initially met with a muted reception in 1958, *Vertigo* underwent a historic critical reappraisal to be voted the Greatest Film of All Time in the 2012 *Sight & Sound* poll, recognized as a devastating psychological portrait of obsession, projection, and identity Visual & Sonic Architecture: Combines Saul Bass's spiral title sequence, Robert Burks's San Francisco location cinematography (Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods/Big Basin, Mission San Juan Bautista), and Bernard Herrmann's Wagnerian score Two-Act Duality: Pivots mid-film from romantic mystery to a harrowing deconstruction of Scottie's compulsion to remake Judy Barton into the dead Madeleine
1-Tap Primary Ranking Ballot
Overview#2 Full List
Does Vertigo deserve the #2 spot on “Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time”?
#2 Vertigo?
Verified Entity DossierRanked #2 in Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time
Best Rank
#2
top 3 in 1 list
Avg Position
#5.8
across 4 lists
Community
Divisive Pick
ranked #2 to #10
Most divisive on “The Godfather vs. The Godfather Part II? The 10 Greatest Movies of All Time, Ranked by Critics and Fans” — ranked #10 thereStrongest in Film — avg #4.3 across 3 lists
Community Weigh-In & Debate
Should Vertigo rank Top 3 in Greatest Films of All Time?
Ranked #2 on "Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time". Cast your vote to back or challenge this spot.
Be the first to vote on this ranking.
Most Argued About
“The Godfather vs. The Godfather Part II? The 10 Greatest Movies of All Time, Ranked by Critics and Fans”
Ranks as high as #2 on some lists — but only #10 here. Fans are divided.
See the debate →Also ranked in
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Vertigo's highest community ranking?⌄
Vertigo is ranked #2 on "Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time" — its best placement across 4 lists on top10grid.com.
How many top-10 lists feature Vertigo?⌄
Vertigo appears in 4 lists on top10grid.com, spanning categories including FILM, ENTERTAINMENT.
Is Vertigo a controversial ranking?⌄
Yes — community opinion on Vertigo varies widely. It ranks as high as #2 on some lists and as low as #10 on others, a spread of 8 positions, making it one of the more debated picks on top10grid.com.
What category is Vertigo most known for on top10grid.com?⌄
Vertigo appears most frequently in the FILM category, most notably in "Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time".
What the internet says
Structured Facts & Specifications
Verified highlightsOfficial Archival Url
bfi.org.ukOfficial bfi.org.uk ↗
Runtime
128 minutes
silver.afi.comOfficial silver.afi.com ↗
Premiere Date
May 9, 1958 (Stage Door Theatre, San Francisco; Paramount Pictures)
bfi.org.ukOfficial bfi.org.uk ↗
Box Office
$3,200,000 domestic / $3,394,182 worldwide (The Numbers)
the-numbers.comOfficial the-numbers.com ↗
Official Website
