Movies - TV
The Vertigo Plot Hole That Alfred Hitchcock Never Got Over
By MICHAEL BOYLE
1958’s “Vertigo” is considered a classic today but was not well received during its release, and Alfred Hitchcock has expressed regret about the details of the movie’s big reveal.
The climax on the bell tower relied on Scottie (James Stewart) not being able to chase Judy (Kim Novak) up the stairs in time to witness the switch-a-roo.
“The husband was planning to throw his wife down from the top of the tower,” Hitchcock explained. “But how could he know that James Stewart wouldn't make it up those stairs?”
It feels a tad unrealistic for a schemer like Elster (Tom Helmore) to rely so heavily on the assumption that Scottie's acrophobia would prevent him from discovering the ruse.
If you're going to kill your wife, there are probably safer ways to do so than hiring a doppelganger actor to seduce a PTSD-struggling detective.
Although Hitchcock and his critics are right that this scheme doesn't hold up to scrutiny, most modern critics agree that it doesn't really matter.
“Vertigo” is a chilling tale of a man's pyrrhic attempts to make his idea of a perfect woman a reality, with devastating consequences for everyone involved.