Back to Vertigo

Time to update a previous post series showing frames from the Hitchcock classic "Vertigo" and comparing them with contemporary shots. Let's begin with shots of the apartment where Kim Novak's character, Judy, lived. The current owners have embraced its history and renamed it "Hotel Vertigo." Last time I saw it, it was the seedy looking York Hotel.



How it looked in the movie:



It was not easy getting this shot on a Saturday night, while avoiding the speeding cars that narrowly avoided hitting me. The things I do to get a photo.



Not too difficult to recognize the Brocklebank Apartments.



The exterior hasn't really changed at all from when Scottie spotted Madeleine (also played by Kim Novak) departing here in her green Jaguar.



The Legion of Honor art museum today:



...and how it looked in the movie:



Madeleine viewing the Portrait of Carlotta in the movie:



...and how the galleries look today inside the Legion of Honor. Same benches?



This nondescript building...



served as the inspiration for Ernie's Restaurant, which formerly resided here.



Hard to tell now, but Hitch's team really did a great job of recreating the exterior (and interior) on a soundstage.



There are still some Vertigo locations that I haven't visited, so it looks like I'll have to head up north again.

More San Francisco photos at my main website.

Hitchcock on location: Vertigo, Pt. 2

Back in San Francisco, we continue to visit locations used in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic, "Vertigo." On this particular trip, Scottie (Jimmy Stewart) is tailing Madeleine (Kim Novak) back to his own apartment. On the way, you can see Alcatraz Island in the distance.

Here's Madeleine getting out of the car to leave Scottie a note.



The two get a chance to reunite after her jump into the waters near the Golden Gate Bridge.



My 2001 SF trip took me down Lombard Street, famous for how it winds around, as if you were gliding in a caterpillar vehicle from Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland attraction.



Fortunately I visited when I did, because apparently in the last few years, the owner decided to discourage film fans by putting a wall in front of the entrance and plastering over the chimney to change its appearance.



More drama ensues as Madeleine and Scottie share a bit of passion along the 17-Mile Drive near Carmel and Monterey. To make the location match the studio shots, Hitch brought his own Cypress tree.



Most likely not the same point, but still part of the scenery you would see along the 17-mile drive today. No...I didn't bring my own Cypress.



A despondent Scottie can be seen walking through Union Square at night.



Not the same angle, but Union Square nonetheless, circa 2005.



The front of the St. Francis Hotel, which is visible at left in the 1958 film's screen shot shown previously:



And a contemporary shot of the statue at the center of Union Square:



Flash forward: "Madeleine" has killed herself and Scottie is wracked with guilt. However, he does find solace in a girl named Judy (also Kim Novak) who bares a resemblance to Madeline. Except she wears very heavy makeup. Oh...and cheap tight-fitting clothes. Oh yeah...and has dark brown hair with spit curls. Other than that, the girl's a dead ringer. Did I mention she also has a bad accent? You can see her peering out of her seedy apartment room:



The Hotel Empire, 1958:



It had become the York Hotel when I took this February 2001 photo. Only slightly less-seedy looking.



Attempting to strike up a romance, Scottie and Judy take a lovely afternoon stroll by the Palace of Fine Arts:



The sun's shining, the birds are out, and couples are canoodling in the park.



Still, it is obvious that Scottie would prefer to be with Madeleine.



The Palace of Fine Arts today:



And a very telling frame from the film. Judy realizes she's not going to get any action until she dyes her hair again. Oh men...can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em.



Next up: Bodedga Bay and "The Birds."

See more San Francisco photos on my San Francisco web page.

Hitchcock on location: Vertigo

Today's post examines the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock classic, "Vertigo." Called a "Tortured Valentine" to San Francisco by authors Jeff Kraft and Aaron Leventhal, "Vertigo" deals with a number of strange themes that can get even stranger, depending upon how you decide to interpret the narrative.

Our first comparison scene takes place at the Brocklebank Apartments. Troubled detective "Scottie" Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart) is following a woman who he believes to be Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak), the suicidal wife of the friend who hired him.



On my first trip to San Francisco in February 2001, I made it a point to find as many locations from the film as I could. Here is what the Brocklebank Apartments looked like at that time:



Scottie follows Madeleine right past the Fairmont Hotel, which the audience quickly glimpses on the left:



The Fairmont is still thriving today:



The story begins to get a little wacky (and a bit difficult to swallow) as Madeleine pulls up to the Mission Dolores near the Castro:



The same angle, circa 2001:



Here's Madeleine (Kim Novak) heading towards the Mission:



Scottie follows her inside:



How the interior looks today:



Scottie continues onward, as Madeleine enters the cemetery, where she visits the gravestone of Carlotta Valdes, a woman who had committed suicide many years before.



Different angle, but same background:



Madeleine looking at the headstones:



What I believe to be an identical angle:



Next up is the Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum, where Madeleine will sit in front of Carlotta's portrait all afternoon. Yes...I do think this part of the story is a bit flawed. Hitch tries so hard to make us believe what Scottie falls for, but it just seems too contrived, and too much time is spent explaining it.



The same angle from 2001:



Two more 1958 vs. 2001 shots of the museum:





Still in her Carlotta dream-state, Madeleine leads Scottie over to the Fort Point entrance near the Golden Gate Bridge:



She plays with her Carlotta-inspired bouquet. He loves me...he loves me not...then leaps into the water.



Scottie saves her just in time.



In 2001, I photographed the same area.





And was fortunate enough to get somebody nearby to take my photo in the same place.



More "Vertigo" locales tomorrow!

See more San Francisco photos on my San Francisco web page.