Image: tmdb
About This Quiz
The trippy title sequence, the dizzying heights, the mouse-trap plotting ... "Vertigo" has consistently landed on "best" lists since it came out in 1958! Test your memory of this classic with our quiz!
In what city is "Vertigo" set?
Chicago
Paris
New York
San Francisco
The novel on which "Vertigo" was based was French, and its setting was Paris. But Hitchcock wanted San Francisco's steep hills to accentuate the lead character's fear of heights.
Advertisement
Who played the lead, John Ferguson?
Jimmy Cagney
Michael Caine
James Stewart
After the movie had a disappointing box-office performance, Hitchcock felt that Stewart was too old to play a virile cop and love interest for Kim Novak. But then, the rarely-satisfied Hitchcock also said later that Novak herself was miscast.
Bob Hoskins
Advertisement
What other role did Kim Novak play in the movie?
Carlotta Valdes
Judy Barton
Judy Barton will become very important later in the film. However, that's getting ahead of things.
the proprietor of the McKittrick Hotel
she only played one role
Advertisement
What do acquaintances call John Ferguson?
Johnny
J.J.
Buddy
Scottie
He tells Madeleine that acquaintances call him Scottie, but friends call him "John." The reason for this distinction is never made clear. Perhaps it's confusing to Madeleine as well, who says she'll call him "Mr. Ferguson."
Advertisement
What line of work is Scottie's friend Midge in?
acting
fashion illustration
In her first scene with Scottie, Midge is drawing a "cantilever" bra. It's strapless, lifting the breasts using a principle from the engineering of bridges. Is it any wonder that a man came up with this idea? (Howard Hughes, to be exact).
fashion retail sales
pharmacy
Advertisement
Scottie has developed a fear of heights, the formal name for which is ________.
acrophobia
Reportedly, the movie contributed to confusion about what "vertigo" meant, with people believing it meant "fear of heights." Vertigo is instead a sense of things revolving or rotating when they are not. Scottie had this problem when his acrophobia set in.
agoraphobia
hypnophobia
vertigo, of course
Advertisement
Scottie's old school acquaintance who needs his help is named ______ Elster.
Ben
Gavin
Gavin is in the shipbuilding business, a line of work he married into. It's the state of his marriage that causes him to need Scottie's help.
Matthew
Mike
Advertisement
How does Hitchcock make his customary cameo in the film?
as a salesman at the florist's
as a pedestrian walking by the docks
Hitchcock liked to make very brief appearances in his films. Needless to say, this was difficult in "Lifeboat," which was set in an actual lifeboat. (He was in a photograph in a newspaper in the boat. Sneaky!)
as the bartender at Ernie's
as a doorman at the Hotel McKittrick
Advertisement
Who played the female lead, Madeleine?
Bette Davis
Catherine Deneuve
Kim Novak
Novak was only 24 when she played Madeleine Elster. Hitchcock initially wanted Vera Miles -- Lila Crane from "Psycho" -- but she was pregnant at the time.
Vera Miles
Advertisement
Who does Gavin say might harm his wife?
an ex-boyfriend
her sister
a bitter former employee
"someone dead"
Gavin Elster seems to believe that his wife is possessed, based on her odd behavior. Scottie, until recently a cop, is skeptical.
Advertisement
What is the name of the restaurant where Scottie first sees Madeleine?
Ernie's
Ernie's was a real restaurant. Sadly, you can't go there for that thick steak Judy Barton wanted -- it's no longer open.
Lefty O'Doul's
The Velvet Turtle
Windows on the World
Advertisement
What color is Madeleine's car?
blue
gray
green
This might seem like a trivial point, but viewers spend lots and lots of time following that green car around San Francisco with Scottie. It might be the most important vintage car since the one in 'The Great Gatsby."
red
Advertisement
Put Madeleine's itinerary, from the first day Scottie tails her, in the correct order:
the florist, Mission Dolores, the art museum, the Hotel McKittrick
Madeleine has a busy day! She caps it by disappearing from the McKittrick, which perplexes Scottie.
the art museum, the florist, Mission Dolores, the Hotel McKittrick
the Hotel McKittrick, the florist, Mission Dolores, the art museum
the art museum, Mission Dolores, the florist, the Hotel McKittrick
Advertisement
What does Madeleine go to the art museum to do?
practice sketching
guide tours
stare at the portrait of Carlotta Valdes
It was Carlotta's grave that Madeleine was visiting at Mission Dolores. At the museum, Scottie begins to see the signs of an obsession: Madeleine wears her hair like Carlotta's, and carries a bouquet exactly like the one in the portrait.
flirt with a tour guide there
Advertisement
The manager of the Hotel McKittrick is reluctant to reveal the name of her tenant, until Scottie does what?
cries
says that he fears she's a suicide risk
shows the manager his badge
Why does Scottie still have his badge? We can only imagine the monkeyshines ex-cops could get up to if they were allowed to keep their old badges as souvenirs!
roughs the manager up a little
Advertisement
What do Madeleine and Scottie talk about, when she confronts him that first day?
Carlotta Valdes
why he's been following her
the weather
they don't talk the first day
Whether Madeleine even notices she's being followed is unclear. At least, that's how it seems to viewers. Later, we learn something more sinister is at play.
Advertisement
What color is Madeleine's suit?
blue
beige
green
gray
Kim Novak found Madeleine's gray suit stiff and uncomfortable, but she understood how well it illustrated the character. She also said she felt much more comfortable in Judy Barton's casual wear.
Advertisement
Midge takes Scottie to meet a bookshop owner. What is the name of the shop?
the Argosy
There is an Argonaut book store in San Francisco, which inspired the fictitious Argosy Book Shop. City Lights is also famous in its own right, being the project of poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
the Phoenix
the Thunderbird
City Lights
Advertisement
What relation is Carlotta Valdes to Madeleine?
grandmother
great-aunt
great-grandmother
According to Gavin, Madeleine doesn't know her great-grandmother's tragic history. He only learned it himself, he says, from Madeleine's dying mother.
no relation
Advertisement
Does Madeleine fall or jump into the bay?
she falls
she jumps
The movie is clear on this point: Madeleine spreads her arms and deliberately pitches herself into the water. Later she insists that she must have fallen, though she can't remember the incident. Scottie plays along, but it's evident that he knows the truth.
this isn't quite clear
she's never even near the bay
Advertisement
How old was Carlotta when she committed suicide?
24
26
Madeleine is the same age, Gavin tells Scottie. It gives her leap into the bay a disturbing significance.
32
35
Advertisement
What San Francisco landmark is visible through Scottie's window?
Coit Tower
Coit Tower was built in honor of Lillie Coit, a socialite, using money she bequeathed to the city. Fun fact: Her maiden name was Hitchcock. (We doubt there's any family connection; Hitchcock is not an uncommon name.)
Candlestick Park
The Golden Gate Bridge
the Transamerica Building
Advertisement
What does Midge paint that upsets Scottie?
a portrait of Madeleine
a portrait of herself as Carlotta Valdes
While this is supposed to be a joke, it seems to be of the "ha ha... I'm not kidding" variety. Midge is obviously jealous, and the subtext is that she wants to be glamorous enough for Scottie to be preoccupied with her, instead of Madeleine.
a picture of Scottie hanging off the Golden Gate Bridge
dogs playing poker
Advertisement
Where do Madeleine and Scottie first kiss?
at Ernie's
outside his apartment
near the water at Muir Woods
Madeleine has become upset after telling Scottie about her premonitions of an early death. Scottie, after kissing her, assures her that he won't leave her.
on a cable car
Advertisement
Which is NOT a historical date on the tree-ring exhibit?
the signing of the Magna Carta
the Battle of Hastings
the year the Beatles broke up
The tree dates back to approximately 909 A.D., and the exhibit points out rings that correspond to historical dates. Madeleine, seemingly possessed by Carlotta, points out her approximate birth and death years, then becomes distraught.
the year the tree was cut down
Advertisement
Madeleine remembers playing as a child in the livery stable of which mission?
Mission Dolores
Mission San Juan Bautista
Madeleine, apparently in another "Carlotta" trance, remembers gray horses at the stable. Scottie, now in somewhat desperate denial, looks at a life-sized replica and says, "Here's your gray horse," then follows up with a lame joke about it needing to be pushed into its stall.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Advertisement
After Madeleine jumps from the bell tower, what does Scottie do?
calls for help from the window
runs for help
tries to get onto the roof and to her body
simply goes home
His reaction is evidently due to shock. But it allows for a very memorable long/wide-angle shot: as bystanders climb onto the roof to get to Madeleine, you can see a dark-suited figure, in the far right corner of the frame, exit the mission and walk away. That's Scottie. If you're watching the hubbub on the roof, you'll miss it.
Advertisement
After the inquest, why is Gavin angry at Scottie?
for not telling him he had acrophobia
for kissing his wife
for taking her all the way to San Juan Bautista
he doesn't seem angry
Though Scottie isn't responsible for Madeleine's death (and how! as we'll find out), Gavin is a little too eager to slap him on the back and let bygones be bygones. He doesn't seem like a grieving husband.
Advertisement
After Madeleine's death, what does a doctor say Scottie is suffering from?
agoraphobia
survivor guilt
cataplexy
acute melancholia, with a guilt complex
Scottie is hospitalized for his psychological problems after Madeleine dies. The doctor predicts it'll take six months to a year before he is better.
Advertisement
What kind of music does Midge play to help Scottie with his depression?
Brahms
Bach
Mozart
Midge explains there's a different composer for various psychological conditions. This sounds as plausible as those "Mozart for Baby" brain-developing programs, but maybe 1958 audiences bought it.
Beethoven
Advertisement
Where does Madeleine ringer Judy Barton work?
City Hall
the docks
Magnin's department store
I. Magnin, also known as Magnin's, was one of the great old department store chains, based in San Francisco. In the 1990s, it was absorbed into Macy's.
St. Francis of Assisi School
Advertisement
Where is Judy Barton from?
Manhattan
Lawrence, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is semi-famous for its eighth-grade graduation test, which is supposedly so difficult that many U.S. adults today can't pass it. In truth, the problem is outdated terminology -- many U.S. adults simply don't know what "tare" and "promissory" mean. (At any rate, Judy did well enough in school to make change at Magnin's.)
Pensacola, Florida
Advertisement
The viewer learns that Judy was "Madeleine" at what point?
when she's seen kissing Gavin
when she writes a confessional letter to Scottie
Hitchcock at first wanted the explanatory scene, then had it removed, then restored it at the studio's demand. There's an argument to be made either way. If the audience knows Judy was in on the plot, then it's poignant that she just can't stay away from Scottie. If they don't, then there's a classic mystery-style "reveal" in the film's climax. For good or bad, we have the first version.
when she puts on Carlotta's necklace
in the climax at the bell tower
Advertisement
Why does Judy fall to her death?
Scottie pushes her in anger
she leaps, out of remorse
she is startled by the sudden appearance of a nun
The nun comes up to investigate the voices in the tower. Judy trips and falls, leaving Scottie to stare in horror: he's just replicated the death that traumatized him in the first place.
an unsound ledge gives way
Advertisement
Who designed the opening titles for "Vertigo"?
Saul Bass
Bass became famous for designing the titles for "Vertigo," "North by Northwest" and "Psycho." The opening credits of "Vertigo" feature moving loops and whorls that illustrate the movie's title and themes.
Salvador Dali
Bernard Herrmann
John Whitney
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
tmdb