Your stunned face at the last moment of the film was gold. Exactly what Hitch wanted.

This was Hitchcock's most personal film.  All about obsession.

She can't tell him, she'd go to prison.

One of the best psychological thriller movies ever made!

This is my favorite Hitchcock movie and one of my all-time favorites. Your reactions throughout the movie are a clear indication of why these old movies are capturing your attention. Alfred Hitchcock was an obsessed man. He was obsessed with blondes and featured them in most of his movies. He was obsessed with story plotting and would spend untold hours storyboarding his movies before filming any scenes. This is a movie about obsession. When the studio gave him a free hand to direct this one, he delved into the depths of obsession to explore his own compulsions and preoccupations. The movie failed at the box office because people were not prepared for the director's vision. However, over time, the genius of the movie has been recognized. Hitchcock became the inspiration for young directors to produce their own visions rather than fulfil the expectations of studios or even the audiences. Then something unusual happened. People discovered that watching the movie multiple times deepened their fascination with the theme of obsession. People became obsessed with watching Vertigo.

The Score is by Bernard Hermann, who also wrote the very different score for Hitchcock"s "Psycho", and even the "soundtrack" for "The Birds". among many other terrific scores.  For "The Birds" all those "bird calls" were electronic music -- which he oversaw!  He was a master film composer!

I was lucky enough to see a special screening on "Vertigo" at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with James Stewart in attendance. After the movie he did a question and answer with the audience and had many stories of this movie and working with Hitchcock. The crowd loved every moment just being with him and listening to his stories.

I disagree that he was playing her all along. He was unbalanced and obsessed until he saw the necklace. You can see in his face & reaction to seeing it that he didn't know till that moment.

Scottie didn't know Judy had pretended to be Madeline until she made the mistake of wearing the necklace.  Until that moment, he had been completely taken in.  This is a film about obsession,  which was, it seems, Hitchcock's driving force.  It is there, in most of his movies, but it had its fullest expression in Vertigo.

Such a great reaction, Madison.
Johnny became obsessed with Madeline, after he realised that the necklace was the same, he realised what had gone on, Judy/Madeline had fallen in love with Johnny, once they were both up the tower they were both on edge and highly overwrought and when the Nun entered the tower and all that Judy saw was this dark spooky figure she backed away without thinking and died in the same way as Madeline and Carlota had. It's a masterful piece of film making.

Your reaction, your emotion at the end describes the pure genius of Alfred Hitchcock.

Fantastic reaction. My friend Dorothy's dad composed the music for this film. I really appreciate you pointing out how good the score is. The key line of dialogue in this is when Scottie says to Gavin Elster, " Anybody could become obsessed with the past with a background like that!" as you pointed out how Scottie starts having similar reactions and even a nightmare like the character Madeleine he believes to be actual does. All these parallel spirals is kind of the visual theme of the film. I've always felt that Judy's terror at the finale when she falls as the nun in shadow.appears is her fear that the actual ghost of Carlotta has arrived in vengeance, but smartly Hitchcock doesn't offer explanation, but puts in the audience's lap to decipher the results of obsessive and haunted behaviors.

Hitchcock, when movies were adult, and not cartoons. Love your reactions.

One problem... some of these need to be seen the way they were meant to be seen: on a large screen in a theater... not on a TV.

Johnny didn't realize Judy WAS Madeline UNTIL he saw the necklace.  That's when all the pieces of the puzzle snapped in place for him. Jimmy Stewart and  kim Novak would play in a romantic comedy about a year later called "Bell, Book, and Candle".  Worth a look.

I've been a Hitchcock fan since I was a teen in the 70s; I saw and rewatched many of his movies.  When I finally saw Vertigo, I appreciated it and recognized that it was a cinematic masterpiece but it didn't fully impact me emotionally. Saw it multiple times.   AND THEN..  in 2014, i saw it on the big screen and was blown away.  When Judy returns from the beauty shop then goes into the bathroom to put her hair up - when she walks back into the bedroom thru the neon sign green mist and they hug and kiss - WOW!!!  I understood it before but now I got it emotionally.  I GOT IT!  He is embracing his beloved Madeline (and maybe with some feeling for Judy) while she is embracing Johnny with love and with such a deep desire that he loves her and not Madeline - so sad.  The swirling camera, the lush music and the deep longing and emotions of both characters - OH MY.  I think it is one of the most erotic scenes in all of cinema because of the depth of emotion.  (Even though they remain upright and fully clothed!)   I highly recommend seeing this film in a movie theater at a revival. Thanks for a great reaction to a truly great movie.

Also Midge was played Barbara Bel Geddes.  She would later play Miss Ellie Ewing on the 80's Melo-drama Dallas.

Madison, that was one of the perfect reactions to one of the greatest movies of all time.

Beautiful score!! Lush, vibrant, haunting.  It is reminiscent of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde...a love through death theme.

Judy was in on a murder, even in the late 50s, if you murdered someone you had to get caught or pay the ultimate price. Scottie could never just allow her to get away with it, thus this finish was perfect, it leaves us wondering if Scottie would have let het get away because he was so infatuated with her.