“The gentleman seems to know what he wants,” deadpans a saleswoman in the final act of Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock’s rich and strange masterwork, as she observes James Stewart’s round-the-bend retired detective monomaniacally outfitting his shopgirl squeeze (Kim Novak) in high-end threads identical to those of a lost woman—the young lady’s spitting image—whose love and life slipped away from him. ¹

Download Vertigo’s script (PDF)

Download my Vertigo screenplay analysis (PDF)

Visit the Vertigo screenplay analysis page for an extensive write-up on both the film and script.

Visit our Screenplay Analysis section for breakdowns on some of my favorites. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to shoot me an email — rr at screenplayhowto dot com.

• Gladiator Script Analysis
• The Shawshank Redemption Script Analysis
• Good Will Hunting Script Analysis
• The Big Lebowski Script Analysis
• Network Script Analysis
• Risky Business Script Analysis
• Die Hard Script Analysis
• Zombieland Script Analysis