Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958): The Lost Ending the Censor Wanted

There is an ending of Vertigo that was never shown in a cinema. It does not end at the top of the bell tower. It ends in Midge's apartment, with a radio bulletin saying the police are closing in on Gavin Elster somewhere in Europe. Scottie walks in, Midge makes them both a drink, and they stand at the window in silence. Hitchcock filmed it with James Stewart and Barbara Bel Geddes, then left it out of his film. The letter in the files shows who asked for it: Hollywood's own censor. In this documentary we count down 24 secrets of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, the film voted the greatest ever made in 2012: the 15 minutes of light for the rooftop chase, the French novel it came from, the script that was thrown away, why Vera Miles lost the part to Kim Novak, the grey suit Kim Novak hated, Saul Bass's titles drawn by a wartime machine, Bernard Herrmann's score recorded in Vienna, the dolly zoom built on a miniature stairwell laid on its side, the bell tower that never existed, the lost portrait of Carlotta, the fake grave at Mission Dolores, Hitchcock's cameo, the green light of the Empire Hotel, the twist Hitchcock nearly cut, the years when Vertigo could not be seen at all, the 1996 restoration, and finally the ending the censor wanted. Every claim in this video was checked against reliable sources before it was recorded. Chapters 0:00 The ending no cinema ever showed 0:51 #24 Fifteen minutes of light 1:46 #23 The film had many other names 2:31 #22 It came from a French novel 3:24 #21 The first script was thrown away 4:13 #20 Midge is not in the book 4:50 #19 Madeleine was meant to be Vera Miles 5:34 #18 Kim Novak came with a price 6:16 #17 Kim Novak hated the grey suit 6:55 #16 Titles drawn by a wartime machine 7:44 #15 The score was recorded in Europe 8:35 #14 A new camera move: the dolly zoom 9:25 #13 The bell tower never existed 10:03 #12 The portrait of Carlotta is lost 10:44 #11 Carlotta's grave was a prop 11:19 #10 Hitchcock's cameo at the shipyard 12:03 #9 The green light was real 12:49 #8 Kim Novak did not jump into the bay 13:27 #7 The redwoods are not Muir Woods 14:11 #6 The famous kiss was turned on a platform 15:07 #5 Hitchcock gave the secret away early 15:53 #4 Vertigo was a disappointment 16:34 #3 Vertigo disappeared 17:14 #2 The restoration and the greatest film ever made 18:21 #1 The ending the censor wanted 20:11 Your turn Which ending would you have kept: the tower, or Midge's window? Tell me in the comments. If you enjoy the true stories behind the classic films you love, please like the video and subscribe. Sources include: François Truffaut, "Hitchcock/Truffaut"; Dan Auiler, "Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic"; Turner Classic Movies; American Cinematographer; D.A. Miller in Film Quarterly; the BFI's Sight and Sound critics' polls. Film clips are used for commentary, criticism and education under fair use. Vertigo (1958) © Universal Pictures. #Vertigo #AlfredHitchcock #KimNovak #JamesStewart #ClassicMovies #OldHollywood #FilmHistory