Kim Novak’s Vertigo

There is a double meaning behind the title Kim Novak’s Vertigo. While, of course, it alludes to the actor’s pivotal role in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece, it also suggests the swirl and disorientation of being at the centre of the Hollywood dream machine. Swiss filmmaker Alexandre O Philippe has previously made deep dives into the minutiae of Alien (Memory: The Origins of Alien), David Lynch’s relationship with The Wizard Of Oz (Lynch/Oz) and Psycho’s shower scene (78/52), but he takes a wider perspective here than just Novak’s iconic dual role as Judy and Madeleine for Hitch. Using film clips, objects from the actor’s archive, and an intimate in-depth interview with the star in her home, Kim Novak’s Vertigo emerges as a brisk (76 minutes) but warm and appealing profile of a survivor of the studio system and all the glamour, madness and misogyny that suggests.

The film opens with a voice note from Novak, here 92, in gloomy reflective mood (‘I’m feeling very close to the end’). This is a cheeky misdirect as the person we subsequently meet emerges as vibrant, intelligent and curious. The story kicks off in bog-standard bio fashion – the early years detailed by photos, home movies and voiceover – but details an upbringing that is anything but average. 

A warm profile of a survivor of the studio system – and all its glamour, madness and misogyny

Her father kept the miscarried foetus of her brother in a jar in her garage; her mother tried first to abort her and then, as an infant, to murder her; but perhaps the biggest impression was left by her grandmother, an independent spirit sporting a blue bird tattoo who became a role model and inspiration for the nascent artist. Equally interesting is her idolisation of Greta Garbo, Novak sharing a bond with the icon through strength born out of vulnerability. 

Novak’s adventures in the screen trade are relayed with insight (she considers herself a ‘reactor’ rather than an actor) and unflinching candour. She recalls Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn subjecting her to racist and sizeist slurs. Her career arc is similar to many women during Tinseltown’s Golden Age, one of being moulded into something they are not comfortable with, but she fought hard to defy the blonde bombshell tag. The well-chosen clips remind you her talent extended way beyond Vertigo, from her break out role in Picnic (1955) to starring roles opposite Frank Sinatra (Pal Joey, The Man With The Golden Arm) to ’60s work such as Of Human Bondage and The Legend of Lylah Clare.

But it’s her dual roles in Vertigo that dominate the last third of the film. If you’re looking for juice about Hitchcock, you’ll find this wanting but Novak draws striking parallels between the controlling nature of James Stewart’s character in the film and the men in her career – watching her in split screen narrate a scene where she embraces Stewart’s Scottie is gripping. There is a magical moment when Novak is reunited with the two-piece suit designed by the legendary Edith Head she wore in the movie for the first time in 50 years – she sniffs it to see if it ‘smells of me’.

The timelines fuzzy (it’s difficult to discern when she actually left movies behind) and other personal details are scant, but what shines through is the obvious affection between interviewer and subject. It’s a rapport that engenders an engrossing, conversational tribute to a mostly unsung great. 

In UK and Ireland cinemas Fri Apr 3.