Question 1

True or false: Upon its initial release in 1958, Vertigo was a commercial disappointment.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite its iconic status today, Vertigo earned only $3.2 million against a $2.5 million budget, underperforming Hitchcock's other hits and initially receiving mixed reviews.

Question 2

True or false: 'Vertigo' was one of the first films to use computer-generated imagery for its special effects.

Accepted Answer

False. No CGI was used—the effects were purely optical and mechanical, like the dolly zoom and hand-painted matte paintings. CGI wasn't common until the 1970s.

Question 3

True or false: Kim Novak did all her own driving in the film's famous car chase through San Francisco.

Accepted Answer

False. A stunt driver performed the chase scenes. Novak was not behind the wheel for safety reasons, though she did drive in some stationary shots.

Question 4

True or false: The film's San Francisco setting was chosen because Hitchcock wanted to avoid Hollywood studio backlots.

Accepted Answer

False. Hitchcock loved San Francisco's unique geography and used it extensively, but he still built elaborate sets on Paramount's lot to control lighting and angles.

Question 5

True or false: The film's score was composed by Bernard Herrmann, who also scored 'Psycho' and 'Jaws'.

Accepted Answer

False. Herrmann composed for 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho' but not 'Jaws'—that was John Williams. Herrmann did write music for 'Taxi Driver' and 'North by Northwest'.

Question 6

True or false: The famous 'Vertigo effect' zoom was created by moving the camera toward the subject while zooming out.

Accepted Answer

True. The dolly zoom (Vertigo effect) can be achieved by moving the camera toward the subject while zooming out, or vice versa; both create the signature disorienting background distortion while the subject stays the same size. It debuted in Hitchcock's Vertigo.

Question 7

True or false: Vertigo was the first film to use the dolly zoom effect.

Accepted Answer

True. Cinematographer Irmin Roberts invented the technique for this film, combining a zoom lens with a dolly move to create a disorienting perspective shift known as the 'Vertigo effect'.

Question 8

True or false: Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted to film 'Vertigo' in 3D.

Accepted Answer

False. Hitchcock's only 3D film was 'Dial M for Murder' (1954). There is no record of him planning to shoot 'Vertigo' in 3D; by 1958 the 3D fad had passed.

Vertigo Trivia Questions