Arena Cinémathèque: VERTIGO

In the organizer's words:

Hitchcock Special No. 2, original English version

Because policeman John "Scottie" Ferguson (James Stewart) was in mortal danger while chasing a criminal over the rooftops of San Francisco and had to watch a colleague who rushed to his aid lose his life, he can no longer take part in active police duty. Marked by this traumatic experience and plagued by feelings of guilt, he quits the force and retires. But one day Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), a former school friend of John's, turns up and asks him for help: he is to shadow Gavin's wife Madeleine (Kim Novak). She is behaving increasingly strangely and seems to be under a strange influence, which Gavin believes to be Madeleine's deceased great-grandmother. She had killed herself many years earlier at the age of 26. Madeleine increasingly dresses and behaves like her deceased relative and is also celebrating her 26th birthday in a few days' time. Gavin and John suspect the worst and want to prevent it at all costs...