Vertigo

Oh yes, I remember. Carlotta, beautiful Carlotta, sad ... It (the McKittrick Hotel) was hers. It was built for her many years ago by ... the name I do not remember, a rich man, powerful man. It is not an unusual story. She came from somewhere small to the south of the city. Some say from a mission settlement. Young, yes, very young. And she was found dancing and singing in cabaret by that man. And he took her and built for her the great house in the Western Addition. And, uh, there was, there was a child, yes, that's it, a child, a child. I cannot tell you exactly how much time passed or how much happiness there was, but then he threw her away. He had no other children. His wife had no children. So, he kept the child and threw her away. You know, a man could do that in those days. They had the power and the freedom. And she became the sad Carlotta, alone in the great house, walking the streets alone, her clothes becoming old and patched and dirty. And the mad Carlotta, stopping people

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Scottie: It's because of this fear of heights I have, this acrophobia. I wake up at night seeing that man fall from the roof and I try to reach out to him, it's just... Midge: It wasn't your fault. Scottie: I know. That's what everybody tells me. Midge: Johnny, the doctors explained to you. Scottie: I know. I know. I have acrophobia which gives me vertigo and I get dizzy. Boy, what a moment to find out I had it! Midge: Well, you've got it and there's no losing it. And there's no one to blame, so why quit? Scottie: You mean and sit behind a desk, chair-bound... Midge: ...where you belong. Scottie: What about my acrophobia? What about... Now, suppose, suppose I'm sitting in this chair behind a desk, here's the desk, and a pencil falls from the desk down to the floor, and I reach down to pick up the pencil - BINGO - my acrophobia's back. Midge: [Laughing.] Oh, Johnny-O.

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Elster: Is it a permanent, physical disability? Scottie: No, no. It just means that I can't climb stairs that are too steep or go to high places like the bar at the Top of the Mark. But there are plenty of street-level bars in this town.

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Elster: [regarding his wife] She'll be talking to me about something. Suddenly the words fade into silence. A cloud comes into her eyes and they go blank. She's somewhere else, away from me, someone I don't know. I call her, she doesn't even hear me. Then, with a long sigh, she's back. Looks at me brightly, doesn't even know she's been away, can't tell me where or when. Scottie: How often does this happen? Elster: More and more in the past few weeks. And she wanders - God knows where she wanders. I followed her one day, watched her coming out of the apartment, someone I didn't know. She even walked a different way. Got into her car and drove off to Golden Gate Park. Five miles. Sat by the lake, staring across the water at the pillars that stand on the far shore. You know, Portals of the Past. Sat there a long time without moving. I had to leave, get back to the office. When I got home that evening, I asked her what she'd done all day. She said she'd driven out to Golden Gate Park and s

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Scottie: Don't you think it's a waste, to wander separately? Madeleine: Only one is a wanderer. Two together are always going somewhere. Scottie: No, I don't think that's necessarily true.

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Madeleine: Why did you run? Scottie: Well, I'm responsible for you now. You know, the Chinese say that once you've saved a person's life, you're responsible for it forever. So, I'm committed. I have to know. Madeleine: There's so little that I know.

Vertigo, CC BY-SA 4.0