Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock (1958, 128 min.). A retired San Francisco police detective, Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart) suffers from acrophobia. A wealthy college acquaintance approaches him and asks him to follow his beautiful wife Madeleine (Kim Novak) because he fears for her sanity (she believes she’s possessed by a dead ancestor). Spellbound by her beauty, Scottie agrees but is unable to prevent her supposed suicide. He meets another woman, Judy (also played by Kim Novak), who bears a striking resemblance to Madeleine, which fuels his obsession. With its curvy and steep roadways, San Francisco mirrors Jimmy Stewart’s obsessive emotional state. The characters often meet under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bridge’s size overpowers them and the city holds them captive.

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