Vertigo

Released in 1958, Vertigo is widely regarded as Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and one of the greatest films of all time. This is the first book devoted to exploring the philosophical aspects of Vertigo. Following an introduction by the editor that places the film in context, each chapter reflects upon Hitchcock’s film from a philosophical perspective. Topics discussed include: memory, loss, memorialisation, and creativitymimetic or representational art and art as magicthe nature of romantic lovegender, sexual objectification, and identitylooking, "the gaze", and voyeurismfilm and psychoanalysisfantasy, illusion, and realitythe phenomenology of colour.Including annotated further reading at the end of each chapter, this collection is essential reading for anyone interested in Vertigo, and an ideal resource for students of film and philosophy.

"Was Hitchcock merely a master of suspense, or as his French critics believed, also a master of ideas? This volume of stimulating, philosophically inclined interpretations of his magnificent film Vertigo proves that the French were right." - Richard Allen, New York University, USA"Vertigo is arguably Hitchcock's masterpiece. This valuable collection helps reveal the many respects in which it is also his most philosophically engaging film." - Paul Muench, University of Montana, USA, "Was Hitchcock merely a master of suspense, or as his French critics believed, also a master of ideas? This volume of stimulating, philosophically inclined interpretations of his magnificent film Vertigo proves that the French were right." - Richard Allen, New York University, USA"Vertigo is arguably Hitchcock's masterpiece. This valuable collection helps reveal the many respects in which it is also his most philosophically engaging film." - Paul Muench, University of Montana, USA"Although there is already a prodigious amount of Hitchcock scholarship available, Vertigo: Philosophers on Film is a welcome contribution to the field due to the quality of writing, the variety of issues explored, and the diversity of interpretations offered by the authors. This is a must read volume for any Hitchcock lover." -Erin Bradfield, Sewanee: The University of the South, USA

Katalin Makkai is Junior Professor of Philosophy at ECLA of Bard, Berlin (Germany). She is the author of "Kant on Recognizing Beauty," which appeared in European Journal of Philosophy.