Episode 110: There's Nothing Like a Freudian Obsession of Mother — Vertigo (1958) with Daniel Kieckhefer
About this episode
Alex and Daniel Kieckhefer discuss the Freudian themes in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo.
Join Alex and film studies professor Daniel Kieckhefer as they explore the deeper meaning in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo (1958). The film stars James Stewart as a boyish former SFPD detective, haunted by a near-death experience that leaves him with extreme vertigo. He's called on as a private detective to investigate a woman, played by Kim Novak, who is seemingly possessed by a dead relative. This paper-thin mystery (as the critics at the time called it) is not what Hitchcock wanted audiences to pay attention to, however; as Daniel explains, this is classic Freudian Oedipal complex. The duo explore the explanation from a historical lens, both from a filmmaking and a clinical psychology perspective. It's pretty clear that obsession is the concept to focus on, but its really what the true object of that obsession that is up for debate! There was agreement that Stewart played a really creepy dude and in no way was he the good guy of this story. Check out Daniel's website where he posts weekly on all sorts of films: The Cinematograph Please leave your feedback on this post, the main site (cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com), on Facebook (@CinPsyPod), or Threads/Instagram…
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