Reel SF

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

Vertigo - Fort Point

We have reached the scene perhaps best remembered by the legion of fans who have seen Vertigo -the one  in which Scottie saves Madeleine after she jumps into San Francisco Bay.

Then ...  Madeleine, tailed by Scottie, approaches Fort Point (click image to enlarge).

... and Now,  this is Marine Drive in the Presidio.  The building on the right (above) was originally built to house the fort's lighthouse keepers but has since been demolished (below), otherwise little has changed (click image to enlarge).

 

Then ...  They pull up at Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge (map) - to many a classic Hitchcock image, except that eight years earlier these same camera shots appeared in The Man Who Cheated Himself .

... and Now,  just the same, except for the fence erected after 9/11 that bars visitors from walking behind the fort.

 

  The city skyline glows in the distance as Scottie anxiously watches Madeleine, at the water's edge, dropping petals from her nosegay into the frigid bay.

 

Then ...  In a moment of great drama she suddenly leaps into the bay. 

... and Now,  fortunately CitySleuth was there prior to this area being declared off-limits and took the matching photo below.  Note that the fence chain was temporarily removed, above, for the jump.

 

  Horrified, he dives in after her and carries her back to safety (up some conveniently added stairs).  She might have temporarily lost her senses but she wasn't about to lose those high heels.

 

Kim Novak gives us all a delightful smile on location at Fort Point while shooting this scene.

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