Review #169 - Vertigo (1958)






THE SCOOP
Director:  Alfred Hitchcock
Cast:  James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Plot:  A San Francisco detective suffering from vertigo investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

 Genre:  Drama / Mystery / Romance
Awards:  Nom. for 2 Oscars - Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Sound.
Runtime:  128min
Rating:  PG for some mature themes.

 IN RETROSPECT (Short Review)
Vertigo deserves to be placed amongst the top works by Alfred Hitchcock, including Rear Window, and Psycho.  It is also my personal favorite.  It is less scary than Psycho, less engaging than Rear Window, but it offers more in terms of plot complexity, acting, and cinematic brilliance.  It is also a bold attempt by Hitchcock to mix romance with suspense, a concoction that's surprisingly potent enough to make any fan of cinema in general whirl in delight.

 Many critics, including myself, believe this is Hitchcock's greatest achievement.  Vertigo has all the hallmarks of Hitchcock - unbearable tension, dark themes, and unforgettable scenes (like the one with the Golden Gate bridge, and the part where the waves crash ashore just as James Stewart and Kim Novak are about to kiss).  

 Stewart (my favorite actor of all-time) gives a tremendous display as a retired detective with acrophobia who's caught in a whirlpool of crime.  Novak is also effective in her role as an icy blond, part creepy and part pitiful.

 Composer Bernard Herrmann who would go on to unsettle viewers with the 'shrieking strings' in Psycho, does a remarkable job for Vertigo in terms of mood setting.  Hitchcock's expertise in camera tricks and new camera shots has influenced many filmmakers worldwide (e.g. simultaneously zooming in and tracking out to give the vertigo dizziness feeling). 

 Vertigo is an everlasting masterpiece by The Master of Suspense, a twisted story of a man's obsession with a woman, and the frightening circumstances that arise.  This is vintage Hitchcock, so don't bother harboring any second thoughts, just take the plunge.

GRADE: A+ (10/10 or 5 stars)





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