Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Film Movie Review

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Vertigo

July 29th 2008 23:51

The name of Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 masterpiece refers to a disorder that causes dizziness and nausea, a feeling that Hitchcock wanted to impress on his audience while watching the film. He devised a technique, now called the 'Vertigo shot' that gives the viewer a sense of imbalance, as if the world was pulling back from you, achieved by a simultaneous dolly out/zoom in, which we see in the first scene from the movie:

Indeed, Hitchcock's "Vertigo" has left an indelible mark on cinema, a film that Francois Truffaut noted was his favourite movie, and one that has been preserved as one of the greatest American movies of all time.

With all these compliments, it seems rather feathery of me to lavish the film with praise, especially considering that this movie has been examined and dissected long before I made any stink at all on this green Earth.

Yet, it does say something that I could watch this movie 60 years after it was originally released, and loved every moment of it. This is all the glorious moments of Hitchcock: the voyeurism, the paranoia and, most importantly, the uncertainty about how the world works, themes that would feature playfully in his other films.

James Stewart stars as Scottie, a detective that has to pull away from the force when his acrophobia causes vertigo. He removes himself from his job, instead taking a private eye position with an old college chum, who wants him to follow his wife, played by Kim Novak.

Stewart and Novak belong to that old guard of actors, ones who carried such incredible personality onscreen that it marks the movie. Novak lights up the movie with a haunting, ethereal beauty - she never looked as good as she did here under Hitchcock's eye, and for good reason: Stewart follows her, falling for her more and more.

Naturally, though, Stewart starts to fall apart and it's here that we see Hitchcock's intention. The film spins out of control, careening wildly into supernatural realms, and the audience is pulled along with it.

This is tense, superbly crafted cinema, and an easy masterpiece to look back at. There's no other way to appreciate "Vertigo" without seeing it on a big screen; the sensation of the Vertigo effect is almost traumatizing in the theatre, and the film carves it's own presence into your memory of great movies.

I say: An absolute classic, one that I could watch again and again.

See it for: Old time private detectives! Tailing another car means just driving right behind it. Also, great Saul Bass opening titles...

*this image is from the Museum of Modern Art, which holds the film in their collection.

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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Americanas

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Comments

27 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

July 30th 2008 00:07

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Kim Novak is radiant in this movie!

Comment by Lara M

July 30th 2008 00:48

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See it for: Old time private detectives! Tailing another car means just driving right behind it. Also, great Saul Bass opening titles...

Hear! hear! ...and also for those great *music* that accompany scenes (particularly) in old movies -- is there a special term/name for it?

'Rear Window' is another great classic -- an innate *obsession* with voyeurism

Comment by Bryn

July 30th 2008 00:55

Horrorphile

I was lucky to see a re-mastered print on a huge screen in my home town many years ago. Fantastic. I wonder if it will ever get remade, dare I suggest it ... ??
Nice succinct review too, I wish I could employ more brevity.

Comment by Chris Champion

July 30th 2008 01:11

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With all these compliments, it seems rather feathery of me to lavish the film with praise, especially considering that this movie has been examined and dissected long before I made any stink at all on this green Earth.

Nah Cib, let's hope many more generations will discover the world of Hitchcock, and want to talk about it and lavish praise. Long live Alfred the Great!

Comment by Cibbuano

July 30th 2008 03:24

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lara, yeah, the music. Very representative of movies at the time. Ah, Rear Window... it's been so long since I've seen it that I need to see it again!

Bryn, you lucky dog! I saw it remastered as well... it's looking fine.

I can easily get carried away, but is that a good thing? Terse reviews are probably better... but it's so easy to spin off on tangents!

Chris, you said it! There's a special charm in rediscovering a master...

Comment by Bryn

July 30th 2008 04:18

Horrorphile

"Terse", interesting choice of word.
But aren't blogs meant to have a ramble to them?What's your favourite Hitchcock movie? Mine's North by Northwest.

Comment by JohnDoe

July 30th 2008 08:13

Film & TV on DVD

A gem for sure Cib,

Vertigo is one of those films with so many character threads it never gets dull on repeat screenings.

This is tense, superbly crafted cinema, and an easy masterpiece to look back at. There's no other way to appreciate "Vertigo" without seeing it on a big screen; the sensation of the Vertigo effect is almost traumatizing in the theatre, and the film carves it's own presence into your memory of great movies.

Exactly!

For the record, my favourite Hitchcock film is FRENZY...a close second Strangers on a Train and Shadow of a Doubt

Comment by Cibbuano

July 30th 2008 10:30

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bryn, my favourite? I loved NxNW, but it's The Birds that stayed with me. I've seen Hitchcock movies quite young and after seeing Vertigo, I want to rewatch the ones I've seen and discover the ones I haven't!

JD, I definitely want a repeat of this one. I haven't seen the Hitchcock movies that you mentioned. Frenzy?

Comment by D. Armenta

July 30th 2008 14:59

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Hitchcock was a cinematic genius.

JD, "Frenzy" gave me such nightmares when I was a kid that I consider it one of my faves today too!

Comment by Mike Crowl

July 30th 2008 20:55

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Interesting to hear people claiming Frenzy and The Birds as their favourite Hitchcocks, especially since they were also two of his box office duds. Reviewing The Birds shows up its considerable weaknesses: there are some great moments, but it lacks any real story, and eventually goes out without any sense of having achieved a purpose. Frenzy, which I must admit I haven't seen since it was first exhibited, I remember as being one of the nastiest of the Hitchcocks, with a vile villain and a wishy-washy hero (in fact the villain is a good deal more interesting than the hero). In Frenzy, Hitchcock seemed finally to bring out of his bag of tricks some very poor taste set pieces: the strangling, and the search for something important amongst the potatoes, with the dead girl in the middle of it all.
There are certainly much better Hitchcock movies than either of these.

Comment by Cibbuano

July 30th 2008 22:34

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mike, I suppose there's an emotional weight behind my choice of The Birds. I saw it when I was a teen, and, though it was an old movie, it was shocking. Terrifying. That's stayed with me.

D, I'll have to see Frenzy now!

Comment by Bryn

July 31st 2008 00:04

Horrorphile

Rear Window, Rope, the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, the first version of The 39 Steps, Psycho and Strangers on a Train are my other Hitchcock faves.

Comment by Bryn

July 31st 2008 00:05

Horrorphile

btw ... "Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo Film Movie Review" ... lol ... does that mean it's particularly cinematic?

Comment by Eve

August 7th 2008 15:39

mindless little girl

aye

Comment by Anonymous

September 29th 2008 21:26

That'll be 50 years after release mate.

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