Alfred Hitchcock was a filmmaker who needs no introduction, as he was one of the first to achieve wide spread acclaim, and attention. I’ve reviewed many of his movies on my site before, and in general, I’ve always been a fan ever sense I first took a film class back in high-school. While many of his movies have been widely regarded as motion picture classics, there’s one that’s achieved its own level of greatness, and according to some sites, it’s actually a contender with “Citizen Kane” as one of the greatest movies ever made. I’m naturally building up to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1958 drama “Vertigo”. This is a movie I’ve wanted to review for years as it contains several things I love and want to praise, but I also have some unpopular opinions of the film that I likewise wanted to share. However, I’ve also been avoiding this film as it’s a difficult one to discuss without spoiling key details. Part of the majesty of watching an Alfred Hitchcock classic is being surprised at every turn. Thus, I’ll do my best to keep the spoilers vague, while I share my personal feelings of “Vertigo” ... one of cinemas most acclaimed achievements.
Scotty Ferguson is a detective on the police force, but he’s unfortunately also suffering from an uncontrollable fear of heights. One day while on duty, his acrophobia culminates in the death of a fellow officer, and thus Scotty quits the force. With little direction left in his life, Scotty takes on a favor for a friend … to watch over his friends emotionally unstable wife, who might just be suicidal. Gradually, Scotty becomes infatuated with her, and once the two meet through an incident, she in turn reveals that the feelings are mutual. Naturally a romance develops, but before to long, Scotty faces his fears once again, and can’t stop her from climbing a tall church tower. After a fatal accident, Scotty slips into depression, and his obsession with his lost love causes his mind to snap. Time passes, and eventually a new girl comes into his life, but rather then build a new relationship, Scotty aims to us this new woman as a vessel to recreate his lost love. In essence, it’s Hitchcock conveying a notion of one man’s obsession with obtaining perfection, as Scotty is trying to moiled this lookalike into an exact replica of the love he lost prematurely. It’s all about what’s going on in Scotty’s mind, has he truly lost his sanity, or is he on the verge of exposing an even bigger deception laid before him?
Anyone who decides the view this movie has to be prepared for a slow burning first half. There are lengthy scenes without any dialogue, and it almost seems a little repetitive after a while. Some may see this as boring, while others could view it as the movie working it’s magic, and slowly hypnotizing you into it’s entrancing spell. While I can’t say with a straight face that I was riveted by the first half, I still couldn’t take my eyes off the screen, as both the musical score by Bernard Herrmann, and the overall film-making techniques on display had me hooked. Eventually we get to a point where I just felt submersed in the experience, and I wanted to see certain things unfold around me. Truthfully, while I wouldn’t call “Vertigo” Hitchcock’s absolute best movie (even though I know most would), I do think it’s his best achievement as visual work of art. The film-making on display is nothing short of inspiring, and he incorporates various technical components in certain shots to put the audience squarely in the characters shoes. There are countless individual shots that have always resonated in the back of my mind, including this one built-up shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, which might just be the most beautiful I’ve ever seen it captured on film. This movie also contains one of the most artistic 360 shots I’ve ever seen. Now the 360 shot is a common cliché in which the camera orbits around a person, or several people, and in the case of this film, it’s two people in a loving embrace. However, there’s so much more added to this shot rather than just the camera orbiting around two people kissing.
My favorite individual scene of the whole movie is a dream sequence, in which we visually see Scotty’s mental state of mind breaking down.
For his time, Alfred Hitchcock was a visionary mastermind like no other, and who better to artistically show the mental deterioration of someone’s obsessed mind. In this scene Scotty is slipping in and out of his own consciousness, resulting in this trippy dream sequence with flashy effects, stylish direction, impressive animation, and a hypnotic feel that literally puts you into a trans while watching. James Stewart naturally is our star, and he delivers a solid performance in the role of Scotty. What’s more, I love watching characters go through a personal transition, as the Scotty we first met in the opening is someone completely different from who we see at the end. Kim Novak also brings a duel performance to the role of Scotty’s love interest, and it’s likewise fascinating to see the peaks and vales she goes through. On a quick side note, the 2002 family movie "Stuart Little 2" was one of my childhood favorites, and it contains a scene in which both Stuart and a possible love interest are watching the memorable beach scene from “Vertigo”, but I initially had no idea what the clip was from. When I finally saw "Vertigo" years later for the first time, the scene just exploded in my head ... like holly cow, that was the movie Stuart and his friend were watching the whole time. Suddenly I'm inspired to create a fan-fiction, and I'll title it ... "Jimmy Stewart Little". Okay, lets get back on track ...
For his time, Alfred Hitchcock was a visionary mastermind like no other, and who better to artistically show the mental deterioration of someone’s obsessed mind. In this scene Scotty is slipping in and out of his own consciousness, resulting in this trippy dream sequence with flashy effects, stylish direction, impressive animation, and a hypnotic feel that literally puts you into a trans while watching. James Stewart naturally is our star, and he delivers a solid performance in the role of Scotty. What’s more, I love watching characters go through a personal transition, as the Scotty we first met in the opening is someone completely different from who we see at the end. Kim Novak also brings a duel performance to the role of Scotty’s love interest, and it’s likewise fascinating to see the peaks and vales she goes through. On a quick side note, the 2002 family movie "Stuart Little 2" was one of my childhood favorites, and it contains a scene in which both Stuart and a possible love interest are watching the memorable beach scene from “Vertigo”, but I initially had no idea what the clip was from. When I finally saw "Vertigo" years later for the first time, the scene just exploded in my head ... like holly cow, that was the movie Stuart and his friend were watching the whole time. Suddenly I'm inspired to create a fan-fiction, and I'll title it ... "Jimmy Stewart Little". Okay, lets get back on track ...
Unfortunately, once we get the third act of the movie, my problems start rising to the surface. Early at the start of act three, a character reveals all the movies secrets through voice over, and that for me was a huge mistake.
I think the film would have been far more effective if we were just as much in the dark as Scotty up until the end, and even then I think the film could have left certain things up to interpretation as opposed to delivering the strait up facts. Still, I suppose for the sake of emotional context, some things just had to be addressed. We then come to the finale, which takes place on the steps of the same church tower from before. Just a quick clip note, but it’s impossible for me to watch this ending without thinking of the climax to Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman”, which also takes place in a similar location. I’m not sure if Burton took inspiration from “Vertigo”, but the pacing, lighting and visual aesthetics on display are eerily similar. Now without spoiling anything, I was not a fan of how the movie ends, as it just felt very abrupt after so much build up, and it just leaves the experience feeling hollow. Usually Hitchcock always delivers a payoff that I’m on board with, but this one just left me feeling empty and frustrated. Of course, I should mention that there’s a final image involving a nun’s sudden arrival miring a death like figure, which I think would have been more effective if the nun wasn’t talking the second she arrived on site. Like, imagine how much more terrifying that would have been if she was approaching in complete silence?
I think the film would have been far more effective if we were just as much in the dark as Scotty up until the end, and even then I think the film could have left certain things up to interpretation as opposed to delivering the strait up facts. Still, I suppose for the sake of emotional context, some things just had to be addressed. We then come to the finale, which takes place on the steps of the same church tower from before. Just a quick clip note, but it’s impossible for me to watch this ending without thinking of the climax to Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman”, which also takes place in a similar location. I’m not sure if Burton took inspiration from “Vertigo”, but the pacing, lighting and visual aesthetics on display are eerily similar. Now without spoiling anything, I was not a fan of how the movie ends, as it just felt very abrupt after so much build up, and it just leaves the experience feeling hollow. Usually Hitchcock always delivers a payoff that I’m on board with, but this one just left me feeling empty and frustrated. Of course, I should mention that there’s a final image involving a nun’s sudden arrival miring a death like figure, which I think would have been more effective if the nun wasn’t talking the second she arrived on site. Like, imagine how much more terrifying that would have been if she was approaching in complete silence?
In short, “Vertigo” is a unique and unpredictable experience, but for me, it’s not one that demands repeat viewings … unlike some of Hitchcock’s other films that I continue to enjoy repeatedly. I suppose this film falls into the same camp for me as “Citizen Kane”, where it’s unmistakably a great movie, but not one that I have any real love or feelings for. I’ll say this, between the two, I’d much rather watch “Vertigo”. I’m also kind of shocked that such an acclaimed film only won two Oscars, for best sound and best art direction. Seriously, it didn’t even get a nomination for best picture … isn’t that crazy. Still, to this day my personal favorite Hitchcock movie, which for me has only gotten better with repeat viewings is “North by Northwest”. Never the less, even though I’m not the biggest fan, one can’t undermine “Vertigo” for all it achieved, and for still inspiring young filmmakers all these years later. Maybe I won’t give it a perfect five-star rating, but it’ll certainly give a positive one, and if you haven’t yet seen the movie, do yourself a favor and check it out.
I give “Vertigo” 3 ½ stars out of 5.
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