A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
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Reviews
Please don't spend money on this.
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Despite being 60 years old, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' still holds up today. Its breathtaking use of colour and camera work to tell the story is excellently anchored by Bernard Herrman's majestic score and some masterful performances by James Stewart and Kim Novak. The film perfectly conveys the theme of voyeurism, thanks to Hitchcock's amazing use of the shot-reverse-shot structure and eye-line matches, to place us inside the head of Scottie, who we begin to discover may not be the person whom we should be rooting for. The themes that 'Vertigo' explore are definitely ahead of their time, and it is confounding that Hitchcock actually managed to sneak them into this studio film. The story takes some genuinely unexpected turns and Hitchcock cleverly allows the audience to be one-step ahead of the characters, in order to create tension and excitement. Although the film does include some heavy exposition, Hitchcock's use of visual storytelling (especially in the first act) makes up for it, and this makes the film require much more thought than many from its time. My main issue with the film is its somewhat quick conclusion. A little more time to digest what is happening would have made the ending more satisfying. Still, 'Vertigo' is definitely a great film and, in my opinion, Hitchcock's best. 8/10
If I had a time machine, I would have loved to travel in time and have dinner with Alfred Hitchcock. If then why, Stan Lee must have been inspired by the cameo roles of Hitchcock in his own films that he decided to peg it. This is such a classic and to see Mr. 'Nice Guy James Stewart out of his usual mister nice guy roles, this is a good movie. There is such élégance to the ladies and gents of the late fifties early sixties, and James as an acrophobic guy who fell victim to Kim Novak's charm and was the fall guy to masquerade a criminal scheme is very humane in his portrayal. And for a bombshell, Kim can act. For all those who have the patience for traditional suspense, this is a movie one should put in his or hers to watch list.
On second viewing, there were a lot of great things that I hadn't noticed the first time around; subtle clues of the twists to come, being able to view the film while knowing the inevitable outcome adds a new level of tragedy to the events of the film for the viewer. While I may have romanticised this film in my head after my first viewing years ago, I believe it is still an absolute masterpiece, and a good starting point for my proceeding journey into the best of cinema.
In today's overly sensitive world, a man acting like james Stewart in this film would've been arrested, pepper sprayed and/or shot. Why couldn't he just love Her for Who she was? Because it wouldn't be a Hitchcock film. She should've been stronger with herself. Why didn't Alfred Hitchcock ever win an academy award for directing? The academy voters were really snobby back then. Great film. Tragic, and unfortunate for their potential love.