Not really all that great, but not very bad either

Rating: 6/10 (23 August 2010)

'Vertigo', now one of the most praised and popular Alfred Hitchcock's films, brought me mixed feelings. The first minutes are very interesting for what happens in them and also because they take place on the rooftops of San Francisco. Then the movies goes to a somewhat slow start but ends up becoming interesting and intriguing from the moment when Madeleine enters in scene. There are also many filming angles which are unique, typical from The Master of Suspense, as well as some lovely vistas: the streets of San Francisco, the Fort Point (near the Golden Gate Bridge), the San Francisco Bay, the Mission San Juan Bautista...
While Madeleine is on screen, the movie is good, but after she disappears the movie loses its interest. Scottie becomes obsessed with an unpretty woman named Judy who doesn't look like Madeleine at all (but somehow, for him she does). Eventually she transforms to the point of looking almost identical to Madeleine and apparently (which I find ridiculous) she *is* the same person. The ending is good, though, as it takes us one more time to the Mission San Juan Bautista.
James Stewart offers a good performance as Scottie and his acrophobia problem. Kim Novak is very good as the beautiful and lovely (however with a problem of major depression) Madeleine. Her look as Madeleine is simple and old-fashioned but an example of classic beauty: attractive, classy, undeniable pretty and charming. It's hard to believe that the same actress portrayed the completely different in every way Judy.
In conclusion, a movie that doesn't completely satisfy but also doesn't totally disappoint. However, it does not live up to its status and fame, being clearly overrated.