Mood-Setting at its finest as Hitchcock speaks his mind and soul

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 2013)

Alfred Hitchcock has created some of the most interesting, distinctive, and chilling suspense masterpieces ever attempted in the movie industry. Already being a fan of his work and knowing of his life, I was excited to see Vertigo, but nothing prepared me for what I was up for. It's different from Hitchcock's other directorial efforts, definitely being the most personal. Vertigo glimmers with the touch of autobiographical art that works so well in other movies by directors speaking from their soul, like 8 1/2 from Fellini. The film is really as wonderful as its reputation holds it up to be. It's an enthralling piece that has turns so sharp it could cut flesh. Hitchcock creates an eerie mood that settles perfectly with the noir-eseqe story. It's psychologically engaging and challenging through the underlying suspense. Everywhere you look in Vertigo, there's a symbol. Each shot feels as if its been planned out and thought ahead by Hitchcock. The film editing hits every artistic note and the the score wows your ears.
The entire movie plays like a ghost movie, but the fascinating thing about this explored theme is ghost changes with each Act. The ghost haunts your mind as it haunts the mind of James Stewart (who also delivers a fine performance), therein lies the brilliance. The film noir references create some poetically beautiful scenes that show the truth of human nature, whether its love, obsession, or insanity. Vertigo is technically ahead of its time, allowing audiences today to respond to it just as they would any movie released in 2013. It's a multi- layered film about complex characters, infatuation, and duplicity. Being autobiographical and knowing what we know about Hitchcock's life, some thoroughly depicted in Hitchcock (2012), Vertigo makes a lot of sense and we get to explore the heart and mind of Alfred Hitchcock. I believe, that Hitchcock, as a child fell in love with a proper, blonde woman, and she broke his heart. Now, as a response to that heartache, Hitchcock tries to recreate that fantasy to ease the hole left in his heart. The faux idea almost works as therapy for Hitchcock. Just my observation and a thought being thrown out there that could possibly explain his obsession and compulsion to the picture of his "perfect woman" he paints all over Vertigo.
Vertigo capitalizes Hitchcock's life, symbolizing his filmmaking and the tendency to emotionally and psychologically attach himself to his leading actresses. The pieces of the puzzle to Vertigo feel like the pieces of the puzzle of Hitchcock's life, yet they fit together anomalously perfectly in the film, but I doubt they did in real life. Hitchcock was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to visit the lives of fictitious people and pliably craft that perfect woman expressively through art. His madness and determination are seen in Vertigo, through the James Stewart character. I wonder if Stewart knew he was playing Hitchcock himself in ways?
In all honesty, I can identity with Hitchcock's tendencies. Clearly, not to the excessive and creepy levels of his life, but there's always that hole in myself I've tried to fill with the idea of the "perfect" best friend in my life, all have been beautiful, confident females. I can link my another obsession I have with Hitchcock's life tribulations: my spurts with actresses. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow are all women I've went through addictions where they stayed with me because of their work as actresses or their displays of their success in life. I've never been able to put my interest with them into sensible analytical thought, but the slight obsession has always been there.
Vertigo touches me in the same ways that propelled Hitchcock to complete this film, it's rare when a movie can do that a viewer, but that's a reason directors sometimes make movies. We're all human and we all have things in common that we can share with each other. Regardless if you can link your soul to the artistic soul of Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo is certainly something not to be missed. It's an exemplary mood-setting mystery that still has viewers in awe of the artistry and the plot twists that set the fantastic finale into place.
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A+