The very best of Hitchcock.

Rating: 10/10 (30 August 2011)

Without a doubt, this is Hitchcock's best film. On top of that, I would personally put it in my own top 10 list, because this film is hugely complex and entertaining right from the opening shot to the very final moment. The thrills are first rate, the acting is first rate, the directing is outstanding and the musical score is one of the most haunting in film.
Vertigo starts with a rooftop chase in San Fransisco. 'Scottie', a police detective, chases a suspect along with a uniformed police officer. Scottie slips, and nearly falls to his death. The other officer tries to help, and he does fall. From this moment, Scottie has Vertigo - a fear of heights.
Cut to a few years later, and he is retired. However, a friend of his has a problem - his wife is behaving oddly and he needs Scottie to follow her. Scottie starts to follow her and watch her, and soon starts to fall in love with her, perhaps even become obsessed with her. After saving her life, it appears that she is falling for him too. But, it all comes to an end when she loses her mind and throws herself from a tower - a tower too high for Scottie to climb because of his Vertigo. Scottie has a breakdown, and is left feeling nothing but guilt. However, one day he sees something that chances his view on what happened.
What makes this film stand out from nearly all others is the sheer complexity of the plot. The writing is absolutely first rate with good dialogue, but more importantly believable emotions, real situations and twist after twist to add to the vast story that is being told. Hitchcock genuinely takes each character and puts them through some sort of personal hell, and we really feel a lot of sympathy for each one. He carefully unveils traits through some tense actions scenes, and it always feels like there is more to know about each character. Vertigo isn't just about one man's fear, it's about the obsession that grows from that fear and how it affects those around him and those involved.
Added to the exceptional directing is of course the cast. James Stewart puts on arguably his best performance as Scottie, the man so obsessed with a woman he can't see that he's turned into a hypocrite and a destroyer of women. To match him is Kim Novak, who puts her her best performance as Judy, the veiled woman to which there is so much more than it seems.
This film, like many of Hitchcock's, is a slow burning thriller. But, unlike his others, this goes into much more depth in terms of emotion and character. He explores the deepest desires and the deepest nightmares of the human mind, and alongside some of the best direction in film and a very fine plot, Vertigo represents a work of film genius. The cherry on top is the haunting score by Benard Herrman, which is genuinely creepy.
Absolutely one of the best, complex and diverse thrillers of all time.