Just watch and enjoy

Rating: 8/10 (11 June 2012)

Every now and then I like to revisit old Hitch – It is part nostalgia, part worship of the old man who never fails to surprise and thrill. There is certainly no director like him.
Although I enjoyed it once again, I must admit seeing Vertigo after many years was somewhat of a disappointment. I wanted it to be perfect; it wasn't. Like many of Hitchcock's plots, this one is silly, convoluted, outrageous.
But if you stop looking for flaws, what a treat it is to ride with Jimmy Stewart as he (endlessly) drives around San Francisco in his fabulous '58 DeSoto, following the stunningly beautiful Kim Novak in her green Jaguar with the bright whitewalls. This is a period piece with full orchestral accompaniment, with spectacular scenes of the 1950's city by the Bay, some of the sights like the Presidio no longer there, the restaurants, the Legion of Honor, the streets filled with all those wonderful American made behemoths (with an occasional VW beetle thrown in). And, of course, who can forget the famous scenes of the now 75-year old Golden Gate Bridge. Hitchcock of course, was the master of suspense, the unexpected shocker, the moment of revelation. But he also was expert in his use of the camera. Experience the visual, let it roll over you.
The acting is magnificent. It is enough reason to see the film just to watch the masters at work: Jimmy Stewart, and Kim Novak in her duel role who as one of the few surviving principals in the film recently paid a visit to San Francisco to display her artwork. But we shouldn't forget Barbara Bel Geddes, the underrated 3rd wheel – she is wonderful in her role as faithful friend Midge. And just for fun: don't miss the old man himself walking by in his traditional cameo near the beginning of the film.
The time capsule is amusingly dated, not just for the cars and silly plot: Attitudes depicted are out of touch today: the unselfconscious exploitation of women by domineering men; the almost laughable depiction of psychological disorders (acrophobia/vertigo, for example, is treated as a disease); the effortless instant love at first sight. Flawed plot and dated though it is, it is a nevertheless a simple pleasure to experience the genius at work: Hitchcock, a true craftsman who wasn't afraid to take chances and who strove to keep us hooked until the very last second, always with a sly wink awaiting us. Implausible? Sure. Who cares? For pure cinematic skill alone, I give the film high marks.