Perhaps Hitchcock's best effort

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2004)

Most critics, myself included tend to overuse the words `masterpiece' and `genius.' No adequate critique of 1958s `Vertigo' can be written without referencing the fact that the film is truly a masterpiece work from the genius director, Alfred Hitchcock.
The storyline is complex in `Vertigo.' Jimmy Stewart, always one of Hitchcock's favorite actors puts on his best performance in a Hitchcock film as Scottie, a retired San Francisco detective who has vertigo brought on by a trauma that occurred on a rooftop. Scottie is reluctantly taken out of retirement when an old acquaintance played by Tom Helmore (`Secret Agent ' `The Time Machine') asks him to investigate the strange behaviors and habits of his wife, played by Kim Novak (`The Man With the Golden Arm' `Kiss Me, Stupid'.)
Scottie tails the wife and is sucked into the story and of course he ends up finding the beautiful Novak irresistible. Not wanting to spoil the story for anyone who has not seen this classic I will just mention that once Stewart meets Novak the complexities and twists and turns multiply significantly.

The filming is done beautifully, particularly the location shooting near the Golden Gate Bridge and the two scenes that take place at the mission south of the city. A scene where Stewart is following Novak and she parks her car in a back alley while our detective stares at her is wonderfully honored in Martin Scorsese's `Goodfellas' in a scene where Robert DeNiro tries to lure Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco) into an alley way so she can help herself to some stolen dresses  or get herself killed.
Perhaps the most famous shot is the classic stairway shot filmed at the mission. Stewart has to fight his fear of heights and chase Novak up a long stairway. I am not a cinematographer, but I believe Hitchcock accomplished this by filming a Stewart going along the stairs while the camera simultaneously zoomed in on Stewart while the same camera was wheeled back and away from the subject. This creates a dizzying sense to the viewer that is meant to mimic Scotties's vertigo. Absolutely brilliant.

Also fantastically brilliant in this film and the special effects and the score. A while back, a friend's husband turned me onto the world of artist Saul Bass. Bass contributed so much to the movies and is yet not known too many. Bass was an artist who designed sets, titles and visual effects like the dream sequence in `Vertigo.' If you have seen many movies from the 1950s you know that the nightmare sequence in `Vertigo' is one of the few visual effects from any movie if this era that still works for the viewer in the new millennium. Bass was perhaps best known for his work with Otto Preminger, and he also did the titles for many Scorsese movies. Bernard Herrmann (`Psycho ' `Cape Fear (both versions' `Taxi Driver') composed the chilling and compelling music for `Vertigo,' in what I think is his best work. The music from this movie is available on a soundtrack CD.
Other reviewers and critics have mentioned in the past that `Vertigo' is perhaps Hitchcock's most personal film. One could only guess that Hitchcock found this story to be a somewhat cathartic experience. Stewarts somewhat kinky, perverted scenes with Novak in where he tries to convert her into the perfect woman that was the object of his desires are at the same time interesting and unsettling to the viewer.
`Vertigo' also displays some great acting, particularly by James Stewart who is pretty much in front of the camera during the entire film. Through the necessities of the script Stewart had to carry the brunt of this film, and he does not disappoint. Allegedly, Kim Novak was chosen by Hitchcock for her looks (surprise, surprise) and her performance was completely controlled by Hitchcock (yet another surprise!) Barbara Bal Geddes ably portrays Stewarts long-term artist girlfriend in waiting. It is never adequately explained why she waits and why she does not seem to mind.
All in all, a great piece of work from the master of suspense.