Disturbing, haunting, and beautiful.

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2008)

'Vertigo' has through the years become more highly regarded than it ever was at the time of its release. It is oftentimes referred to as the most important film Hitchcock ever made, his masterpiece. While this assertion is purely in the eye of the beholder, there is a unique quality about 'Vertigo'. It is like a fine wine, fermenting over the years to become a landmark film that will haunt and disturb you.
Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 vision proves to be a deeply personal quest to the heart of a man's soul and his elusive search for true love. It's a haunting story of obsession, a painful portrait of loss. The picture dives much deeper than we've ever seen Hitchcock do before, and it doesn't always make for comfortable viewing. The nature of the story itself is troubling and difficult to tackle, and 'Vertigo' stands as a true testament as to what Hitchcock was capable of doing with a camera. A man who could tell a story like few others, and in a way that was entirely his own. He made countless great films, but 'Vertigo' strikes at a core where films rarely go.
What is it about 'Vertigo' that makes it such an unsettling picture? There's a lingering eeriness throughout it all, a morbid atmosphere, as it acts simultaneously as a romantic love story and a troubling look at obsession. Everyman Jimmy Stewart delivers a memorable performance and brings to life a character who's own mental state seems in serious question. His journey is our journey, and the film taps into a part of the human psyche rarely approached by cinema, and it causes us to feel vulnerable and uneasy but unquestionably transfixed.
The wonderful Kim Novak dives into 'Vertigo' in two starring roles, and the object of Stewart's encroaching affection. Filmed in classic technicolor and with a color pallet made up of sensuous greens and tantalizing reds, it only brings out Novak's striking beauty even more. The eyes are a pathway to the soul, and one glance from Novak is more than enough to capture your attention. It all seems to play into Hitchcock's master plan, whose true intentions are sometimes never quite known. Two fascinating leads, a powerful score, lush colors and textures, haunting landscapes, out-of-body dreamscapes. This is classic Hitchcock, and some of his most profound work.
'Vertigo' is hypnotically beautiful, and ultimately tragic. There's a complexity here that's difficult to penetrate, and I believe it's how Hitchcock intended it. There are questions we may have, but Hitchcock forever took those answers with him many years ago. And yet there's something about this film that continues to fascinate audiences today, a beating heart that's allowed it to grow over the years but with Hitchcock's original and haunting vision still intact. 'Vertigo' may not be his definitive masterpiece, but it may just be his most accomplished work.
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