The best ever? The best Hitch ever?

Rating: 8/10 (6 November 2001)

A lot of people seem to think so. I see people, here, calling this the best movie ever; or, if not that, at the very least, the best movie Hitchcock ever made. To call "Vertigo" the best movie ever is, of course, quite laughable. And as far as it being Hitchcock's best, I judge it to be only about his 4th or 5th best (my personal favorite is "North by Northwest," truly one of the best movies ever). Based on these comments, one might assume that I don't much like it. Right? Au contraire! I think it is a very good movie, one not far removed from excellent. But it does have flaws, minor though they be.
First and foremost, "Vertigo" is a FABULOUS travelogue for late-1950s San Francisco and environs (including Muir Woods in Marin County and Mission San Juan Bautista, 100 miles south of San Francisco). At the time of the filming, I was a high school sophomore in San Francisco. I well remember the film company coming to town to shoot the movie, though I never saw any scenes actually being shot. What I do know is that the movie is most evocative of the San Francisco of that era.
The plot? It's good, I've seen better. Its weakest link is when Scottie (James Stewart) "loses" Madeleine (Kim Novak), or so he thinks, then accidentally "finds" Judy (Madeleine's alter ego -- also Kim) on the streets of downtown San Francisco. I realize that movies often have to have coincidences in order to make their plots work. That said, "Vertigo" has to take a grading markdown for this ridiculously coincidental Madeleine-cum-Judy plot device in order to make this story work. Having lived so many years in San Francisco, I know how difficult it would be -- make that impossible! -- to find one specific person on a downtown street, ESPECIALLY when you're not even looking for that person in the first place. That's how difficult and coincidental it would have been for Scottie to actually "find" Judy. I also didn't care for the way the character Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) was handled. Was she or was she not Scottie's "love interest" before Madeleine entered the picture? She starts out as a major character, then gradually fades away and by the end of the picture, she has disappeared completely, as if she were never even in the movie. True, Scottie becomes more and more obsessed with Madeleine/Judy, but let's at least let Midge hang in to the bitter end as the crushed girlfriend -- or something!
Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. The former is my favorite actor -- EVER!!! -- so you know I have nothing bad to say about his performance in this movie. It was just your typically fine performance by "The Man." As for Kim Novak, I see many people, once again here, commending her great performance in this film. Sheesh! Gag me with a spoon, Charlie Brown! Her performance in this movie is barely adequate, at best. Barely. It's no wonder Sir Alfred of the Hitch actually wanted Vera Miles for the role and when he couldn't get her (she was pregnant at the time), had to "settle for" Kim. Talk about a one-note samba performance! Kim is a classic example of a gorgeous woman with no true acting talent who came to Hollywood and was able to break into movies strictly on the basis of her beauty. Unlike some actresses in her category (Julia Roberts is one who comes to mind), Kim never developed one iota as an actress and that is why she had such a nothing career in the movies. Her one talent was to stand there and look pretty -- hopefully with her mouth shut! And she is the major dead weight that prevented "Vertigo" from being all that Hitch hoped and wanted it to be.
Last, I cannot ignore Bernard Herrmann's score for this movie. When it comes to scoring a movie, this is as good as it gets. I don't know all of his scores without looking them up but I seriously doubt that he ever did a better score -- for any movie! -- than the one he did for "Vertigo."
The best ever? The best Hitch ever? For those people who think this movie is -- one or the other -- I commend those people for knowing what they like. I, of course, cannot agree -- to either one. But ..... if only Vera Miles had been available.