A Great Psychological Drama

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2001)

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo doesn't begin until the last 45 minutes of the film when James Stewart's character embarks on a desperate search for answers and exorcism. I could argue all that precedes this act is merely the "MacGuffin", similar to the beginning sections of Psycho, a film which doesn't really start cooking until the "Bates Motel" sign flashes through the rain. I can appreciate Vertigo's slow, moody timing like that of a foreign film; novel qualities for a mainstream picture in 1958. I can appreciate that Vertigo is arty in the way it presents its totally contrived plot line through an almost stream of consciousness, very psychological, dreamlike state especially during Stewart's nightmare which actually uses animation. The title sequence by Saul Bass combined with Bernard Herrmann's score create a movie within a movie. Critics and filmmakers alike hail the film as one the best of all time. Martin Scorsese, who took part in the film's restoration, seems to be very in awe of this film and celebrates it in his remake of Cape Fear. Yet, upon several viewings now, I still get bored getting through those long, long stretches with James Stewart's big head behind the steering wheel driving all over San Francisco. I can't help but feel some closer editing could have made the film more suspenseful and fascinating not just for film scholars but for the audience too.
I still love the movie though- the moment when Scotty sets his eyes on Judy walking along the busy street and the machinations in his mind begin; a twisted loveless passion fixated on a stranger to restore his lost love and lost dignity and conquer his deep-seated fears. This is the moment where the film could begin, maybe if Roman Polanski where directing but the Master of Suspense was working way ahead of his time and for this alone Vertigo deserves its praise.