hauntingly dramatic and absorbing - Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece about obsession and one of the most heart-breaking motion pictures of all time

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2009)

If there ever was a film that was truly ahead of its own time, then Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is that film. This is Hitchcock's most personal, passionate film, reportedly one of his favorites "with some reservations", unfortunately it did not perform very well during its 1958 release neither box office or reception wise. Hitchcock put the blame for the movie's box office failure on its star, James Stewart, whom he felt was becoming too old to keep audiences interested anymore. What Hitchcock did not realize was that this was not true. The only problem there is with Vertigo is that it was made too early in time. After a re-evaluation about ten or twenty years later, it became realized as one of the greatest motion pictures of all time, is continually analyzed and studied to this day, and is regarded as his greatest achievement in film-making.
Vertigo, based on a French crime novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, tells the obsessive story about a former San Francisco detective (James Stewart) suffering from acrophobia, who is asked by a friend (Tom Helmore) to follow his wife (Kim Novak) in fear that she might be possessed by the spirit of one of her ancestors and may be driven into her death. The detective becomes dangerously obsessed with the woman and ultimately falls in love with her, completely unaware of the horrific consequences that will follow.
Alfred Hitchcock is affectionately known as the "master of suspense" for his remarkable ability to create horrifying moments such as the shower scene in Psycho (1960), another heavily analyzed film. But Hitchcock was always capable of making something far better and no where else in the director's works is that more clear than in Vertigo. This is not a horror story. This is a powerful dramatic mystery film that also embraces the rarely explored theme of obsession. Yes, it is a romantic film, but unlike any others before or after it.
Of course, Vertigo is a love story. The plot is driven by James Stewart's character and his obsession with the woman he is hired to follow and suspect. But this is not at all how love stories were made before or even today. If Vertigo was made today, things would be completely different. The filmmakers would succumb to the hackneyed conventions that audience members tend to require for association with the movies they watch. The love between the two lead characters played by Stewart and Novak is not expressed through heavy, over-the-top kisses or unnecessary sex scenes like what we see today. It is shown through their actions, their behavior, their performances. Remember, this is a film that is about obsession. Not lust, obsession. And the obsession theme comes about especially within the last twenty minutes of the film. I will not explain how, I want you to look at it for yourself and see what I mean. When the movie was first released, this tactic was looked upon lowly by critics at first, again, because it was something revolutionary, ahead of its own time. It's not the conventional love story, so that also means, do not expect a few kisses and a happy ending. Again, this is revolutionary and because it's something we don't see everyday, it's so much more effective and wonderful.
The leading force in this film is Alfred Hitchcock. Like I said, this is a personal film of his'. The next most effective tools are the performances of James Stewart and Kim Novak, who portray two of the most passionate lovers I've ever seen on film. And the third is definitely Bernard Herrmann, the music composer. Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese noted that Herrmann's score revolved around the main theme: obsession. And in deed, he was right. The score to Vertigo is hands-down beautiful. The scene where Scottie and Madeleine first kiss before the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean (my favorite scene) has one of the most effective soundtrack pieces ever. Basically, Herrmann's score is more than just something in the background. It's an effective, driving presence that really makes this movie so special along with its other fantastic elements. Herrmann is one of the most mimicked composers of all time and this is most obvious in Vertigo, which I feel would be about three-quarters as good without his music.
It's a shame the critics of 1958 were unwilling to accept such a revolutionary film at the time. It ended the collaboration between Hitchcock and James Stewart, who had worked many times before on movies such as Rear Window (1954), and Hitchcock ultimately ended up stuck with the horror genre instead of being able to work on more passionate movies such at Vertigo. Thankfully, like wine allegedly, it gets better with age. Keep in mind, this is a movie that also likes to play with your head. You may have to see it two or three times before you get the whole picture, but when you do, you will embrace it with more power than ever. I myself have seen Vertigo a great deal of times and each time, it just gets more and more powerful. In essence, I am obsessed with Vertigo. It may have been ahead of its time, but it is certainly one of the most spectacular and wonderful motion pictures ever crafted by human hands.