Why did this one flop?

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2006)

Almost perfect suspense-flick, done by the master himself. And, a super music score by Bernard Herrmann. Both a leading man & lady who are just the right fit for their roles. Yet, Vertigo flopped at the box-office when first released in 1958. Maybe it was the cartoon scenes that Hitch tried out for the first time, and then dropped for good. Maybe some scenes dragged on too long, like the coroner's inquest. Other than those little criticisms, this film still does it for me. It's great fun watching Scottie (Jimmy Stewart) watching rich society-dame Madeleine (Novak) as she wanders about San Fran feeding her neurotic obsession with a long-dead ancestor. (San Francisco is always such an ideal venue for mysteries and dramas). After Scottie saves Madeleine's life once, he's unable to save it on a second suicide attempt and he goes into a deep funk, complete with Chuck Jones-style illustrations! What astounds most is Stewart recognizing Novak walking home to her rooming house after she'd died in a jump from a church bell-tower. Then, it's eerily fun as we watch Stewart acting really strange...we think he's going bananas, but in reality, his well-honed policeman's instinct is working behind the scenes all the time and he's several steps ahead of the audience until the last scene with a surprise ending.