Hitchcock crafts a near perfect movie which is much more than a mystery

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2016)

"Vertigo" is considered by some the greatest movie ever made, and while I find impossible to give that definition to any movie, I see why it's praised so much. To date I have watched three Hitchcock movies: "Rebecca", "The Birds" and "Psycho". None of the three fulfilled my expectations: I see the modernity and sometimes brilliant solutions by the author, but they always felt overpraised to me. Maybe after "Vertigo" I'll have to watch them again and understand the depth I sensed in this one. Is it a mystery movie? Yes, but only on the surface. Like any masterpiece, this film has a number of levels of interpretation: the plain mystery, solved at 3/4 of the movie; Scottie's spiral into madness, man's need for control over life and death, the meaning of colour to address emotions. These are just a few examples of just how multifaceted "Vertigo" can be, evolving from the original script into a real work of art. This might very well be the best example to show how Hitchcock managed to craft popular movies with a (heavy!) authorial touch for those who can grasp it.
I also loved James Stuart's performance from likableness, through catatonic depression into obsessive maniacal behaviour, and keeping a continuity in his character only the greatest actors can achieve. Kim Novak, just like every other Hitchcock girl, is not my favourite on screen, but can always get the right intensity and sex appeal necessary.