Hitchcock at his best!

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2000)

This is the best film of Sir Alfred Hitchcock. As many masterpieces, it wasn't a hit when it first appeared in 1958; it was considered too dark and complex, and its subtle qualities were overseen. James Stewart plays his best role as Scottie, a detective who is asked by a friend to follow his wife. And what a wife she is: Kim Novak, the prototype Hitchcock blond: cold, mysterious, sensual, beautiful. Vertigo is more of a love story than a thriller, and that's all I can tell you, I suppose, without spoiling anything. Watch it and, also, HEAR it; its soundtrack, by Bernard Hermann, is an important part of the film, adding to the tragic and supernatural plot.