Nostalgic, nothing more

Rating: 6/10 (7 August 2012)

It was after I heard that Vertigo had replaced Citizen Kane as 'Best Movie of all Time' that I pondered as to whether I had actually seen this film. This was curious as I had no difficulty in remembering 'Kane' despite having only seen it once some 35 years ago. Since I could not recall missing any other James Stewart picture of that era or any of the other big productions of 1950s I assumed that I had seen it but would view it again. I watched it last night and my instincts were correct. I had forgotten this film because it is forgettable! In fact the only memorable thing about the film was the San Francisco skyline which had become beautifully enhanced by its conversion to BluRay. I have never been a great Hitchcock fan for the very reason that his films tend to be over-stylised and Vertigo is no exception. No great acting accolades either in fact dialogue seem to be a secondary consideration to the visual enactment of Stewart's character's mental decline. The film could easily have been a silent film. One critic commented on being fascinated by the complexity of this multi-layered psycho-drama. Uhmm, really. The ending was pure David Lynch - not difficult to see where he got his inspiration, but it was inadequate for a movie lasting beyond two hours. For lovers of this movie genre I would recommend 'The Woman in the Fifth'. Don't be put off by its low rating in IMDb. It is fine example Pawel Pawlilowski's direction and Ethan Hawke is excellent as the mentally-bewildered American adrift in Paris. Back to Vertigo and what more can I say? This film and others of its period have garnered praise well beyond their station by virtue of the current nostalgia boom. My criterion for deciding how good a film is is whether or not it stands the test of time - does it look dated? This film does, as does 'From Here to Eternity' but 'On the Waterfront' doesn't.
It's purely personal of course.