Vertigo Is A Masterpiece And Hitchcock Is A Genius

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2011)

Vertigo is a psychological thriller film by Alfred Hitchcock.It is about a story of a retired police detective suffering from vertigo who is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of an acquaintance to uncover the mystery of her peculiar behavior.It features James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor that was based on the novel entitled,"D'entre les morts" written by Boileau-Narcejac.
The movie weaves an intricate web of obsession and deceit.It opens as Scottie Ferguson realizes he has vertigo,a condition resulting in a fear of heights, when a police officer is killed trying to rescue him from falling off a building. Scottie then retires from his position as a private investigator, only to be lured into another case by his old college friend, Gavin Elster. Elster's wife, Madeleine, has been possessed by a spirit, and Elster wants Scottie to follow her. He hesitantly agrees, and thus begins the film's wordless montage as Scottie follows the beautiful yet enigmatic Madeleine through 1950s San Francisco. After saving her from suicide, Scottie begins to fall in love with her, and she appears to feel the same way. Here tragedy strikes, and each twist in the movie's second half changes our preconceptions about the characters and events.
The movie is definitely a masterpiece.It involves the viewer deeply into it especially with themes of erotic obsession.Also,Alfred Hitchcock's twisty,suspenseful and tension-filled tale is far involving and engaging that one may get absorbed into the story and the characters involved.This only proves he is genius in his craft and film making.And most of all,it has one unpredictable story that one can't see far before the final credits roll.
The performances of the talented cast are definitely excellent and outstanding.Added to that,the musical score was written by Bernard Herrmann provides a haunting theme that elevates the drama way above the level of an already great masterpiece.Overall,Vertigo creates a cinema landmark of excellence that only the likes of The Godfather can probably match or surpass.