I'm of a different opinion

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2002)

I've seen this movie several times and simply do not understand why it is consistently rated Hitchcock's best. I'm not sure which would be the best, but I might vote for "North by Northwest."
For one thing, it is overly long. The scenes where "Scotty" patrols the streets of San Francisco looking for "Madeline" go on forever to no purpose. Though Hitchcock could pull off some improbabilities, the entire premise of this movie is flawed. That the man would go into an asylum in such a deranged state when the original Madeline dies is extremely improbable. The character "Midge" disappearing so early in the film doesn't make sense. The "nightmare sequence" is a cartoonish retake of the one in "Spellbound." Finding the same girl again and remaking her into what he remembers is beyond impossible. Discovering her ruse because of the extremely obvious pendant looks like a quick way to end the movie. Him not still loving her and taking violent action against her is a plot twist worthy of a B movie. It is never explained how an ex-cop could live a fancy lifestyle in S.F. and "keep" a mistress. In short, this is an overrated movie without a shred of credibility, and no really impressive performances. And, frankly, no Hitchcokian suspense. You wanna see Stewart and Kim Novak in a MOVIE? Watch Bell, Book, and Candle.