A detective hired to watch over a suicidal woman falls in love with her and gets involved in an eerie, baffling mystery.

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2006)

Many viewers consider this film to be Hitchcock's masterpiece. I agree, due to a number of factors. The hypnotic, lush score by Bernard Herrman combines with the superb set design and cinematography to create an unforgettable atmosphere of strangeness and uncanny beauty. The performances are all excellent, with Kim Novak's dual role convincingly creating two completely different characters. The most outstanding,and at the same time most problematic aspect of the story is the character of Scottie. James Stewart is so convincing as the obsessed hero that he actually becomes uncomfortable to watch. His likable, easy-going character at the beginning has become a driven, compulsive,perhaps even seriously disturbed man by the end. He has suffered a mental breakdown and is terribly vulnerable, but our initial sympathy,though still felt for this flawed hero, has become strained and awkward. Stewart's performance is a triumph of screen acting, yet so powerful as to risk overwhelming the audience with conflicting feelings. Any actor who can create such a genuinely disturbing and yet basically appealing character deserves high praise indeed.