not casual viewing.....

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2002)

The first time I attempted to watch 'Vertigo' I fell asleep. That was mostly because I was tired. I made a small attempt to catch up on what I missed while I napped, and when the film ended I was not too impressed. Because of that, it has taken me some time before I decided to give this film another chance. Thank god I did.
The first thing I realized is that you have to pay attention when you watch this film because it isn't lite viewing. The characters have a lot of depth and if you don't pay attention you might miss it. That would be a tragedy because then you wouldn't get to fully experience the absolutely stellar performance by Novak, and the even more stellar (and extremely intense)performance of Stewart. Their chemistry is great, and it made for a very rewarding viewing experience.
The film is also quite lovely to look at. Much like 'To Catch a Thief', the cinematography is excellent. The sights are as much of the film as the performances. There is also a great dream sequence, kind of like the one you would see in 'Spellbound', in comparison. The color scheme is well defined, in the movie as well as the dream sequence, and that is a large amount of reds and greens.
Of course the direction is excellent, and that is no surprise. The first time I saw this film I hated it, the second time I loved it. The story is simple enough, but the characters have a depth that isn't all that common in Hitchcock movies. Usually there is mystery, but the humanity isn't always there like it is in this movie. A visually and psychologically compelling movie that is among the best Hitchcock ever did. A well deserving 10 out of 10.