One of Hitchcock's best

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2011)

Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" wasn't particularly well received at the time of its release but it has since become one of his most highly praised films. In a nutshell, the story concerns an acrophobic detective (James Stewart) who falls for the woman he's investigating (Kim Novak). The film explores the themes of identity & obsession, among other things.
The stars both contribute compelling performances. Neither was recognized with an Oscar nomination but Novak particularly deserved one. Barbara Bel Geddes is good in support but she's much too young for the role (or maybe it's just that Stewart's too old for his role, considering that they're supposed to have met in college).
The script was based on the novel "D'Entre les Morts" by French writing team Boileau-Narcejac. Their first novel had previously provided the basis for Henri-Georges Clouzot's Hitchcockian classic "Diabolique" so Hitchcock was keenly interested in their work. Like the earlier film, this one features a clever twist, though in this case the twist comes well before the end. The film is marked by its dream-like feel and singularly dark exploration of romantic obsession.
Hitchcock's direction here is stately and filled with interesting touches throughout. The cinematography of Bob Burks is also routinely breathtaking. Then there's Bernard Hermann's moody score which is today considered one of the best in American films. The fact that none of these aspects of the film were recognized with an Oscar nomination is frankly unbelievable.
In the end, although it isn't perfect I found "Vertigo" to be a highly compelling film, albeit one that seems atypical of Hitchcock in some respects. Then again, the movie's so unique that it would seem atypical of nearly any Hollywood director (except perhaps David Lynch).