Superb

Rating: 10/10 (3 September 2001)

Vertigo is the ultimate film. It is my favorite film and in my opinion should have been rated much higher in the AFI's top 100 movies of all time list. It outdoes Psycho and North By Northwest even though those are superb films as well. I realize that Psycho set standars for years to come, and North By Norhtwest set standards for script-wrting, directorial techniques, etc....but Vertigo was simply a masterpeice made. Nothing was revolutionized (except Hitch's technique of falling bodies), but instead a wonderful movie was made that can show just how much the human mind can toy with feelings and emotions. Not only is the cinematography and acting remarkable in this film, but the heart-breaking score by the great Bernard Herrmann would also have to be the high point in this film. When you listen to the score, you feel all the emotions that are running through the film and through the charachters head. Never before could this have been expressed in a film, and it has never been done again in film. There have been many attempts and superb films as well that have tried to express the same emotions--but none have succeeded more then Vertigo. This was Alfred Hitchcocks personal favorite of his own--and I do not blame him. All elements come together: James Stewart and Kim Novak's electrifying performances, Bernard Herrmann's legendary score, the superb scenery of San Francisco, and the love and passion expressed through the chracters by a remarkable script. The thing to top off Vertigo is the scene where Judy comes out of the bathroom and reveals herself as this illusion woman (Madeline). There is so much passion in this scene it truly has to be one of the most remarkable scenes in the history of film. When one takes all these elements into hand, Vetigo can without a doubt be considered one of the 3, if not the greatest, movie of all time.