Film Review: Vertigo

Posted on the 24 June 2013 by Donnambr @_mrs_b
Review of: Vertigo (1958)
Film:
Alfred Hitchcock
Reviewed by: David M. Brown
Rating:
4
On June 24, 2013Last modified:June 24, 2013

Summary:

Well-acted and expertly directed, this is worth a lot of the praise it has received.

More DetailsAbout Vertigo (1958)Considered by many to be director Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest achievement, Leonard Maltin gives Vertigo four stars, hailing it as “A genuinely great motion picture.” Set among San Francisco’s renown landmarks, James Stewart is brilliant as Scottie Ferguson, an acrophobic detective hired to shadow a friend’s suicidal wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak). After he saves her from drowning in the bay, Scottie’s interest shifts from business to fascination with the icy, alluring blonde. When he finds another woman remarkably like his lost love, the now obsessed detective must unravel the secrets of the past to find the key to his future.

Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Runtime: 128 minutes

Studio: Universal Studios

Amazon USAmazon UKIMDB

Review: Vertigo

Regarded by many as Hitchcock’s finest film and often competing with Citizen Kane for the tag of the greatest film ever made, Vertigo is a dark and chilling psychological thriller. It begins with John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) in the midst of a rooftop chase with another police officer and a wily criminal. When Scottie is left hanging precariously from a roof he becomes dizzy and first learns he is a victim of acrophobia. The police officer falls try to save Scottie and our detective retires from the police force due to his difficult condition. He is later contacted by an old friend Gavin Elster (Tom Elmore) who wishes to hire him as a private investigator. Gavin is worried about his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak) who has been acting strangely and he believes she is possessed. Scottie takes the case somewhat reluctantly and begins a fascinating mystery and later a dark journey into obsession.

Madeleine is an intriguing character, visiting a series of locations as Scottie tails her, beginning with a graveyard and later an art gallery where one portraits holds her attention. Scottie notes the woman in the portrait is the same as the one in the graveyard. He also finds Madeleine staying at a hotel but the owner has little information for him. Digging further, Scottie finds the woman in the portrait and in the graveyard is a relative of Madeleine’s that committed suicide. Gavin is afraid this woman has come back from the dead to harm his wife. When Madeleine leaps into San Francisco Bay, Scottie rescues her and the two slowly begin to fall for one another. The film takes a sinister turn in the second half when Scottie, having lost Madeleine, meets another woman, Judy (Kim Novak), who he begins to woo and change so she resembles Madeleine in every way!

Hitchcock’s thriller throws in many questions and the answers are slowly unraveled as Scottie investigates Madeleine’s strange behavior. This mystery alone would have made for a great film but the secondary element with Scottie deteriorating and seeing Madeleine in every woman he meets is even more compelling. Stewart is terrific in the lead with Novak providing good support in her two roles. While I don’t agree with this being one of the greatest films of all time, it’s certainly a memorable one.

Vertigo is a wonderul thriller from start to finish with the first half of the film being somewhat different to the second as Scottie’s love for Madeleine refuses to wilt and he becomes obsessed with finding her again in another woman. Well-acted and expertly directed, this is worth a lot of the praise it has received.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 728 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.

 •  •  •  •  •