Review of Vertigo (1958) by Charlie H — 08 Sep 2017
Vertigo (1958) is a masterpiece. Beyond that, it gives reviewers like myself anxiety about capturing just how masterful it is in words. I need a rooftop to scream off! The film's exploration of sex, love and obsession (with Hitchcock's suspense woven within) is so involving that it's on the point of hypnotic.
Vertigo's bracing and ever-twisting plot, and its handling of moral paradox is powerful enough to provoke a vertigo-like sensation in the minds of its own audience! Hitchcock's use of images over words to capture universal emotions evidences his stature as one of the greatest visual stylists of all time.
The film controls its audience. The subtle context in which raw, real emotion is presented allows the film's more subtle elements (music especially) to add haunting suspense. It may have a few minor plot-holes, but Vertigo embodies an open-minded, creative spirit of filmmaking that is seldom ever matched.
This alone makes the film's power and purpose everlasting. Vertigo (1958) is truly amazing. It demands multiple re-watches and much deeper analysis and debate than I have attempted here.
This review of Vertigo (1958) was written by Charlie H on 08 Sep 2017.
Vertigo has generally received very positive reviews.
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