Review of Vertigo (1958) by Sean L — 23 Jan 2017

Jimmy Stewart's fourth and final collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, starring as John Ferguson, a detective whose life unravels when he develops acrophobia amidst a rooftop foot chase. A troubling picture in many ways, from its complex, effectively unsettling filmmaking to the distressing changes undertaken by Ferguson in the third act.

Hitchcock is, of course, a master of the craft and there's much to be learned from his efforts behind the camera (the now-infamous dolly zoom, tricks with lighting and foreshadowing, a casual pace that somehow never seems to grow stale) but also plenty to wonder about the man himself from the actions of his on-screen counterpart.

In a Hitchcock film, it's nothing new for a visibly older gentleman to effortlessly draw the affections of a young blonde. Stewart's no exception in this film, pulling buxom Kim Novak (twenty-five years his junior), but his particular brand of obsession quickly grows dark and insistent, leading to some very squeamish scenes as he draws close to unraveling the conspiracy that's ensnared them both.

Of course, Ferguson ultimately pays a price for this turn, but his greater judgment is never laid out on the screen. Rather, it's abruptly left to the scrutiny of the viewing audience, with more than a nudge to suggest he may not be completely without alibi.

Expertly concocted and tragic from a bird's-eye perspective, but worrying from a more introspective one.