Review of Vertigo (1958) by Kenneth L — 25 Aug 2012

Due to severe time constraints, this review is going to be shorter than it otherwise would be.

This movie, made in 1958, is often considered Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece. A couple of weeks ago, it was canonized for the next decade as the greatest film of all time by the esteemed Sight & Sound poll. It is indeed great, and there's a good bit of analyzing you can do of the film. It's very smart and layered and beautifully shot and it has Jimmy Stewart, one of the greatest actors ever.

But you know what? It honestly isn't even my favorite Hitchcock film. I find Rear Window much more gripping and interesting. Rear Window is tighter, it gets me to sympathize with Jimmy Stewart's character more effectively, it's scarier, and I like Grace Kelly better than Kim Novak. For a film that's supposed to be the greatest work by the commonly acknowledged master of suspense, Vertigo has remarkably little actual suspense. There's almost no point at which I feel like the characters are really in significant danger. Rear Window, on the other hand, just oozes with danger and suspense. Plus, the frumpish supporting character in Rear Window is a lot funnier than the frumpish supporting character here. Yes, of course any movie Hitchcock makes is going to be better than most directors could ever hope for. But if I were ever asked to vote in the Sight & Sound poll myself, I would put Rear Window well ahead of Vertigo.