Review of Vertigo (1958) by William C — 10 Jul 2015

Rating-8/10.

With Alfred Hitchcock you get two things guaranteed, mystery and thrills, and a lot of them. Vertigo is no exception here and Hitchcock creates a movie full of suspense and a kind of eerie feel to it, with a plot that flows very nicely until the very end. Slow in parts and maybe not recommended for all, this is still acted very well and the technical aspects are spot on. Is it a masterpiece?, well I will say here why I don't think it is but though, why it is still a great film to view.

The story is all about an ex detective, who finds out he has extreme fear of heights and has to track and old friends wife, unique right and done well too, brilliantly put out there onto the big screen. James Stewart stars and does very well, his calm composure and firm personality make him likeable but at times very strange and importantly, mysterious. Kim Novak is also fine in this and her portrayal is also mysterious and she is really the kind of eerie but interesting plot point in this movie.

Alfred Hitchcock directs this in a way which is very well done, a kind of slow feel that gradually builds up to the finer moments of the film and makes this movie what it is. It is written well, I didn't think it was fantastic but it is pretty good, it is of course actually an adaptation of "The Living and the Dead" and the writers(Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor) make this very interesting and done well too of course.

Now is it the greatest movie of all time?, well for me no but I do highly rate it, just not as high as some others. The reason I can't claim this is the best is because it just isn't enjoyable enough, sure it is engaging but the plot gets kind of thin by the end. I think also it very slow, I mean it can have it's fast moments but some moments are just too slow moving, for me the last half starts to slightly drag but it holds itself together to finish off in it's own unique style.

I think a reason many do like it so much, is the depth which I won't deny is there and makes this one heck of an interesting flick. It's the level of acting also coupled with that in depth storyline that make this great, not perfect but pretty excellent. I think Hitchcock knows what is best for this and goes straight for it, he seems to mix the elements finely and it feels as if he put a lot of personal style into this, making it more realistic and less like typical Hollywood made movies.

I think the visuals and the camera work make this stand out even more in the history of film, and definitely in the era in which it was made. With finely used camera techniques this becomes a different level for the day, Robert Burks makes this just perfect homework for any budding cinematographer and how to manipulate the cameras view. The score is also a fine one, not great but well done, makes the suspense much more thrilling and the story just a little more engaging.

So all in all this for me isn't the very best, but doesn't surprise me why some love it so much, just in this day is it really as important as before?, I'll leave that for anyone out there who wants to answer that. In any case this is a very good movie though and I would recommend it to anyone, and especially to those who call themselves film fans.