Vertigo

A former San Francisco cop terrified of heights falls in love with the woman he's supposed to protect, but appearances hide reality. Few words to describe this noir masterpiece. Only Hitchcock could make a film like this.

Another masterpiece from the master of cinema: Hitchcock. The film can be said to have the best direction in history with a wonderful camera and unique techniques and excellent form. Bernard Herrmann's music, which conveys dizziness to us, is perfect and beautiful. The main point of the film is its suspense, which Hitchcock performed perfectly in this film, the perfect acting of Novak and good Stewart. In the end, it can be said that Vertigo is a masterpiece in the history of cinema, but it is not the best film in history!!! Because it is a short distance away from the best movie in history, Rear Window.

Jimmy Stewart's fourth and final collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo casts him in the role of John Ferguson, a detective whose life unravels when he develops acrophobia during a rooftop foot chase. A troubling picture in many ways, from its complex, effectively unsettling filmmaking to the distressing personal 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 cause for concern regarding 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. Ferguson ultimately pays a price for this turn, but his greater judgment is never lain bare 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.

I don't get it. Looking past its technical/historical significance, it falls flat for me. As a thriller, I found it nonsensical and hard to relate, therefor losing any kind of suspense that may have built. Definitely one of those classics that didn't age too well (and I do love plenty of old movies, mind you). Unless I completely misunderstood something here, I think it's very overrated and not a must-see at all.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]