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      Four-Stars
      Movie
      Reviews:
      Vertigo
     
     
      by
      David
      Macdonald
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      this
     
     
      is
      where
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      not
      really
      a
     
     
      Wonderful
      Life
      for
     
     
      James
      Stewart
      as
      he
     
     
      plays
      an
      obsessed
     
     
      private
      detective,
     
     
      afraid
      of
      heights
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Vertigo,”
      directed
      by
     
     
      Alfred
      Hitchcock,
      is
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      greatest
      of
      all
      Holly-
     
     
      wood
      films,(A+)
      and
      con-
     
     
      tains
      numerous
      pleasures
     
     
      and
      oddities,
      unparalleled
      in
     
     
      the
      classic
      Hollywood
     
     
      tradition.
      The
      biggest
     
     
      peculiarity,
      at
      least
      in
      my
     
     
      opinion,
      is
      that
      this
      is
      not
      a
     
     
      “standard”
      Hitchcock
     
     
      production.
      Unlike
      more
     
     
      popular
      films
      such
      as
     
     
      “Psycho,”
      or
      “North
      By
     
     
      Northwest,”
      “Vertigo”
      does
     
     
      not
      place
      emphasis
      on
     
     
      action
      or
      suspense.
      Rather,
     
     
      its
      focus
      is
      the
      sick,
      twisted
     
     
      “romance”
      between
      the
      two
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      main
      characters,
      played
      by
     
     
      James
      Stewart
      and
      Kim
     
     
      Novak.
      This
      disappointed
     
     
      many
      who
      expected
     
     
      Hitchcock’s
      usual
      tricks,
     
     
      resulting
      in
      one
      of
      the
      great
     
     
      flops
      of
      1958.
      Fortunately,
     
     
      “Vertigo”
      has
      endured
      to
     
     
      become
      one
      of
      cinema’s
     
     
      great
      achievements.
     
     
      Stewart
     
     
      plays
      a
      private
     
     
      detective,
      re-
     
     
      cently
      retired
     
     
      after
      an
     
     
      experience
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      must
      be
     
     
      careful;
      those
      who
      haven’t
     
     
      seen
      the
      movie
      should
      read
     
     
      no
      further,
      for'there
      is
      much
     
     
      more
      to
      this
      film
      than
      meets
     
     
      the
      eye.
     
    

    
     
      Tragedy
      strikes,
      and
     
     
      Madeleine
      dies.
      Stewart
      is
     
     
      distressed
      to
      the
      point
      of
     
     
      madness.
      Months
      later,
      he
     
     
      meets
      a
      woman
      who
      looks
     
     
      much
      like
      Madeleine.
      After
     
     
      much
      uncomfortable
      prod-
     
     
      ding,
      he
      is
      able
      to
      begin
      a
     
     
      relationship
      with
      this
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sure
      of
      every-
     
     
      thing.
      But
     
     
      from
      my
     
     
      observation,
      |
     
     
      believe
      the
     
     
      point
      of
      this
     
     
      film
      is
      to
     
     
      show
      that
      the
     
     
      male
      ideal
      of
     
     
      the
      perfect
     
     
      woman,
      an
     
     
      ideal
      pro-
     
     
      jected
      onto
     
     
      many
      works
     
     
      of
      art
      (includ-
     
     
      ing
     
     
      Hitchcock’s
     
     
      own
     
     
      films),
      is
      ultimately
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      where
      he
     
     
      developed
     
     
      vertigo,
      or
     
     
      fear
      of
     
     
      heights.
     
     
      Despite
     
     
      this
      set-
     
     
      back,
      he
      is
     
     
      forced
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fortunately,
     
     
      “Vertigo”
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      endured
      to
      become
      one
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      cinema's
      great
     
     
      achievements.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      destructive,
      both
      for
     
     
      the
      man
      with
      this
     
     
      fictitious
      belief,
      and
     
     
      the
      woman
      who
      is
     
     
      the
      object
      of
      this
     
     
      belief.
      The
     
     
      pleasures
     
    

    
     
      of
      this
      movie
      are
     
     
      many.
      Bernard
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      back
      to
     
     
      work,
      as
      an
      old
     
     
      friend
      calls
      him
     
     
      up
      to
      ask
      if
      he
     
     
      can
      follow
      his
      wife,
     
     
      Madeleine
      (Novak).
      It
     
     
      seems
      an
      old
      family
      curse
      is
     
     
      about
      to
      lay
      claim
      to
     
     
      Madeleine,
      and
      it
      is
      up
      to
     
     
      Stewart
      to
      ensure
      her
      safety.
     
     
      But
      one
      fateful
      day,
      he
     
     
      saves
      her
     
     
      from
      a
     
     
      suicide.
     
     
      And
      as
     
     
      Madeleine
     
     
      and
      the
     
     
      detective’s
     
     
      lives
      are
     
     
      even
      more
     
     
      entangled,
     
     
      the
      two
      fall
     
     
      in
      love.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      woman.
      And
      the
      story
     
     
      grows
      more
      disturbing,
      as
     
     
      Stewart
      forces
      this
      woman
     
     
      to
      look,
      and
      behave,
      like
     
     
      Madeleine.
      And
      there
      is
      so
     
     
      much
      more
      than
      this
      expla-
     
     
      nation,
      which
      I'll
      leave
      the
     
     
      viewer
      to
      discover.
     
     
      Hitchcock
      doesn’t
     
     
      simply
      attempt
      to
      surprise
     
     
      us
      with
      these
      revelations
     
     
      and
      developments.
     
     
      Rather,
      he
      wants
      to
      fully
     
     
      depict
      the
      nature
      of
      this
     
     
      relationship;
      the
      fact
      that
     
     
      Stewart
      is
      indeed
      a
      very
     
     
      obsessed
      man,
      and
      also
      why
     
     
      both
      women
      are
      willing
      to
     
     
      stay
      with
      this
      man.
      The
      is
     
     
      extraordinarily
      complex;
     
     
      even
      after
      three
      viewings
     
     
      over
      the
      years,
      I’m
      still
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Herrman’s
      score
     
     
      creates
      both
      a
     
    

    
     
      romantic
      and
      creepy
      feel-
     
     
      ing.
      The
     
     
      color
      is
     
     
      wonder-
     
     
      fully
      bright
     
     
      and
      expres-
     
     
      sive,
      con-
     
     
      cealing
      the
     
     
      darkness
     
     
      underneath.
     
     
      And
      the
     
     
      two
      major
     
     
      perform-
     
     
      ances
      are
     
     
      interesting;
     
     
      both
      have
     
     
      to
      be
     
     
      subtle,
      for
     
     
      neither
      is
     
     
      who
      we
     
     
      think
      they
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      are.
      Stewart
      is
      especially
     
     
      good;
      can
      you
      imagine
     
     
      good
      old
      American
     
    

    
     
      boy
      George
      Bailey
      from
     
     
      “It’s
      a
      Wonderful
      Life”
     
     
      playing
      a
      man
      obsessed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      a
      dead
      woman,
      and
      on
     
     
      the
      verge
      of
      necrophilia?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      you
      don’t
      have
      to
     
     
      imagine
      it,
      for
      it
      is
      all
      here.
     
     
      And
      it
      is
      all
      part
      of
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      most
      complex,
      and
     
     
      intriging
      films
      ever
      created.