Genre: Crime/Mystery/Romance/Thriller Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited)
Writer(s): Alec Cooper (screenplay) & Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay) (as Samuel Taylor); Pierre Boileau (novel “D'Entre Les Morts”) & Thomas Narcejac (novel “D'Entre Les Morts”); Maxwell Anderson (contributing writer) (uncredited)
Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Raymond Bailey, Ellen Corby, Konstantin Shayne, Lee Patrick
Music: Bernard Hermann
Cinematography: Robert Burks
Editing: George Tomasini
Distribution: Paramount Pictures (1958-1982), Universal Pictures (1982-Present), United International Pictures (Non-USA 1996)
Release Date: May 9, 1958
Running Time: 128 min
It’s hard to believe that this being the fifth Classics Corner Review, it’s taken us this long to review a Hitchcock film, but better late than never, no? Vertigo is as my great-uncle has described it so frequently a peculiar film. I remember watching it for the first time in middle school and being both put off by it and at the same time fascinated with the film. Still though there was a seed planted into my mind, and Vertigo refused to leave. I’ve watched the film several times since my first viewing and it still manages to produce that feeling of awe and wonder. It is no wonder that audiences in 1958 were put off by Vertigo; it’s a challenging film, but also an entertaining one and the crowning achievement of cinema’s greatest practitioner.
Vertigo stars Jimmy Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson, a cop recently retired after his acrophobia caused a fellow officer to fall to his death. Scottie is naturally plagued by guilt and trauma. He spends most of his day with his ex-lover Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) who seems to be the only person he can really connect with. When an old college friend contacts him about a job trailing the man’s wife Scottie is reluctant, but accepts. His wife is an icy, slinky blonde named Madeline (Kim Novak) who captivates Scottie, and it isn’t long before Scottie is heading down a dark road.
Scottie is a fascinating character, and his development throughout the film is often quite frightening. There’s a certain ambiguity to a lot of his character, though, and by keeping certain details from the audiences the writers make that transformation more disturbing. All we know is that Scottie seems to be an everyman with dark issues. The actual mystery is very easy to figure out, but it fails to disappoint because of the way the story is delivered. The mystery starts out gripping, but by the middle when the denouement comes our interest has shifted to other plot points. The transition is smooth, and Hitch’s direction of the script is tight and engaging. The dialogue is also fantastic with characters speaking in an ambiguous, mysterious manner that predates films such as Last Year at Marienbad. Even down to what is being said Vertigo is a mystery.
The acting in the film is fantastic, and Jimmy Stewart gives a stunning lead role. Hitch liked to use Stewart because of his everyman qualities, and Stewart plays off that idea well in the first half of the film. Like so many of his roles, he’s a likeable guy in Vertigo and when he begins to change it gives viewers the chills because Stewart is the all-American boy down the street that’s hard not to like. Then there’s Kim Novak, the icy femme fatale. SPOILERS BEGIN HERE [Novak is essentially playing two roles in the film, there’s Madeline and then there’s Judy. As Madeline she acts like an enigma, walking and talking in a very mysterious manner, and as Judy she’s a tough talking waitress. What’s so great about her performance is the way she’s able to blend the two personas together. It’s a resounding performance, and she and Stewart light up the screen together. ] SPOILERS END HERE The supporting performances a great, especially Barbara Bel Geddes as Midge, who provides another nice foil for Stewart.
The aesthetics of Vertigo are undoubtedly pleasing to the senses. Painted in glorious Technicolor, Vertigo has an otherworldly feel to it. Couple this with Bernard Hermann’s score and you’ve got a film seeped in atmosphere. Every shot is masterfully staged, and Hitch directs with a certain restraint to keep the atmosphere just right. There are few films that use color in such a fantastic manner. Pierrot le Fou was one of them, and Akira Kurosawa’s Ran is another. Here Hitch paints in softer colors such as yellow, orange, and brown and the on location shooting of San Francisco gives an added touch. Hitch uses soft focus to give everything an other worldly and dreamlike aura. It’s a beautiful film that pleases the senses.
Vertigo is a classic; it’s a film that anyone even remotely interested in film should see. The writing, acting, and direction are all superb and it’s one of the few films where everything works. If I was to try to find flaws with Vertigo I’d just be being a bastard.
No comments:
Post a Comment