It’s quite interesting and puzzling when a movie is hated by the people it was targeted at and barely made enough at the box office to meet the cost of the making it, but then years later makes its appearance on numerous lists showing off the best movies ever made and in this case even got to number one on the BFI list of greatest films in 2012, replacing Citizen Kane.
Well that’s Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo in a nutshell. With great performances by James Stewart and Kim Novak along with near impeccable direction, a stunning music score all within a gripping mysterious story, its staggering that it didn’t do better when it was released.
Scottie (James Stewart), a Police Officer, gets diagnosed with Vertigo which affects his ability to handle heights so he is forced to retire. An old friend contacts him after getting concerned about his wife’s (Madeleine played by Kim Novak) wellbeing, so he contacts Scottie to see if he will help out by following her to see what she is getting up to during the day because she often does not remember where she has been yet racks up miles on the car each day. Scottie reluctantly tails her and becomes quite concerned at the mystery that is being revealed before his eyes. Why is Madeleine so obsessed with Carlotta, a girl long dead from the past? As Scottie tries to dig deeper in the reasoning behind Madeleine’s seeming madness, he begins to form an obsession with her.
Alfred Hitchcock, also known by his nickname “The Master of Suspense”, has directed many films and of the 28 that I have seen there has only been one so far that didn’t match up to the rest and that was The Trouble with Harry, which was more of Hitchcock’s attempt at dark comedy but even still that comes in at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes (I don’t place too much confidence on RT ratings, but it’s certainly a good guide). One of my all-time favourite movies is by Hitchcock (North by Northwest) and this one isn’t too far behind. For me the combination of the mysterious soundtrack by Bernard Herrmann, engrossing story and great acting really form a hard to beat combination but interestingly how the film is received is shown to also be dependent upon whether your male or female. Yes, as odd as it may sound, the film has historically been more popular with males than with females possibly because Scottie’s obsession with Madeleine might feel a bit creepy.
The Bluray reviewed here forms part of a boxset that was released back in 2012 that contained 14 of the 50+ that he made such as The Birds, The Man Who Knew Too Much and the brilliant Rear Window, but leaves out other fantastic films like The Lady Vanishes, To Catch a Thief and my all-time favourite North by Northwest. I thought that the DVD of Vertigo was great when it was released some years back, but the Bluray takes that even further to give a fantastic image sharp image that bounds with clarity and vibrancy, along with a DTS HD Master audio 5.1 sound that brings out the best in the wonderful music score. In the form of extras, we have the following comprehensive list:
• Commentary by William Friedkin
• "Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Alfred Hitchcock's Masterpiece", an original American Movie Classic documentary, narrated by Roddy McDowall and featuring new interviews with Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes, Alfred Hitchcock's daughter Patricia Hitchcock, producer Herbert Coleman, restoration team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz, and others involved in the movie's production
• Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators (Documentary)
• Hitchcock / Truffaut Interview Excerpts
• Foreign Censorship Ending
• The Vertigo gallery
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Restoration Theatrical Trailer
• 100 Years of Universal Lew Wasserman Era
Without a doubt I very highly recommend the film and it would sit among the top 20 films easily.
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Among your top 20 films? Wow that's high recommendation indeed! :)
ReplyDeleteOk I'm one of those females who feels the story is just too creepy, like you mentioned... while I am a big fan of Jimmy Stewart, I find that his character Scottie is utterly unlikable and I cannot sympathize with him at all. Firstly why is he chasing after his friend's wife? then comes the crazy obsession, that's NOT true love! I also find Kim Novak to be a very poor actress; there is absolutely no chemistry between Stewart and Novak at all.
I LOVE watching films by Hitchcock, he is truly THE Master of Suspense. However I find it really difficult to sit through Vertigo... I think his other films are much more enjoyable & I can watch them again and again, such as The 39 Steps; The Lady Vanishes; North by Northwest; To Catch a Thief; Rear Window; Saboteur; and Dial M for Murder! :)
***CARE SPOILER ALERT*** Dont read this if you have not seen the film.
DeleteInteresting comments. I think looking at the characters from their point of view is important. In Scottie's case, at the start he wasnt able to stop a policeman from falling to his death and that affected him. Then when he started watching out for Madeleine, to help an old friend, he see's the complexity of her condition and later ends up saving her life at which time a bond or connection is made with her. He saved her life, something he couldnt do for the policeman. This opens the door of affection for her, to ensure her safety and look after her which is no doubt something that her husband (or so it seems) does not appear to be doing.
But again further into the movie, just like the policemen, Madeleine falls off a bell tower and he was again unable (this time due to his condition of Vertigo) unable to save another person from falling to their death. So when he meets Judy there is this obsession with her cause she looked so much like Madeleine so he wants another chance, in a way, to save at least one of the two people he couldn't before. But then he puts the pieces together. Then the worst of all happens, she dies by falling again. That has then left him so distraught that he finishes the movie in a home for the mentally ill.
The obsession, as creepy as it looks, was no doubt just a response to all that he went through. Well thats how I see it anyway :)
I have to say I also really enjoy Hitchcock films and my all time favorite would be North by Northwest followed by Vertigo, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Torn Curtain, Dial M for Murder, Suspicion and The Man who Knew Too Much but not specifically in that order :)
***CARE SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read this if you have not seen the film!
ReplyDeleteYes, what you've said does make a lot of sense. You've explained Scottie's motivation, according to how you see it, in a very sympathetic and understanding way :). It's made me think about it a bit more. I guess I was just trying to take a moral stand and say that, at the end of the day, it's still not ok to have an emotional/sexual affair with someone else's wife, no matter how much you feel attracted to her or believe she is unhappily married & need you to rescue her etc.- yes we as the audience know that Judy wasn't the real wife, but Scottie didn't know that, not for a while anyway.
Yesterday on my way home, I remembered that you mentioned Vertigo has historically been more popular with men than with women. It occurred to me that a lot of men in real life actually think & behave like Scottie in some ways! - he meets a beautiful woman (beautiful in his eyes anyway) and feels attracted to her, he builds up this fantasy and believes she is simply perfect, unfortunately she is not available (eg. she is married). The more unavailable she is, the more desperately he wants to be with her, to do things for her, to please her in every way; he tries to justify the way he feels, he thinks it's love, but it's only a fantasy, it's not real. Meanwhile he is taking his friend Midge for granted, perhaps because Midge doesn't fit into his idea of what a perfect fantasy woman should be.
When I got home, I was delighted to find Vertigo mentioned in John Grant's book of film noir. When I think about it, yes you are right, of course this is noir! And, interestingly, he also talks about Scottie's fantasy of Madeleine/Judy!
Oh I also read somewhere a few years ago that Hitchcock had this great obsession with blondes (not sure in what ways?), many of his films were his way of exploring his fantasies of them, and Vertigo was his most autobiographical work...
One more thing before I forget, did Scottie know Judy was an accomplice to murder? If he did, then he should've reported her to the authorities, otherwise he would be guilty of perverting the course of justice, don't you think?
I can go on forever talking about Hitchcock movies! But just briefly with two of the films you mentioned:
- Torn Curtain: I think this is one of the most underrated films by Hitchcock. I find it very suspenseful and enjoyable! Julie Andrews is not your usual Hitchcock blondes, is she? I kept thinking she might suddenly start signing songs from The Sound of Music! lol
- Suspicion: Cary Grant was certainly playing against type here. I will never forget that scene when he was walking up the stairs to his wife & carrying that glass of milk which was glowing in the dark! Hitchcock was such a master of creating iconic, memorable visual images! (Remember The Birds, when the crows gradually massing on a jungle gym in the playground? WOW... no wonder Hitchcock is called the Master of Suspense!)
I'd better stop here lol