VERTIGO. Directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock; written by Alec Coppel. Starring James Stewart and Kim Novack.
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Anyone interested in movies at all knows that Vertigo is a classic, one of Hitchcock's best. Selected scenes show up often on TV tributes to Hitchcock or histories of the movies.
But getting to see it all—and on at least a medium-sized screen—is a real treat. This re-release adds no new footage, but the print is new, the colors sharp and the mystery compelling.
The story starts simply enough. In a terrifying opening sequence police detective Scottie Ferguson (Stewart) discovers his vertigo during a rooftop chase. He retires from the force after this incident. But he agrees to help a friend who is fearful for his wife's safety and sanity. After he begins following Madeleine (Novak), the plot grows more complex with almost every scene.
Scottie's reactions are as important as the plot. It's news to no one, of course, that Stewart is a great actor. And in Vertigo he gives us one of his best characterizations. He has often played more likeable people in his long career, but few more interesting.
Novak is stunning. And since that's about all her part requires, she does a good job with it. The focus is so strongly on Stewart that she is just a backdrop for his obsession. So her shortcomings as an actress aren't much of a liability.
For all the fun of seeing Stewart in his prime, Hitchcock's style is the real reason to see (or re-see) Vertigo. His camera is cool and aloof as always. But the suspense he generates still sucks us in. Much more sensational scenes in more recent movies can't match the frightening power of his dream and dream-like sequences. He can invest an empty museum gallery and even a simple nosegay with such eeriness—it's simply magical.
Perhaps too many slam-bang chase scenes have taken their toll of my attention span. Some of Scottie's methodical tailing of Madeleine seems a little long and slow. But it is interesting to compare their leisurely driving through San Francisco with the more frenetic chases that city has hosted since.
Such a quibble is hardly worth mentioning though. Vertigo is very much worth seeing. A few more Hitchcock movies are scheduled for re-release later this year. But none are in the "classic" category with Vertigo (and Rear Window, which played here before Christmas, and which I like even better). Maybe some other great films will make it out of mothballs if these prove popular.
February 1, 1984