"Beam Me Up, Scotty; No Intelligent Life Down Here." Capt. Kirk

"There's one born every minute." P. T. Barnum

" ... you can't fool all of the people all of the time." Abraham Lincoln

Vertigo (1958) is one of the so-called "lost Hitchcocks" - movies for which director Alfred Hitchcock purchased the rights and assigned them to his daughter, Pat. The films, including Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rope, and The Trouble With Harry were unavailable for decades, hence "lost."

These films, of which the most highly acclaimed are Rear Window and Vertigo, never were available to the public after their theatrical run until they were re-released in 1984, with great fanfare and acclaim. I saw Vertigo at that time and have re-viewed it on DVD.

A few remarks on my personal tastes may be in order: I review films for their entertainment value. I am a pretty good artist with pens and brushes, so I dismiss the claims of artistry sometimes put forth on behalf of the film medium. A film can be an astonishingly good display of craftsmanship in the hands of a director or it can be a thrown together mess - except in v-e-r-y rare circumstances would I call it art.

Much as a carpenter builds a house according to plan, the film director gathers the raw materials - story, cast, sets - and orchestrates the action, translating the written word into a visual and sonic representation of his source. Since films are normally made by investors, which expect a return on their investment, any pretensions toward artistry must necessarily be subordinated to a desire to do well at the box office. Hence our filmmakers are more likely to be making a Shrek or Star Wars Episode 19 rather than Shakespeare which is what we would focus on if we were truly interested in pursuing "art for its own sake." Anyway, back to Vertigo ...

Filmgoers have often been taken in by overblown claims of the "name" film critics or even the AMPAS who vote on who gets the Oscar each year. Apparently, many members of the public are gullible enough to believe that favorable remarks by a critic or an Academy Award ensure that a film is the "best of the best." Many viewers take these preconceived opinions in to their first exposure to a film and even if they don't understand what all the hoopla is about, they go along with the tide, as they don't want to appear to "not get it."

Such is the case with Vertigo. Both film and director have reputations so hopelessly overblown it is impossible for either to live up to them. Hitchcock, often trumpeted as the "greatest director of all time" and Vertigo similarly lauded as the "greatest film" of all time. Hitchcock's direction I find overly fussy, clinical, and sterile with great attention to visual perfection, kind of akin to reading scientific descriptions of sexual intercourse (complete with diagrams) in a medical text. It covers the material well but not at all the greatest reading in my book.

At the same time, there are numerous contrivances that are unconvincing and take me out of the flow of the story; for instance, the bell tower deaths, Scotty's nightmare, how Scotty got released from the mental hospital, etc. I wonder how a coroner would rule on the deaths, but Hitch conveniently skips that question.

Vertigo is about a retired detective Scotty (James Stewart) with fear of heights that brings on dizziness or vertigo. Some deaths occur and Stewart just happens to be in the area. He is also obsessed by a beautiful woman played by gorgeous Kim Novak. Hitchcock uses camera tricks to simulate both Scotty's obsession with the woman and his fear of heights.

When you read the typical review of Vertigo you will hear more about what Hitchcock was like than what was good about the movie. This can be well and good, but to my way of thinking, if you need to appreciate a film by having some insider knowledge that is not contained in the film, it’s nice, but it is fraudulent to base your view of a film’s entertainment value on something that has no relation to the depiction whatsoever.

So if you read a review that tells you Hitchcock was a repressed freak who liked beautiful but distant blond women and even more to humiliate them. He also typically uses impotent men to stand in for himself - Jimmy Stewart in this case. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China, or the viewing experience? To put it another way, these reviewers are projecting their personal knowledge of Hitchcock's presumed foibles onto a film that, is deeply average, surely not one of "the greatest films," as an objective viewing will certainly reveal to an unbiased viewer.

James Stewart (Rear Window, Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Winchester 73) and Kim Novak (Bell, Book, and Candle) played the principal parts with able assistance from Barbara Bel Geddes (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dallas) and Tom Helmore (The Time Machine).

The camera work is masterful with many innovative angles and tricks such as zooming and tracking at the same time to simulate the disorientation of vertigo. The special effects look very dated and are not going to impress audiences today, used to CGI. In keeping with Hitchcock's perfectionism – lots of irritating process shots (background projection behind action) and Kim Novak must be presented as a goddess.

Bernard Herrmann wrote the score, which is so much a part of the feeling of the film. Interestingly, due to a musician's strike, Hermann was unable to conduct the score. It was therefore recorded in London and Vienna using two different conductors.

The Universal DVD is presented in color in 1.85:1 theatrical format. The film has been restored and contains a full-length commentary by several film historians and the restorers. There is a documentary entitled "Obsessed with Vertigo" that contains interviews with Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes as well as Hitchcock's daughter Pat.

Everyone should see a film as highly acclaimed as Vertigo at least once to see what all the hoopla is about.

Fans of Alfred Hitchcock should also see

Psycho

Rear Window

Watch a good film tonight!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV