Vertigo

Director - Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window, The Birds)

Starring - James Stewart (Rear Window, Anatomy of Murder), Kim Novak (Tales That Witness Madness, Malibu), and Barbara Bel Geddes (Dallas, Alfred Hitchcock Presents)

Release Date - 1958

Genre - Thriller

Tagline - "A tall story about a pushover"

Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was riding a high after watching Rear Window for the first time.  I had watched several Hitchcock flicks prior to receiving this 4K collection for review but Rear Window was one of the few I had never seen until now.  After seeing how amazing it truly was I couldn't wait for the next film in the set which, coincidentally, was another Hitchcock flick I had never seen before.  Vertigo was released in 1958 and also starred James Stewart.  Rear Window was amazing so I went into this one with high hopes.

     The film follows Scottie (Stewart) is a former detective that suffers from vertigo and a fear of heights after witnessing a suspect fall to his death.  Unable to work, he spends most of his time travelling around town.  He is approached to follow a beautiful young woman who the man suspects may be in danger.  He becomes obsessed with her and this obsession sprawls into another obsession with a different woman that is the mirror image of the young woman he was tasked with following.  

     Rear Window, though predictable, did a fantastic job pulling the viewer in and holding their attention.  The suspense and tension is fucking perfect and the final is so satisfying even though you see it coming.  Sadly, Vertigo was nothing like that.  It's still an entertaining watch but the mindfuck Hitchcock throws at the viewer just feels clunky and chaotic.  It's a fun watch but a movie I don't see myself watching that often if at all again.  The acting in this one is so good.  James Stewart and Kim Novak are absolutely stunning together.  Both characters feed off each other and the two work so well together.  The supporting cast is solid as well but these two characters really carry the story on their backs.  The story for this one is solid on paper but Hitchcock tries to throw some twists at the viewer but those twists are predictable and drags the flow of the film down drastically.  If the story was more of a straight forward story it would have been much more entertaining.  Finally, this is not a bloody mess that most modern horror fans look for.  Instead, it's very story focused.  Overall, Vertigo was fun but nowhere near as entertaining as other Hitchcock works that I had previously seen.  With that being said, the 4K upscale looked just as good as Rear Window and really surprised me.