John 'Scottie' Ferguson was a police officer until one day when he is trapped on the top of a building and after watching a colleague fall to his death and being injured himself, he realises that he suffers from vertigo. Chastened by this shortcoming, he resigns. Then he is approached by a friend who is worried about his wife, Madeleine, who has been behaving strangely. Scottie is asked to follow Madeleine to find out what is going on. Initially reluctant, Scottie soon falls for Madeleine's charms and is determined to save her from whatever ghosts are chasing her. But will his fear of heights get in the way of saving Madeleine from her fate?
Billed by many as Hitchcock's best film, I have seen Vertigo many times, yet each time manage to find something else in it that I didn't notice before. This time is no different. It is a perfect mixture of suspense coupled with the unexpected, great acting and direction. If you only watch one Hitchcock, this is the one to watch.
Scottie is played by James Stewart,
an actor that I have seen in many films and like without thinking he is outstanding. In Vertigo, he gives an almost flawless performance as Scottie, a man terrified of both his own shortcomings and that of Madeleine. I say almost flawless because there are a couple of points where he is apparently suffering from vertigo where I felt that his performance was a little over-exaggerated. Apart from that though, he shows that he is more than just a pretty face and really can act.
Kim Novak, at first glance, is nothing more than eye candy as the confused Madeleine. She certainly does look good, sticking to classic cuts and plain colours that exentuate her beauty. However, there is more to her than this. Although sometimes guilty of the 'little woman' routine that often affects actresses of the time, she is generally completely believable as a woman who is not quite in control of what is happening to her. Madeleine may not be in control of herself, but Novak certainly was and gives a classic performance.
Barbara Bel Geddes plays Scottie's friend, Midge, who would like to be much more than just a friend. Although her role is very back a secondary one, she is totally believable as a woman in the throes of requited love and is much less dippy than she is as Miss Ellie in Dallas.
There is some stunning cinematography in the film, with beautiful shots of both the city (San Francisco) and the nearby coast, particularly the Mission where Scottie and Madeleine end the film. Hilly San Francisco is the perfect backdrop for the film, with its dips and slopes mirroring Scottie's feelings as he struggles to cope with his love for Madeleine. Some of the shots where Scottie is hanging off the side of buildings are clearly manufactured and not as polished as they would be in the films of today, but for the time, they were pretty damn good - they made my stomach lurch anyway.
The version of the DVD that I have is digitally remastered and the colours are fantastic. The scenes at the Mission, which is all white, against the deep blue of the sky are particularly eye-catching and is the main thing that I take away from this film. Then there is the strange red and purples of the dream sequence that Scottie has, which combines vivid colours and swirling designs to show Scottie's presence of mind. In some ways, this makes the film seem old fashioned, but bearing in mind the period in which the film was made, is quite amazing and is certainly memorable.
The story is compelling from beginning to end. There is the riddle of Madeleine and her strange behaviour, then there is the knowledge that somehow Scottie's vertigo is going to affect the story, as well as the unrequited love between Midge and Scottie, all of which are intriguing and draw the viewer in to the film. For me though, the ending is the best part, because there is a twist in the tale - well several actually - that manages to surprise me each time.
There are some good extras that accompany this version of the DVD. There is a half hour documentary on the painstaking process of cleaning up the film, which I found fascinating - thank goodness there are people that see the worth in doing this. Other extras include a feature commentary, information on the cast and film-makers and a theatrical trailer. Subtitles are available in English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Norwegian, Dutch and Polish.
Made in 1958, the film is obviously going to be old-fashioned in many ways - the clothes, the way people live and the turns of phrase - which may put some younger viewers off. However, this film is known as a classic for one reason - it is a superb thriller - and being old-fashioned doesn't change this. Watch it, you won't regret it.
This version of the DVD is available from Amazon for £6.97.
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
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