Vertigo
By Brian Sterr

Usually I don't write reviews. I am making an exception in this case, so bear with me. Although this movie is from 1958, I just saw it for the first time on Saturday. So maybe I am 40 years behind. This movie is known as one of Alfred Hitchcock's best works. I have seen only a few Hitchcock films (North by Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much are both good). Unfortunately this time around I missed Hitchcock's trademark cameo. The basic story is pretty simple, but there are so many great twists that it would ruin it to give them away. A former detective, John "Scottie" Ferguson, aptly played by Jimmy Stewart, is hired by a friend of his from college to follow his wife, Madeleine Elster, around. He thinks she is possessed by a dead person. Ferguson's only flaw is that he is overcome by vertigo when he is in high places, which is why he left the force. While he follows Madeleine, played by Kim Novak, all around the San Francisco area, he falls in love with the troubled beauty. The film is wonderfully done in a style fitting for the times. It doesn't have scene changes every 15 seconds, so if you have attontion issues, it may not be for you. It is, however, incredibly suspenseful. The 2 hour and 8 minute running time flies by quickly as you are left wondering what will happen next. Hitchcock twists the plot into a pretzel so artfully that it would be hard to stop watch ing. A friend of mine left for a minute to answer his phone and completely missed a crucial part of the story. Nothing about this film is predictable. Vertigo also boasts an ending that is one of the best shockers seen on the screen. I recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a good flick, especially those not familiar with Hitchcock's work.

4 March 2002