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Vertigo is, in my opinion, one of those films that every single scene is important. If anything was added, or taken away, the film would cease being perfect. This film has everything great about cinema, great acting, an intriguing mystery, a beautiful and believable romance, and interesting morally ambiguous characters.
You could say this is a film about a cop whose afraid of heights, but just saying that is basically saying that Rear Window was about a guy who broke his leg. This is more than just a story abouut that. It's a psychological thriller about a man who is desperately seeking for clarification, and finds it in the form of romance.
It has been said that this was Hitchcock's most personal film, and it really shows. This film outlines Hitchcock's usage of Blonde women in his films and how he liked to use them, in the form of Jimmy Stewart's character. I also will give Hitchcock credit for creating one of the most iconic shots in film history, that has been called the Vertigo zoom. That shot creates a sense of vertigo and acrophobia for the viewer and makes them feel just as uncomfortable as Jimmy Stewart's character.
The film's pacing is also something that's perfect. As the film progresses, the pace gets faster and faster, almost like a downward spiral, as the tragic event unfold. At first as I was watching it, I thought it was slow, and didn't think the film was going to be as good as Hitchcock's other work. But at the very end of the film, I realized just how awestruckingly amazing it is.
Although I would argue the film is absolutely perfect with no faults, there are two things that make me tilt my head at. For example, there is a scene where a lady claims to not have seen another lady, and once the mystery is revealed, it doesn't make sense for that to be the case. Also, how the bad guy escapes from the scene of the murder is a little too implausible for it to be realistic. Will I look over these 2 small flaws in order to enjoy the rest of the film? Oh yeah. *mild Spoiler Alert* However, I have heard some fan theories that almost all, or even some of the movie is just a Jimmy Stewart hallucination, so that could explain the plot holes away. Maybe that was the point of those two mild logic sliding, or maybe it wasn't, but I'll let you come to your own conclusions. *end Spoiler Alert*
While you're first watching it, you might think this is an incredibly weird film that doesn't appear to have any logic in it, and is extremely dull. But if you stick with it, I swear that it will pick up and the ending clarifies a lot that was confusing me at first. This is not only one of best mysteries ever, but it is the best. No matter how you look at it, Vertigo is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
10/10
