Vertigo (1958)

It’s a well known fact that Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most influential directors of the 20th century. With well known films like Psycho and Rear Window, (which even The Simpsons parodied!) his 1958 mystery/thriller, Vertigo, is widely considered his masterpiece. 

Vertigo stars John Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart), an ex police officer who suffers from a severe fear of heights and is hired to stop the suicide of the wife (Kim Novak) of his old friend. But, it’s not as simple a story as that. There are strong themes of deception, obsession, manipulation and illusion. The relationships in the movie end in betrayal, abandonment, and death.

Aside from being very well directed, shot, and acted, I loved the way that color is used throughout the film, especially in the dream sequence and opening credits. The movie is shot in majority black and white which makes the scenes where color is used so fervently so captivating to watch. The graphics of the dream sequence feel very strange and unfamiliar, seeing Stewart’s flash all different colors gives off a much needed shock factor. 

I also love the use of foils in Novak’s character. Foils are, according https://literarydevices.net/foil/ , “ a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character. The objective is to highlight the traits of the other characters. The term foil, though generally being applied to a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things.” Novak’s two characters, Judy and Madeline, show differences and similarities to one another, even though if you watched the movie, you would know that it’s not as simple of a foil as you usually see.

While the dialogue of Vertigo is a bit dated and the special effects in the opening scene on the roof are a pretty weak start to the film, it holds up pretty well considering it was released in the late 50’s. Vertigo is an important bucket list movie and is a great way to see Hitchcock at his finest! 

This is my favorite scene from the movie. I love the way animation, colors and music is used to create a suspense filled dream.