Vertigo is surely Hitchcock's deepest and most heart-wrenching movie. Because it's not about a crime, but about the relationships of the people caught up in the crime.
Also it is about self-realization and not becoming stuck in a web of another's desires. It makes you beg the question, "in whose story are you a bit player?"
+Jack's Movie Reviews - couldn't agree more with you! If I name Vertigo as my top Hitchcock movie, it is by a very tiny margin. Rear Window is fantastic as well, no doubt, as is Strangers On A Train, Psycho.... even his most "mainstream" feeling "North By Northwest" is simply great, so are his less talked about treasures such as "I Confess" or "The Wrong Man" (IMHO that is). Cinema wouldn't be the same without Hitchcock, who still inspires great filmmakers to this day!
@@edwardfreda3335 Wow! I couldn't agree with you more. Yes, now that I come to think of it, "Rear Window" is perhaps my favorite Hitchcock's movie as well (it "flows," and one doesn't feel "lost," trying to understand the plot). However, the fact remains that just as the "difficult" task of fully understanding a certain book, a song, a painting, etc., watching and fully grasping the so very subtle (and so very abundant) nuances of "Vertigo," gives you an odd sense of "triumph." Furthermore, because of its complexity (or rather richness, perhaps?), "Vertigo" is the only Hitchcock movie "I must" watch over, and over again; repeatedly. For me, "Vertigo" is not just about surviving the test of time, but actually testing my own intelect, as well as stretching my imagination to destinations I am always only so excited to (re) discover. This movie is most definitely no "easy watching" (like listening to easy listening music). "Easy" doesn't always equals true and authentic entertainment but to me, TRUE entertainment consists of "fun" over and over, and OVER again, by being exposed to the same artwork (over and over again), in spite of that work's "difficulty" to understand.
My all time favorite film, pure Cinema beauty, great story, great acting, Hitch’s greatest achievement, all the elements in this great Director’s disposal were put to Extreme greatness
This is a great analysis of a wonderful movie. Personally I think that Vertigo is Hitcock's best film. Futhermore Bernard Hermann's score really creates an excellent mood for this film.
Absolutely! Bernard Herrmann is (together with John Williams, don't forget he is also a very accomplished jazz pianist and composer) my absolute all time favorite film composer. Check how he took the older dramatic Erich Korngold, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman school of film music and added completely fresh chord voicings and articulations (he was a violinist) - sometimes between tonal and atonal - to create that unique ominous feel. Genius!
When Bernard Hermann asked François Truffaut why he wanted him to score the music for his Fahrenheit 451, Truffaut replied that Bernard would give him the music of the 21st century.
+saigokun - didn't know that. Thanks for the information! Please allow me some nitpicking (no worries, I get names mixed up sometimes myself, no big deal) - you mean of course François Truffaut :-) EDIT: I see you fixed it :-D Anyway: Unfortunately classical (meaning: non popular, not the time frame) music somehow came to a creative halt somewhere in the mid 20th century. Here is a counter example: Hitchcock fired Herrmann as the composer for "Torn Curtain". His argument: Herrmann was unable to come up with (then) more trendy latin-jazz flavored music (Henry Mancini for example). He proved in "Taxi Driver", that he can come up with a great jazz flavored score. But as we all know: it was more of an ego battle (some sources differ regarding what really happened - I would LOVE watching the movie with the first, rejected score by Herrmann). Herrmann was probably (just speculating) "difficult to work with" because he didn't allow that easily to be judged by a director who doesn't have the slightest idea of the vast amount of talent and work that goes into making an orchestral score. Herrmann was at the forefront to defend the rights of musicians, who somehow remained under appreciated for a long time. I somehow understand: great film music goes along so well with the image and mood, that it often goes unnoticed. Glad my dad (like myself) was a musician and brought all the great movie scores to my attention. Thanks for the conversation!
You are welcomen and thanks for pointing out my error. I corrected it. I agree with you about what you wrote of classical music coming to a halt in the mid 20th century. This I think is the result of changes in society that were especially noticable in the sixties. The changes in that decade were so fast that a carreer that was thriving at the beginning of the sixties was dead at the end of it as audience tastes changed very quickly. A movie could have great succes in the early sixties but a similar movie at the end of that decade could end up as a huge flop. In his excellent biography of Alfred Hitchcock "Alfred Hitchcock a Life in Darkness and Light, Patrick McGilligan describes the famous indicent between Hermann and Hitchcock, and he says that both the studio and Hitchcock wanted more contemporary music, something that Hermann couldn't deliver according to them (and himself). In the late sixties and early seventies producers and directors alike thought that contemporary music was the best choice to attract an audience. This led to some excellent choices but from today's point of view dates these movies tremendously. Great film music not only adds to the mood and never interferes with the movie but can also stand on its own. You had a wonderful dad.
In case you couldn't tell from my profile, it's my favorite film of all time. I first watched it over a decade ago in high school, and I became obsessed with it. Just like with Citizen Kane, you can't believe that this was actually made by a Hollywood studio. Such a personal film by hitchcock
Since 2012 Sights & Sounds place Vertigo on its number one spot, a spot that for decades was occupied by Citizen Kane. But it doesn't matter as both are great movies.
@Randy White Its a masterpiece, a tough decision for me between rebecca and vertigo, but I would give vertigo a little edge for the performance of james stewart. Laurence Olivier was amazing as well.
Everyone in the film has attachment issues except for Elster, who is a psychopath who plans a murder based entirely on an old schoolmate's two flaws: a traumatic work experience and attraction to beautiful girls.
The man who knew too much (starring Stewart, Doris Day) iis a fine one, a thriller plus a kid being taken by the bad ones (in the country of Lindberg's stolen kid) is a capital element in the plot !
Wonderful analysis of one of my all time favorite movies! Love that you included the all-too-true words by Danny Peary. Scotty had the ideal woman for him right before his eyes (and even when he was too messed up to even recognize her, Midge was there for him, knowing she had no chance), Scotty just didn't (want to) see it. Awesome analysis as always!
Could you imagine Madeleine and Scotty living the daily ordinary life of most couples (and they lived happily ever after !!!), doing the cooking, the shopping, decorating the house, etc.... ????? No, never, it had to be like Hitchcock made it ! Desperate housewifes !!!! ha!ha!ha!
I wouldn't call Vertigo Hitchcock's most enjoyable film (that goes to North By Northwest), but I do think it's the closest he got to making a flawless movie. Either that or Rear Window.
Brian Collins I wouldn't say it is a flawless movie. I think part of the reason it is successful is because the are ridiculous flaws and it makes it more classic Hollywood. For example when he pushes his wife he literally waits at the clock tower. The plot is completely ridiculous and full of giant gaping plot holes which add to the sense of cinematic spectacle
Nah, Vertigo or Rear Window is much better. The story in North by Northwest is far too boring, predictable and generic. Even if Hitchcock is a wonderful filmmaker, there just aren't as deep themes and story there
My favorite Hitchcock film before it even made #1 movie ever. One of the reasons I also liked it was the Bay Area setting I live in San Jose and visit San Juan Bautista and am familiar with it.BTW, Every September San Juan Bautista has Vertigo Day when Vértigo is shown outdoors on the Plaza.
I think another important item that was glossed over in the movie is that he falls in love with his client's wife and doesn't observe his ethical duty to just tail her and find out where she's going, etc. This was glossed over in the movie too. What do you think about that? He is a police officer so he should have had more reserved feelings then that.
Lillie Knight Yes. We wanted him to pursue Madeleine and win her over. We fully identified with Scotty. His success was ours. We glossed over the character flaw because it was our character flaw, and we did not want to deal with it, which would mean giving up the pursuit. (At least this is the male perspective.)
@@jules_laurent This was an early film that showed how men selfishly subjugated women for their own desires, and how women played the role of coconspirator in that process. Judy died in the process of creating Madeleine. “I don’t care about me anymore.”
I think there's also a meaning in the clothes she wears as Madeleine and as Judy. As Judy she seems to be a free, young woman, as Madeleine she is held captive in a gray suit and her hair is grey as if she is an old woman. As Judy she is free to love him, but she has to 'die' first because of her past, therefore she has to go through it again and put on that gray suit. She did him wrong, but she was manipulated just as much as he was manipulated. The nun is at the end to forgive her. We don't see her lying beneath, so it is possible she has survived.
“Sight and Sound” and I agree. The best film ever made. It wasn’t my favorite Hitchcock film initially, “Rear Window” was. But with each viewing(about 30) I glean something new. It’s a very complex film that subliminally penetrates the psyche and soul.
I’ve seen this movie over and over again. With the symphony and the great video. I think it just confuses people in different ways. Kim Novak and the music made me just forget about the story. I was drawn to her and the music. This is why this movie is a mystery.
I love this movie a teacher in high school made us watch it and ever since it has been one of my favorites. Judy/Madeline is freaking gorgeous by the way!
Good review although perhaps it's probably because I haven't seen this movie in a while and the notion of "I see something new after each viewing" but I never got the impression Scottie was showing another persona when he was with "Madeleine" mainly because the personality change in the second half came about due to the trauma of losing Madeleine. Wil need to make another viewing in the near future. 😊
I would believe this more than the actual truth revealed. I don’t understand how the hotel scene happened and how Jimmy didn’t recognize her till she put on the necklace. And if she did truly die then the idea that the dead impacting the living means more.
There is a strange flaw in the term „construction“ in this case. It seems to explain everything, but it‘s only a shortcut, preventing us from deeper inquiries. Hitchcock knew about the power of information and non-information and the psychodynamic implications.
Some good insights here. The idea of the past affecting the present is an idea that is central to Vertigo as well as Psycho which Hitch made just after Vertigo in 1960. Paul Hyder's wonderful book, 'Hitchcock's Vertigo: A Personal Journey Through the Greatest Movie Ever Made', explores this motif and argues that it is the nostalgia of Vertigo that makes it such a romantic movie.
Great analysis! For anyone seeking a more thorough examination I'd highly recommend grabbing a copy of Charles Barr's BFI Classics book. It contains some excellent observations. I especially like his comment on the movie's ending - how Scottie overcomes his vertigo and is able to reassert his masculinity at the cost of losing the woman. Until I read this I'd always viewed the ending as nothing other than a tragedy, but we can also interpret it as a triumph on Scottie's behalf. The cessation of his vertigo could signal the end of his infatuation and obsessions, and in turn his guilt over the cop's death at the beginning of the film.
I like your analysis of the movie in terms of love, identity and relationships. But, what other terms are there for analyzing anything? I'm coming to believe that most of our problems are due to a case of mistaken identity -- our own. We often identify ourselves as a husband or wife, or a son or daughter, or a father or mother, an employee or even a friend. We “are” none of these things. They are simply roles that we play for a few hours each week. Much like an actor. I recommend to people that they stop thinking of themselves as a husband or wife but as a person who is married and plays the role of spouse a few hours each week. And to stop thinking of themselves as a father or mother, but as a person who has children and plays the role of parent a few hours each week. And so on, with all the different roles that they play. This helps them to step back and to not be manipulated by the roles that they play. Much like Scotty was manipulated by others and by his “self” -- his imaginary self. I doubt if we can ever know our true self, our true identity, our "highest" self. However, the more we can identify as a person rather than as a role, the better off we are. The more we identify with our roles, the more vertigo we have. Thanks for reviewing “Vertigo”.
+Anon amous - you ask, what other terms are there for analyzing anything. May I humbly suggest that there are many others. The true reason and motivation why we do anything. Do we have real control or is it fate? If we decide something, it's only with the power and information we have at the moment - so is it a true decision? Can and does a person's character really change in life? Unreliable memory and perception, making the question "what is real" almost pointless. Or is it? The list goes on. Absolutely agreed 100%: we can never know our true self - much less others. Carl Jung wrote the great book "Psychological Types", but I think we all have multiple character traits and even personalities in ourselves - it just needs different triggers (events) for different persons to bring each one out. Well I am by far not the only one saying this. Hitchcock addresses all of the above in most of his movies - and he was limited by the Hollywood studio system and the infamous Hays Code. A true genius.
@Mr. MERCEDES 95 let's say that you had 10 children and that they were all killed in a car accident. Then you took your own life, because you lived for your children, and you "no longer had anything to live for". In other words, you identified as a "father", rather than as an "actor" who played the role of father several hours a week. This would be the tail wagging the dog. The role of "father" is the tail, but you are the dog. If you don't realize that you are not your tail, you might end things, because you lost your role as "father", or "husband", or "job holder", or some other role that you play. Do not get sucked into the fiction that you "are" a role that you play. If you do not identify with a role, you will not off yourself, if you lose a role. So, many men off themselves, if their wife divorces them or they lose a child or they lose a job.
For his crime, did Gavin really need Scottie? I thought maybe the murder could be pulled off without a witness but it definitely ensures it would look like suicide
Hey Jack's Movie Reviews always love your video essays. I was wondering if you could do a commentary video on one of the Brando - Kazan collab movies (A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront). Thanks
I watch it over and over again and each time when I watch I still get mesmerized... despite the huge question hanging over my head - why did the husband come up with such a stupid and convoluted way to kill his wife, but it doesn't matter
3:24 “But Madeleine is flawless, at least the one that Scotty sees.” …if we discount the fact that Madeleine acts as if she’s possessed by the dead Carlotta Valdes, that is.
Hey, just a suggestion, but you should check out the movie Hell or High Water. It was pretty good and I'm sure you can make a cool video on it, if you wanted to.
JANX - yes, but it also can mean: explanation of certain character traits that didn't (and won't) chance since the past event, especially when it occurred before the story line. Often (a) character doesn' t truly develop, but just certain traits (good or bad) that were already there and will surface as current events unfold. At least that's my opinion.
Very interesting. I wasn't much of a fan of Vertigo when I saw it (and I was pretty put off by the large an obvious age difference between the two main characters) but this gives me a new perspective and makes me want to watch it again.
Agreed: the age difference (Jimmy Stewart was almost age 50, Kim Novak in her mid 20s and Barbara Bel Geddes in her mid 30s - not to mention the villain, played by Tom Helmore in his mid 50s) can be a little off putting, but there are many more examples of this age difference - and worse. "Charade" (1963) even makes fun of it (an aging Cary Grant and a young-ish Audrey Hepburn). Just saying that an aging male movie star and a decades younger female love interest was quite common at the time (Casablanca anyone?) - continuing in some cases well into the 1970s - and definitely looks wrong to modern audiences, but don't let it get in the way of enjoying this masterpiece. *Disclaimer:* I am NOT voicing my personal opinion, nor intending to address anything referring to social, gender and politics related issues.
That's strange. I never take note of the age difference in movie couples. I understand it was a different time and i just accept it. I wonder why an older man being with a younger woman used to be so common back in the day.
Men - with “the power, the freedom” in Gavin’s wistful recollections - can be older. One of the subtexts if the film. Carlotta’s paramour was “a rich man, a powerful man.” Scotty’s age also belies his inability to bond with a mere mortal woman in his relentless pursuit of perfection. My wife always says on viewing this film, “What’s wrong with Midge?”
@@truefilm1556 However the age difference makes sense. As Gavin Elster' background story to setup Scottie was based on the story of Carlotta Veldes who was suppose to be 26 when she committed suicide.
I just watched this and rear window for the first time last nite and the crazy thing is that I was distracted for the first bit in both. I didn’t know Scotty was sent on a job and I also didn’t know Jefferies in rear window was actually a photographer. I just thought they were both creeps. I feel like that’s a Hitchcock thing is perspective is blurred when you make assumptions.
Scotty's a sap, a sucker. I can appreciate the "art" of this production, but like Scorsese said about the film, the "plot" cannot be taken seriously and is only there to hang all the set-piece scenes from. The film is a love-letter to '50s Frisco, and a visual record of Hitchcock's own obsessions.
Great film. Its also about acting. All the main progonists pretend to be someone else. Even James Stewart , who seems to carry the good guy image from previous films only to surprise us with his portrayal of an obsessive man. Whats real and whats not ?
Judy is the guilty one. Scotty wasnt responsible for the policemans death at the start of the film, but he suffered nonetheless. In the end she gets her coemuppance in effect from the nun.
since Scottie was a retired detective wouldn't he have realized from the news coverage that the woman who died was not HIS Madeline ? Or is he simply stupid?
This was back in 1958. If there was something mention it was probably only an article about her death (without pictures). Back then newspares did not have pictures on files of random people.
deanc2000 What Scotty wanted didn’t exist. The ideal can be pursued, but never acquired, because acquisitions bring out the imperfections. So Scotty wasn’t fake, but what he sought was. Hence, he was at the end, empty-handed.
Vertigo is a great movie, but a depressing one. Moreover, Jimmy Stewart is not particularly believable as a desirable man whom women would want. Much prefer Notorious.
Terrible analysis - says Madeline is flawless, yet she spends the whole time acting possessed by an ancestor to the point of being suicidal. And Midge is valuable because she keeps him grounded? Please. She's in the film to show how Scottie does not lack for female attention. He could have love, but does not want it. That is why Madeline is so precious; she's the only woman who can interest him. That's how we understand why Scottie goes catatonic with Madeline's "suicide"---because Midge is always there, and Scottie just doesn't care.
As a woman I find this film disgusting and misogynistic. You may excuse Hitchcock as a ''genius'' but I don't buy it. If that pig was alive today he would be persecuted by the #metoo movement. As a film student I do appreciate the pretty shots. And yet as a screen writer I feel like the script is lacking and by today's standards would not receive critical claim. The age difference is disgusting and you can't excuse it for it's ''times''. If the film is supposedly timeless then that excuse for ''50s being the 50s'' doesn't hold up. I can absolutely assure you that NO woman would ever call this garbage her favorite film, unlike many of the male commenters in this video. God how I despise the male gaze....
I'm so sorry, I probably can get what you are saying I'm not a man, yet not a woman so please don't go after me too but, I know many women and actually female filmmakers who like this movie pretty much and think of Hitchcock of the master of his own creations .. both of the characters are adults, maybe Stewart seems a bit old like in his early 50s but I mean what's the problem there ? It's a mystery/psychological thriller story .. so..?
Sophie Drangai You are correct. This is a theme of the film. I often refer to it as “the first feminist film.” It depicts, rather than condones, dysfunctional male - female relationships. But art doesn’t always lead us down pretty paths. This film is definitely about flaws in (some) males - especially in the 50’s - that lead them to mistreat women. However, it also reveals how some women can be coconspiritors in their own demise.* Scotty could be regarded as a “pig,” as you say, but he was also a victim of his own demons. The vertigo was metaphoric for his character flaws. Most believe he pays a price at the end, perhaps by jumping, as foreshadowed in the dream sequence, arms outstretched. (*Many women wear make up; why? Judy says, “Don’t muss me; I’ve got my face on.” And “make-up” is an interesting term; to pretend, to deceive, to re-invent?) If the movie accurately depicts dysfunctionality, the film itself can still be a masterpiece. I will add, and I’m sure you’ll agree, Midge is the one who is improperly discarded, as she walks down a long corridor to her spiritual demise, having lost Scotty. Her exit scene. Note that it mirrors one of Madeleine’s recited dreams, where she is walking down a long corridor, and when she gets to the end, she’ll die.
@@mynameisshephard2394 There is no problem she hate the male gaze. Don't worry about it ; ) About the age difference, well you gotta remember that was also a part of the plot as Carlotta Valdes was suppose to be 26 when she committed suicide. Which were the background story for Gavin Elster's plan to setup Scottie ; )
@Fanfanbalibar I've read Maurier's short story and it's good, but lacks deepness and richness evoking multiple concepts that Hitchcock's masterpiece goals completely
Vertigo is surely Hitchcock's deepest and most heart-wrenching movie. Because it's not about a crime, but about the relationships of the people caught up in the crime.
Also it is about self-realization and not becoming stuck in a web of another's desires. It makes you beg the question, "in whose story are you a bit player?"
I still go with Rear Window as his best movie, but this was a great piece on Vertigo.
Like I said-it's tough when he has made so many great movies! I'm glad you enjoyed!
+Jack's Movie Reviews - couldn't agree more with you! If I name Vertigo as my top Hitchcock movie, it is by a very tiny margin. Rear Window is fantastic as well, no doubt, as is Strangers On A Train, Psycho.... even his most "mainstream" feeling "North By Northwest" is simply great, so are his less talked about treasures such as "I Confess" or "The Wrong Man" (IMHO that is). Cinema wouldn't be the same without Hitchcock, who still inspires great filmmakers to this day!
Mine is North By NorthWest
IMO Vertigo is the greatest movie ever made but Rear Window is my favorite movie. Watched it dozens of times since seeing it in film school.
@@edwardfreda3335 Wow! I couldn't agree with you more. Yes, now that I come to think of it, "Rear Window" is perhaps my favorite Hitchcock's movie as well (it "flows," and one doesn't feel "lost," trying to understand the plot).
However, the fact remains that just as the "difficult" task of fully understanding a certain book, a song, a painting, etc., watching and fully grasping the so very subtle (and so very abundant) nuances of "Vertigo," gives you an odd sense of "triumph." Furthermore, because of its complexity (or rather richness, perhaps?), "Vertigo" is the only Hitchcock movie
"I must" watch over, and over again; repeatedly. For me, "Vertigo" is not just about surviving the test of time, but actually testing my own intelect, as well as stretching my imagination to destinations I am always only so excited to (re) discover. This movie is most definitely no "easy watching" (like listening to easy listening music). "Easy" doesn't always equals true and authentic entertainment but to me, TRUE entertainment consists of "fun" over and over, and OVER again, by being exposed to the same artwork (over and over again), in spite of that work's "difficulty" to understand.
My all time favorite film, pure Cinema beauty, great story, great acting, Hitch’s greatest achievement, all the elements in this great Director’s disposal were put to Extreme greatness
This is a great analysis of a wonderful movie. Personally I think that Vertigo is Hitcock's best film. Futhermore Bernard Hermann's score really creates an excellent mood for this film.
Absolutely! Bernard Herrmann is (together with John Williams, don't forget he is also a very accomplished jazz pianist and composer) my absolute all time favorite film composer. Check how he took the older dramatic Erich Korngold, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman school of film music and added completely fresh chord voicings and articulations (he was a violinist) - sometimes between tonal and atonal - to create that unique ominous feel. Genius!
When Bernard Hermann asked François Truffaut why he wanted him to score the music for his Fahrenheit 451, Truffaut replied that Bernard would give him the music of the 21st century.
+saigokun - didn't know that. Thanks for the information!
Please allow me some nitpicking (no worries, I get names mixed up sometimes myself, no big deal) - you mean of course François Truffaut :-) EDIT: I see you fixed it :-D
Anyway: Unfortunately classical (meaning: non popular, not the time frame) music somehow came to a creative halt somewhere in the mid 20th century. Here is a counter example: Hitchcock fired Herrmann as the composer for "Torn Curtain". His argument: Herrmann was unable to come up with (then) more trendy latin-jazz flavored music (Henry Mancini for example). He proved in "Taxi Driver", that he can come up with a great jazz flavored score.
But as we all know: it was more of an ego battle (some sources differ regarding what really happened - I would LOVE watching the movie with the first, rejected score by Herrmann).
Herrmann was probably (just speculating) "difficult to work with" because he didn't allow that easily to be judged by a director who doesn't have the slightest idea of the vast amount of talent and work that goes into making an orchestral score. Herrmann was at the forefront to defend the rights of musicians, who somehow remained under appreciated for a long time. I somehow understand: great film music goes along so well with the image and mood, that it often goes unnoticed. Glad my dad (like myself) was a musician and brought all the great movie scores to my attention.
Thanks for the conversation!
You are welcomen and thanks for pointing out my error. I corrected it. I agree with you about what you wrote of classical music coming to a halt in the mid 20th century. This I think is the result of changes in society that were especially noticable in the sixties. The changes in that decade were so fast that a carreer that was thriving at the beginning of the sixties was dead at the end of it as audience tastes changed very quickly. A movie could have great succes in the early sixties but a similar movie at the end of that decade could end up as a huge flop.
In his excellent biography of Alfred Hitchcock "Alfred Hitchcock a Life in Darkness and Light, Patrick McGilligan describes the famous indicent between Hermann and Hitchcock, and he says that both the studio and Hitchcock wanted more contemporary music, something that Hermann couldn't deliver according to them (and himself). In the late sixties and early seventies producers and directors alike thought that contemporary music was the best choice to attract an audience. This led to some excellent choices but from today's point of view dates these movies tremendously. Great film music not only adds to the mood and never interferes with the movie but can also stand on its own. You had a wonderful dad.
Herrmann actually uses a motif from Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde to underscore the tragic quality of the love story in the film.
In case you couldn't tell from my profile, it's my favorite film of all time. I first watched it over a decade ago in high school, and I became obsessed with it. Just like with Citizen Kane, you can't believe that this was actually made by a Hollywood studio. Such a personal film by hitchcock
Vertigo >>> Citizen Kane
+Ringbone 1.61 - that's an ongoing debate :-) But dare I say: I agree with you.
It's easy to become obsessed with-a true masterpiece.
Since 2012 Sights & Sounds place Vertigo on its number one spot, a spot that for decades was occupied by Citizen Kane. But it doesn't matter as both are great movies.
saigokun agreed, but Vertigo is more emmersive
Easily HItchcock's best which is saying a lot.
@Randy White what about Rebecca?
@Randy White Its a masterpiece, a tough decision for me between rebecca and vertigo, but I would give vertigo a little edge for the performance of james stewart. Laurence Olivier was amazing as well.
This is 2 for me, Psycho is number 1 but they are both very close to each other.
I love Rebecca but to me the ending isn’t on that same level as the rest of it
I kinda like rear window
The size of the GG Bridge is epic. Scottie sees the relationship as such.
Everyone in the film has attachment issues except for Elster, who is a psychopath who plans a murder based entirely on an old schoolmate's two flaws: a traumatic work experience and attraction to beautiful girls.
My 5 favorite Hitchcock: Vertigo, Rear Window, Psycho, Dial M for Murder, Rope.
The man who knew too much (starring Stewart, Doris Day) iis a fine one, a thriller plus a kid being taken by the bad ones (in the country of Lindberg's stolen kid) is a capital element in the plot !
Vertigo is Hitchcock’s masterpiece.
Wonderful analysis of one of my all time favorite movies! Love that you included the all-too-true words by Danny Peary. Scotty had the ideal woman for him right before his eyes (and even when he was too messed up to even recognize her, Midge was there for him, knowing she had no chance), Scotty just didn't (want to) see it. Awesome analysis as always!
Could you imagine Madeleine and Scotty living the daily ordinary life of most couples (and they lived happily ever after !!!), doing the cooking, the shopping, decorating the house, etc.... ????? No, never, it had to be like Hitchcock made it ! Desperate housewifes !!!! ha!ha!ha!
I agree with you, it's his best film.
I agreed with that since 1959 when Vertigo was on in Paris (France) but some comments are pure delirium !
Thank You so much. I have so many Hitchcock faves but, Vertigo is my number 1 fave.
I wouldn't call Vertigo Hitchcock's most enjoyable film (that goes to North By Northwest), but I do think it's the closest he got to making a flawless movie. Either that or Rear Window.
Brian Collins I wouldn't say it is a flawless movie. I think part of the reason it is successful is because the are ridiculous flaws and it makes it more classic Hollywood. For example when he pushes his wife he literally waits at the clock tower. The plot is completely ridiculous and full of giant gaping plot holes which add to the sense of cinematic spectacle
@@titusbramble7403 the plot doesn't matter when you understand the themes the movie is going for.
@@BadGuyRants how?
@@BadGuyRants the plot always matters u would only say that when ur favorite movie has a weak plot
Nah, Vertigo or Rear Window is much better. The story in North by Northwest is far too boring, predictable and generic. Even if Hitchcock is a wonderful filmmaker, there just aren't as deep themes and story there
My favorite Hitchcock film before it even made #1 movie ever. One of the reasons I also liked it was the Bay Area setting I live in San Jose and visit San Juan Bautista and am familiar with it.BTW, Every September San Juan Bautista has Vertigo Day when Vértigo is shown outdoors on the Plaza.
I think another important item that was glossed over in the movie is that he falls in love with his client's wife and doesn't observe his ethical duty to just tail her and find out where she's going, etc. This was glossed over in the movie too. What do you think about that? He is a police officer so he should have had more reserved feelings then that.
Lillie Knight Yes. We wanted him to pursue Madeleine and win her over. We fully identified with Scotty. His success was ours. We glossed over the character flaw because it was our character flaw, and we did not want to deal with it, which would mean giving up the pursuit. (At least this is the male perspective.)
@@sra4722 Your final note "At least this is the male perspective" was spot on, cause that's definitely not the female perspective of this movie.
@@jules_laurent This was an early film that showed how men selfishly subjugated women for their own desires, and how women played the role of coconspirator in that process. Judy died in the process of creating Madeleine. “I don’t care about me anymore.”
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO MOVIE THEN !!!!!!!! YOU'RE THINKING HITCHCOCK IS A FOOL ?
YOUN DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HUMAN FEELINGS !
I think there's also a meaning in the clothes she wears as Madeleine and as Judy. As Judy she seems to be a free, young woman, as Madeleine she is held captive in a gray suit and her hair is grey as if she is an old woman. As Judy she is free to love him, but she has to 'die' first because of her past, therefore she has to go through it again and put on that gray suit. She did him wrong, but she was manipulated just as much as he was manipulated. The nun is at the end to forgive her. We don't see her lying beneath, so it is possible she has survived.
That's because Madeleine is Scotty's dream of his mother while Judy is a sexy young babe he has no interest in.
@@browngreen933 WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU See HIS MOTHER OR HIM SPEAKING A BOUT HIS MOTHER?
I tie this top movie along Shadow of a doubt and The Birds as the Californian Trilogy. A group of wonderful pieces of mastery.
The birds, I mean the sohrt story by Daphné du Maurier, was more mysterious and cruel than even Hitch's movie !
“Sight and Sound” and I agree. The best film ever made. It wasn’t my favorite Hitchcock film initially, “Rear Window” was. But with each viewing(about 30) I glean something new. It’s a very complex film that subliminally penetrates the psyche and soul.
Sound and Sight #1 movie of all time.
I’ve seen this movie over and over again. With the symphony and the great video. I think it just confuses people in different ways. Kim Novak and the music made me just forget about the story. I was drawn to her and the music. This is why this movie is a mystery.
I 10% agree with that opinion !
I love this movie a teacher in high school made us watch it and ever since it has been one of my favorites. Judy/Madeline is freaking gorgeous by the way!
That is, Kim Novak !
Wonderful video! Very insightful, thank you for making it.
I love this masterpiece
I feel like Vertigo is lowly becoming my favorite film. Atm it’s Pal Joey (another Kim Novak film she’s in with Frank Sinatra).
Kim looks like a Venus statue whatever she does
a connoisseur !@@billolsen4360
If it was all set up, how can the hotel scene be explained when he saw her in the window and when they checked the room she wasnt there?
There must be an additional door to get out ! it doesn't matter !
Even hearing what Vertigo is about breaks my heart.
Good review although perhaps it's probably because I haven't seen this movie in a while and the notion of "I see something new after each viewing" but I never got the impression Scottie was showing another persona when he was with "Madeleine" mainly because the personality change in the second half came about due to the trauma of losing Madeleine. Wil need to make another viewing in the near future. 😊
Yeah I didnt see how scotty changed much
I thought the whole second act was the fake. Scotty never recovered or left the hospital and the second act is a fantasy to remove his guilt.
Great point
I would believe this more than the actual truth revealed. I don’t understand how the hotel scene happened and how Jimmy didn’t recognize her till she put on the necklace. And if she did truly die then the idea that the dead impacting the living means more.
Madeleine was a dream of the mother as Scotty fell to his death at the beginning of the film. Time and everything else was wildly distorted (vertigo).
@@mayan23 What does this gloubiboulga means?
i def need to watch this again to make more sense of it
vertigo is by far his best film.
So great! Both the film, and your analysis!!
The "minor aspect of the film" of Scotty hanging from the ledge explains the whole darn movie!
I remember watching this movie in film class in high school by far one of my favorite movies
hey sorry for my cringy comment, I'm not American so can u please tell me what is
a film class in high school?
You can guess it by yourself, "you're a big boy now" ! (says Midge to Scotty in front of a bra ')@@mynameisshephard2394
@@mynameisshephard2394 Easy to guess what it is ! If I say "Geography class" do you understand?
There is a strange flaw in the term „construction“ in this case. It seems to explain everything, but it‘s only a shortcut, preventing us from deeper inquiries. Hitchcock knew about the power of information and non-information and the psychodynamic implications.
Some good insights here. The idea of the past affecting the present is an idea that is central to Vertigo as well as Psycho which Hitch made just after Vertigo in 1960. Paul Hyder's wonderful book, 'Hitchcock's Vertigo: A Personal Journey Through the Greatest Movie Ever Made', explores this motif and argues that it is the nostalgia of Vertigo that makes it such a romantic movie.
Bro, your videos are always so good:]
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Hitchcock's best.
My favourite movie :)
- David - I can see you just like me love Twin Peaks!
Always enjoyed this film. Thank you.
Vertigo is best after the third or fourth viewing. Perfection.
Great analysis! For anyone seeking a more thorough examination I'd highly recommend grabbing a copy of Charles Barr's BFI Classics book. It contains some excellent observations. I especially like his comment on the movie's ending - how Scottie overcomes his vertigo and is able to reassert his masculinity at the cost of losing the woman. Until I read this I'd always viewed the ending as nothing other than a tragedy, but we can also interpret it as a triumph on Scottie's behalf. The cessation of his vertigo could signal the end of his infatuation and obsessions, and in turn his guilt over the cop's death at the beginning of the film.
I like your analysis of the movie in terms of love, identity and relationships. But, what other terms are there for analyzing anything? I'm coming to believe that most of our problems are due to a case of mistaken identity -- our own. We often identify ourselves as a husband or wife, or a son or daughter, or a father or mother, an employee or even a friend. We “are” none of these things. They are simply roles that we play for a few hours each week. Much like an actor.
I recommend to people that they stop thinking of themselves as a husband or wife but as a person who is married and plays the role of spouse a few hours each week. And to stop thinking of themselves as a father or mother, but as a person who has children and plays the role of parent a few hours each week. And so on, with all the different roles that they play. This helps them to step back and to not be manipulated by the roles that they play. Much like Scotty was manipulated by others and by his “self” -- his imaginary self.
I doubt if we can ever know our true self, our true identity, our "highest" self. However, the more we can identify as a person rather than as a role, the better off we are. The more we identify with our roles, the more vertigo we have. Thanks for reviewing “Vertigo”.
+Anon amous - you ask, what other terms are there for analyzing anything. May I humbly suggest that there are many others. The true reason and motivation why we do anything. Do we have real control or is it fate? If we decide something, it's only with the power and information we have at the moment - so is it a true decision? Can and does a person's character really change in life? Unreliable memory and perception, making the question "what is real" almost pointless. Or is it? The list goes on.
Absolutely agreed 100%: we can never know our true self - much less others. Carl Jung wrote the great book "Psychological Types", but I think we all have multiple character traits and even personalities in ourselves - it just needs different triggers (events) for different persons to bring each one out. Well I am by far not the only one saying this.
Hitchcock addresses all of the above in most of his movies - and he was limited by the Hollywood studio system and the infamous Hays Code. A true genius.
@Mr. MERCEDES 95 let's say that you had 10 children and that they were all killed in a car accident. Then you took your own life, because you lived for your children, and you "no longer had anything to live for". In other words, you identified as a "father", rather than as an "actor" who played the role of father several hours a week. This would be the tail wagging the dog. The role of "father" is the tail, but you are the dog. If you don't realize that you are not your tail, you might end things, because you lost your role as "father", or "husband", or "job holder", or some other role that you play. Do not get sucked into the fiction that you "are" a role that you play. If you do not identify with a role, you will not off yourself, if you lose a role. So, many men off themselves, if their wife divorces them or they lose a child or they lose a job.
One of my top five, maybe even top three favorite films of all time!
My favorite film always, Vertigo is infinite
Excellent analysis...
His best film
The greatest movie ever made…
For his crime, did Gavin really need Scottie? I thought maybe the murder could be pulled off without a witness but it definitely ensures it would look like suicide
Hey Jack's Movie Reviews always love your video essays. I was wondering if you could do a commentary video on one of the Brando - Kazan collab movies (A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront).
Thanks
I watch it over and over again and each time when I watch I still get mesmerized... despite the huge question hanging over my head - why did the husband come up with such a stupid and convoluted way to kill his wife, but it doesn't matter
Thank you this will be helpful for my exam :)
Masterpiece
Now this. This is good
Ummmm, When I see the movie I don't pick up on the idea od Scotty trying to be perfect for Madeline - where in the movie do you see that?
Scotty also isn't drawn to Midge because she dumped him before they were supposed to get married
Awesome analysis!
Old Movies are great,please do Horatio Hornblower with Gregory Peck.I love the Production.CGI will never top this
Yeah I love ore 2000 movies, maybe taxi driver
For what it's worth, that's the Oct. 5th 1957 issue of the San Francisco Examiner JS is holding at 2:27.
3:24 “But Madeleine is flawless, at least the one that Scotty sees.”
…if we discount the fact that Madeleine acts as if she’s possessed by the dead Carlotta Valdes, that is.
Hey, just a suggestion, but you should check out the movie Hell or High Water. It was pretty good and I'm sure you can make a cool video on it, if you wanted to.
Past having impact on the present almost always means *character development*
JANX - yes, but it also can mean: explanation of certain character traits that didn't (and won't) chance since the past event, especially when it occurred before the story line. Often (a) character doesn' t truly develop, but just certain traits (good or bad) that were already there and will surface as current events unfold. At least that's my opinion.
Cantilever bridge - Can’t leave her
(after the bridge sequence)
Rebecca is right up there for me, but Vertigo is a 10/10.
Check out Ben Mankiewicz host of TCM who puts down the greatest film masterpiece VERTIGO all the time when Hitchcock is mentioned.
Amazing!! I love your channel!! You should do The Usual Suspect
Thank you! I'm not sure if I will be anytime soon-wasn't too big on it last time I watched it.
Very interesting. I wasn't much of a fan of Vertigo when I saw it (and I was pretty put off by the large an obvious age difference between the two main characters) but this gives me a new perspective and makes me want to watch it again.
Agreed: the age difference (Jimmy Stewart was almost age 50, Kim Novak in her mid 20s and Barbara Bel Geddes in her mid 30s - not to mention the villain, played by Tom Helmore in his mid 50s) can be a little off putting, but there are many more examples of this age difference - and worse. "Charade" (1963) even makes fun of it (an aging Cary Grant and a young-ish Audrey Hepburn). Just saying that an aging male movie star and a decades younger female love interest was quite common at the time (Casablanca anyone?) - continuing in some cases well into the 1970s - and definitely looks wrong to modern audiences, but don't let it get in the way of enjoying this masterpiece. *Disclaimer:* I am NOT voicing my personal opinion, nor intending to address anything referring to social, gender and politics related issues.
That's strange. I never take note of the age difference in movie couples. I understand it was a different time and i just accept it. I wonder why an older man being with a younger woman used to be so common back in the day.
Men - with “the power, the freedom” in Gavin’s wistful recollections - can be older. One of the subtexts if the film. Carlotta’s paramour was “a rich man, a powerful man.” Scotty’s age also belies his inability to bond with a mere mortal woman in his relentless pursuit of perfection. My wife always says on viewing this film, “What’s wrong with Midge?”
@@truefilm1556 However the age difference makes sense. As Gavin Elster' background story to setup Scottie was based on the story of Carlotta Veldes who was suppose to be 26 when she committed suicide.
Scotty, Scotty, Scotty, Scotty, Gavin, Scotty, Gavin, Scotty, Scotty.
I just watched this and rear window for the first time last nite and the crazy thing is that I was distracted for the first bit in both. I didn’t know Scotty was sent on a job and I also didn’t know Jefferies in rear window was actually a photographer. I just thought they were both creeps. I feel like that’s a Hitchcock thing is perspective is blurred when you make assumptions.
What do you think of Dan Schneider's Vertigo and Hitch criticism?
Scotty's a sap, a sucker. I can appreciate the "art" of this production, but like Scorsese said about the film, the "plot" cannot be taken seriously and is only there to hang all the set-piece scenes from. The film is a love-letter to '50s Frisco, and a visual record of Hitchcock's own obsessions.
bit of a shallow reading...
Ey, just because Midge cares for Scotty it means she deserves something from him?
Agree
I am confused, does Judy kill herself by jumping from the bell tower, or was she just frightened?
She appeared to be startled by the nun's sudden appearance.
This movie is what happens in everyones life
You were a very apt pupil weren't you Judy. A very apt pupil. " Too bad the screenwriter didn't have a very apt way of saying things.
madeline a prototype/archetype laura palmer?
Are you kidding?
@@Fanfanbalibar haha 4 years to late dork.
The voice of the narrator sounds like John Waters' voice.
Great film. Its also about acting. All the main progonists pretend to be someone else. Even James Stewart , who seems to carry the good guy image from previous films only to surprise us with his portrayal of an obsessive man. Whats real and whats not ?
A good orexcellent actor(tress) is able to play very different characters or else he/she would be boring !
Does she jump at the end because she might think the ghost of Carlotta has come back?
sicilianotoronto Either Carlotta or the ghost of Mrs. Elster, the never seen (alive) on screen real Madeleine, in whose murder Judy was an accomplice.
Judy is the guilty one. Scotty wasnt responsible for the policemans death at the start of the film, but he suffered nonetheless. In the end she gets her coemuppance in effect from the nun.
since Scottie was a retired detective wouldn't he have realized from the news coverage that the woman who died was not HIS Madeline ? Or is he simply stupid?
This was back in 1958. If there was something mention it was probably only an article about her death (without pictures). Back then newspares did not have pictures on files of random people.
He wasn't a newspaper fan , but what importance?
Thanks to Sting and I am not the police but Roxann …?
So in short: some every day marriage except with some very good looking couple
Dude you sound like John Waters
Very good video but hard to listen to. Your audio quality is not great, sounds like it’s clipping.
ACTIVE SUBTITLES
just watched it but i don't know it was boring so i listened cure faith in the back ground 1st press vinyl on harbeth and it became a lovely night :)
But Scottie was not fake. Only Judy was.
deanc2000 What Scotty wanted didn’t exist. The ideal can be pursued, but never acquired, because acquisitions bring out the imperfections. So Scotty wasn’t fake, but what he sought was. Hence, he was at the end, empty-handed.
:D
:D
3:00ish loses all credibility in the stretch to make "weak men" narrative fit when it was Midge that broke off the engagement.
Vertigo is a great movie, but a depressing one. Moreover, Jimmy Stewart is not particularly believable as a desirable man whom women would want. Much prefer Notorious.
Psycho is the best by far.
Great review, BETTER than the stupid feminist and Anti-Catholic spin from The Take... Congratulations!!
😒😒😒😒😒😒😒😒😒😒
first
Terrible analysis - says Madeline is flawless, yet she spends the whole time acting possessed by an ancestor to the point of being suicidal. And Midge is valuable because she keeps him grounded? Please. She's in the film to show how Scottie does not lack for female attention. He could have love, but does not want it. That is why Madeline is so precious; she's the only woman who can interest him. That's how we understand why Scottie goes catatonic with Madeline's "suicide"---because Midge is always there, and Scottie just doesn't care.
As a woman I find this film disgusting and misogynistic. You may excuse Hitchcock as a ''genius'' but I don't buy it. If that pig was alive today he would be persecuted by the #metoo movement. As a film student I do appreciate the pretty shots. And yet as a screen writer I feel like the script is lacking and by today's standards would not receive critical claim.
The age difference is disgusting and you can't excuse it for it's ''times''. If the film is supposedly timeless then that excuse for ''50s being the 50s'' doesn't hold up. I can absolutely assure you that NO woman would ever call this garbage her favorite film, unlike many of the male commenters in this video. God how I despise the male gaze....
I'm so sorry, I probably can get what you are saying
I'm not a man, yet not a woman so please don't go after me too
but, I know many women and actually female filmmakers who like this movie pretty much and think of Hitchcock of the master of his own creations ..
both of the characters are adults, maybe Stewart seems a bit old like in his early 50s
but I mean what's the problem there ?
It's a mystery/psychological thriller story .. so..?
Sophie Drangai You are correct. This is a theme of the film. I often refer to it as “the first feminist film.” It depicts, rather than condones, dysfunctional male - female relationships. But art doesn’t always lead us down pretty paths. This film is definitely about flaws in (some) males - especially in the 50’s - that lead them to mistreat women. However, it also reveals how some women can be coconspiritors in their own demise.* Scotty could be regarded as a “pig,” as you say, but he was also a victim of his own demons. The vertigo was metaphoric for his character flaws. Most believe he pays a price at the end, perhaps by jumping, as foreshadowed in the dream sequence, arms outstretched. (*Many women wear make up; why? Judy says, “Don’t muss me; I’ve got my face on.” And “make-up” is an interesting term; to pretend, to deceive, to re-invent?) If the movie accurately depicts dysfunctionality, the film itself can still be a masterpiece. I will add, and I’m sure you’ll agree, Midge is the one who is improperly discarded, as she walks down a long corridor to her spiritual demise, having lost Scotty. Her exit scene. Note that it mirrors one of Madeleine’s recited dreams, where she is walking down a long corridor, and when she gets to the end, she’ll die.
Fuck you, you don’t know shit
LOL that was funny : )
@@mynameisshephard2394 There is no problem she hate the male gaze. Don't worry about it ; )
About the age difference, well you gotta remember that was also a part of the plot as Carlotta Valdes was suppose to be 26 when she committed suicide. Which were the background story for Gavin Elster's plan to setup Scottie ; )
Overated film tbh
Will Palmer yep
well, it was one of the greatest masterpieces of its time and u wouldn't have the movies we have today if we didn't have Hitchcock's movies then
Said no one
@Fanfanbalibar
I've read Maurier's short story and it's good, but lacks deepness and richness evoking multiple concepts that Hitchcock's masterpiece goals completely
Are youspeaking about "The birds"?
@@Fanfanbalibar
Exactly. Answering your comment.