Movie Minx

Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Plot: Complex story about a San Francisco detective and his psychological troubles with fear of heights and obsession over a woman.

But is it any good?

Some people insist that Vertigo improves with multiple viewings, but personally I find that each one lessens the impact. Once you’ve seen it you see the twists coming and they fail to shock. However, there’s still the appreciation of the cinematography and music, and the movie’s most memorable scenes: staring at the painting, the leap into San Francisco Bay, the meandering yet tense car journeys, and of course the church’s hellish spiral staircase. The colours used to tint the film and create associations are also clever, although the psychadelic spiral in Jimmy’s nightmare has dated.

It’s a fairly bleak story and really requires a first go knowing little about it. The viewing process can be an uncomfortable one - expect to come out feeling impressed but not jolly.

IMDb’s rating: 8.5/10
My rating: 8/10

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