The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Vertigo (1958)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Vertigo (1958)

What is the greatest film in Alfred Hitchcock’s career? That just might be an impossible question to answer. Psycho is one of the most iconic slasher films of all time. Rear Window is a claustrophobic thriller of a film. The Birds is one of the most defining creature features of all time. But Vertigo is the film that gets chosen on the topic of greatest films of all time lists. Important note…that distinction is 100% deserved. Hitchcock took a decades-long career of mastery and puts every ounce of that into Vertigo. Dark. Twisted. Complex. A former detective with vertigo is swept into a dark twisted game full of deceit and a mysterious woman. This is one of the most compelling two hours in a long career of compelling moments.

What stands out most with Hitchcock’s Vertigo? This is one of the most impeccably directed films of all time. The tension and suspense that Hitchcock can sustain is masterful. One of the most iconic elements of the whole film is the camera trick that creates the “vertigo effect”. Disorienting and unnerving, those moments come to life so effectively. The use of lighting and color is bold and creative. The neon light on Judy as she turns herself into Madeleine is quite breathtaking and harrowing to see. There is the psychotic break sequence that mixes a bold display of visual symbolism as well as the killer score from Bernard Herrmann which is one of the most visually arresting sequences in Hitchcock’s career. The impressive mixture of matte paintings, colorful production design, and dynamic camerawork that comes together to craft such an engrossing and compelling cinematic experience like few other films.

What does this story have to offer that makes it such a long-lasting and highly praised work of art? The thematic work on this film is uncomfortable due to its fixation with the darker side of humanity. Obsession is a deeply human condition. James Stewart’s Scottie Ferguson is a man whose life is turned upside down due to a traumatic loss on the job (an excellent opening sequence captures this). He is put into a situation where he falls for the woman he is tailing which is only the start of a darkly twisted obsession that consumes him and anyone close to him. Deceit. Lies. Tricky. This is a story stacked with shocks and surprises. Hitchcock is one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time and his knack for the shocking and suspenseful is on full display in Vertigo. The film has two halves, and it is hard to decide which one of these is more compelling and shocking. From the opening scene and up until the unexpected final moments of the film, Vertigo offers quite an impressive story to follow with all the mystery and intensity of this highly crafted psychological thriller.

What element of Vertigo is the extra impressive layer on top? The dynamic acting duo that anchors this whole experience down. Stewart is such a beloved actor, and his legacy is quite impressive. A beloved and endearing presence on screen, Stewart is such a compelling and kind presence in so many films that it is quite shocking to see him portray such a flawed and complicated character. Scottie is a flawed man who is broken after witnessing the death of another cop die to his vertigo. He drags a former flame along while instantly becoming obsessed and infatuated with a former friend’s wife who Scottie is watching. His unstable mental state and fearful episodes are brought to life so vividly by Stewart. Kim Novak also gets to pull some double duty in this complex story with plenty of twists and turns. Novak brings a mystery and alluring nature to the role(s) which adds plenty of significant layers to the film. The connection that develops between Stewart and Novak is quite electric…until it takes a much more uncomfortable and disturbing turn in dynamics.

Is Vertigo truly Hitchcock magnum opus? That is hard to say. What is easy to say is a reputation like that means you should at least give it a watch. Stewart and Novak are both complex and compelling while having electricity with each other. The music, design, and filmmaking are all iconic and mesmerizing. A psychological thriller that digs deep into the darkest parts of humanity, Vertigo is quite the cinema wonder to behold.

Vertigo is streaming on AMC+.