Wonderful character development!

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

An awe-inspiring array of state-of-the-art 50's film production values - high voltage stars Jimmy Stewart and the almost supernaturally beautiful Kim Novak in a killer wardrobe by Edith Head, Bernard Herrmann's magnificent score, Robert Burks' glowing Vistavision & Technicolor travelogue photography of San Francisco and of the surrounding area and of Miss Novak, handsome sets, titles by Saul Bass, all under the firm hand of maestro Hitchcock at the top of his game - combine to camouflage an extremely nasty and wildly improbable tale of a cruel and preposterously complicated conspiracy to murder, and it's gormless patsy.One can understand contemporary audiences' bewilderment at Hitchcock lavishing all this care on a mood piece which ravishes the senses as it throws plausibility out the window at every opportunity; but with the passage of time it's fifties trappings make it seem ever more exotic, with even Midge's geeky spectacles looking like design classics. (It probably influenced 'Last Year at Marienbad'.)James Stewart's Scottie is already exhibiting an unpleasant superciliousness even as early as his treatment of hotel manager Ellen Corby, and his treatment of both Midge and Judith makes you want to slap his face. The simulteously demure and erotic moment when Judith finally presents herself to him fully suited-up with her hair up for his delectation will strike a chord with any man on whose behalf the lady in his life made him very happy indeed by agreeing to get into biking leathers or a policewoman's uniform. If only Scottie hadn't been content to stop there and persisted in being such a morose, self-centred oaf indulging his hang-ups to the point of destruction.

This movie is underrated I think. Most people look to Rear Window or Psycho but this is a gem that is passed over too often.

For me, this is not a typical Hitchcock movie. Though there are mystery and crime elements and also some thrilling moments, the film is more about 'believing what you made to believe to see'. And this makes it more of a psychological drama. Hitchcock cleverly shows us how mystery can lure us in and get hooked. What is more how unsolved mystery can become an obsession driving a man crazy. Scottie, a retired detective with fear of heights, gets 'hooked' on a mystery of an attractive, seductive and alluring woman. He is lead to believe that she is 'possessed' by the spirit of her great grandmother who committed a suicide. Despite being a detective albeit a retired one, Scottie remains somewhat weak character due to his original flaw - fear of heights which is used by Gavin to manipulate him - and his fascination with the mystery of the woman he cannot comprehend. His non-comprehension of the subject deepens when he tries to recreate Madeleine's look forcing Judy to alter her hair colour and style and forcing her to wear style of clothes that Madeleine used to wear. Scottie is not interested in the real woman - Judy - behind the mask of Madeleine, he is obsessed with the looks of the woman that lured him into the mystery in the first place, trying to recreate exhilaration and attraction he felt. Gavin used Judy to impersonate his wife whom he murdered and Scotties uses Judy to impersonate the impersonated Madelaine. Both men do not care for the real woman. For them she is just a tool. Quite a reflection fo the Hollywood world back then and I believe even now.

If you've only encountered the films of Alfred Hitchcock through scary films like PSYCHO and THE BIRDS then you are missing out on the bulk of his work and some of the finest motion pictures ever made. I had the privilege of checking out one of his best films, VERTIGO, on the big screen as part of the EMAGINE WILLOW CREEK's SECRET CINEMA series - and what a treat it was.Starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, VERTIGO is a film about obsession, desire, deception and murder all told in a package by the great Hitchock that pops off the screen and into your brain. EVERY part of this film works and it still holds up 60 years after it's release.Stewart stars as John "Scotty" Ferguson a former Police Detective who must retire from the force because of his severe acrophobia (fear of heights) heightened by vertigo. He is asked by a friend to follow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak) for fear that she is suicidal. I won't spoil what happens from there, but Hitchcock puts us on the trail of a psychological thriller where Scotty is both the hero and the heel - a real balancing act to pull off and one that needs a beloved actor like Jimmy Stewart in order to be successful. We instantly start liking - and trusting - Scotty from the beginning only to start to lose our trust of him as the events unfold. Stewart's performance is one of the best of his career and holds our attention throughout.Equally captivating is Novak's portrayal of the suicidal wife, Madeleine, who is equal parts beautiful, mysterious and cagey. Without giving too much away, Scotty starts to fall for Madeleine and with Novak's performance, I can see why. She has the trickier part to play in this film and plays the layers of her character well. But this is a Hitchcock film through and through - and shows a top director at the top of his game. From the opening note of Bernard Hermann's off-kilter score to the use of color, place and camera movement, Hitchcock keeps the viewer off-center throughout the film, immersing us in a world that is not quite real, not quite false, which mirrors the reality (or un-reality) that Scotty is dealing with himself.If you have not seen this film, I strongly recommend that you do. If you have not seen this film on the large screen, I doubly strongly encourage you to do so. as it will be theaters on March 18 & 21 as part of Turner Classic Movie's Big Screen Classics film series.Vertigo was recently sited by the BFI Site and Sound poll as the best film of all time, and while I don't quite share that rating of it, I do rate it as ONE of the top films of all time.Letter Grade: A+10 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)