Remember my Vertigo post? I made the claim there that Hitchock’s so-called masterpiece was not all it was cracked up to be. Indeed, it was somewhat less. Now I have confirmation for my opinion from both Lileks (love the new changes to The Bleat) and one Brian Tiemann, who blogs at a site called Peeve Farm. From James:
It’s a sick, clammy, uncomfortable misfire, and aside from the accidental-documentary tour of pre-Summer of Love San Fran, I don’t like it … As a period piece - fashions, colors, cars, “supernatural” ideas, definitions of “psychological” issues - it’s interesting. As cinema, it’s essential, because Hitchcock is one of those directors around whom argument swirls. (Auteur, or manufacturer of popular entertainment whose technical skill gives the impression of art without the substance?) But its flaws are a direct result of its intentions, and its supposed virtues are imagined by people who regard its flaws as intentional. North by Northwest is crackling fun, carried along by the effortless skill of Cary Grant; Rear Window is Stewart at his best, standing in for Hitch as the observer of the great throbbing meat parade on the other side of the pane of glass. (Window, camera lens - same diff.) Vertigo might be the most personal film, which is why it’s the worst.
Mr. Tiemann is a bit more blunt:
Vertigo is crap.
Read the whole thing and you’ll find out why.
I expect Vertigo will continue to fall in public estimation as the original elite class that dubbed it one of the best movies ever dies off. There’s simply no basis for the opinion. Lileks nails it above when he says “supposed virtues are imagined by people who regard its flaws as intentional.” The people who anointed the film back in the 1950’s were the egg-heads of their time, know-nothings who were attracted by its tragic element. As Lileks also points out, there may have been “a dreamlike gauzy palette that sets it apart from other blaring color movies of the era; at the time, it must have seemed almost impressionistic.” Whatever it was, it is no longer apparent to a modern audience. In other words, it hasn’t held up.
To tell you the truth I find it hard to believe that audiences in the 1950’s regarded the film as great. It was elite opinion that gave the film its reputation in later years. Now that those elites are gone, I expect so too is the general consensus that Vertigo is a great movie.
Again, watch these six movies if you want the best of Hitch. In chronological order:
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