100 Movies - No. 91: Vertigo

91. Vertigo (1958)
Mystery, Romance, Thriller, 128 minutes
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes

If you ask movie fans to name their favorite Hitchcock titles, you'll get a lot of different answers. Some would mention Psycho or Rear Window, while others might mention Dial M for Murder, The Birds, Notorious or The 39 Steps. There are probably at least 20 strong candidates. My own favorite is Vertigo because the mystery element appeals to me and James Stewart is involved.

Mulholland Dr. is my favorite film and David Lynch has mentioned how much he likes Vertigo and Rear Window because of the mood each creates. I can see why. Vertigo's mood never reaches the darker depths that Lynch's work inhabits, but there are similarities.

Vertigo begins with a rooftop chase in which Scottie Ferguson is left clinging to the guttering. When a cop tries to save him, Ferguson sees him slip and fall to his death. The traumatic experience leaves Ferguson mentally scarred and he quits his job as a detective. He's hired as a private detective by Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), who claims that his wife, Madeleine (Novak), wanders off at random and doesn't remember where she's been. He thinks she might be possessed.

While that sounds unlikely, Hitchcock gives us reason to think that Madeleine really might be possessed as her husband suggests. Ferguson follows her all day. She takes flowers to a gravestone and stares at it as if she is somewhere else. The name on the grave is Carlotta Valdes. Madeleine also spends time in an art gallery staring at a picture, Portrait of Carlotta. The woman in the painting wears the same necklace and has the same hairstyle as Madeleine.

The following day, Ferguson follows Madeleine again. This time she drives to the Golden Gate Bridge and jumps into the bay. Ferguson manages to save her and ask her about her behavior. She doesn't even remember jumping into the bay. We find out that she's the same age Carlotta was when the woman committed suicide. Is the spirit of Carlotta making Madeleine do these things? Is it safe to leave her on her own?

That's the setup and I hope that I've managed to describe the unsettling atmosphere that Hitchcock creates. The plot is more complex than most of his films. Some of the twists are so surprising that I can't bring myself to reveal them here. If you haven't seen Vertigo, you deserve to discover those things for yourself.

The film uses a lot of red and green filters and you'll see the color green featured throughout. Whether it's Madeleine's dress, her car, or a neon sign, you won't be permitted to forget that color. There's an impressive effect created every time Ferguson looks down from a great height. It was achieved by zooming in and moving the camera away from the image at the same time.

Vertigo is sometimes criticized for being boring. I understand why some people might think that, but it's not a view I share. Ferguson spends a lot of time following Madeleine and most of those scenes require us to watch the events unfolding without the use of dialogue. Yes, this is a film that allows you to form your own opinion about what you are seeing. That said, the resolution reveals all of the mysteries. You won't be left to figure out what just happened. The beauty of the film is the way in which the revelations make sense of all the events which preceded them.

I'm always impressed when I look at the list of actors that Hitchcock worked with. James Stewart teamed up with Hitchcock in Rope, Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much and all of those are worth your time. Stewart was very effective as Ferguson, particularly in the final 30 minutes of the film when he confronted his fear and obsession. Kim Novak also did a good job in a demanding role.

I've mentioned David Lynch, Madeleine and Ferguson in this review. I finally understand why Lynch named a character Maddy Ferguson in Twin Peaks.

The film was restored in 1996. I have seen the recent Blu-ray release and the film looks so much better than it ever has. Some titles in the Masterpiece Collection have not been restored well, but Vertigo looks good throughout. The most problematic part is the dream sequence, but it doesn't look too bad. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is another important addition, and everything sounds great. I would definitely look to upgrade when the titles are released on Blu-ray individually, unless you already own the full collection.

If you enjoy Hitchcock, or mysteries in general, Vertigo is a must-see.

If you like Vertigo:

Two of Hitchcock's best films were omitted from this 100 movies series. Not because they weren't worthy of inclusion, but because I wanted to avoid listing films that were too similar to others. I would urge any fan of Vertigo or Hitchcock to make a point of seeing Rear Window and Dial M for Murder. The tension slowly builds throughout both films and the payoff is worth it.

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My Top 10 Horror Movies: Part 2, #1-5

My Top 10 Horror Movies (continued)


Silence of the Lambs would have been at the top of the list, but it's listed as a crime/thriller and I decided it was ineligible.

5. The Exorcist (1973)

Directed by William Friedkin

Starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair

Like The Omen, here’s a film that relies on building suspense. The most frightening thing about the film is what it makes you think, rather than anything shown on the screen. It deals with possession and we see a sweet young girl transformed into a growling demon. Imagine if that were your child. How would you handle the situation? Would you resort to prayer even if you were an atheist? The main actors do a wonderful job of keeping the scenes serious. If they believe it, maybe we can believe it. The effects all had to be produced using whatever props were available and most look pretty good. This is a film that relies on mood and your ability to think beyond what you’re being shown. It’s genuinely frightening if you allow yourself to be drawn in to the story.

Click here for my full review.

4. The Mist (2007)

Directed by Frank Darabont

Starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurie Holden

Are you starting to notice a pattern in my choices? The Mist shows what happens when people are forced to abandon the normal rules of behavior. A group of customers take refuge in a supermarket when a strange mist descends. One man rushes in and shouts a warning that there’s something in the mist. Some people believe him, but most don’t. The plot develops and the incidents become more serious, until someone is finally killed. A small group witnesses the event and has to convince the other customers that there’s a real threat. People start to form into groups. One is led by a religious fanatic (Harden) and thinks that some form of human sacrifice is the answer. Another is led by the logical local artist, David Drayton (Jane). It’s interesting to see how people perform under pressure and who the true leaders are when the situation demands it.

Click here for my full review.

3. The Birds (1963)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette

Hitchcock loved to deceive audiences and The Birds is a prime example. The first part of the film shows Melanie Daniels (Hedren) randomly encountering Mitch Brenner (Taylor) in a store which sells birds. After Brenner has left, she decides that she would like to know more about him. She purchases two birds and takes a long drive to his hometown. After questioning a few locals, she tracks down his address. The whole setup makes the film look like a traditional romance, but things change when she’s attacked by a bird while rowing across the bay to his home. The attacks start to become more serious and she eventually becomes trapped with Brenner, his mother and his daughter. Hitchcock never explains why the birds are behaving aggressively and doesn’t need to. The group has to battle to survive and the resolution doesn’t completely reveal whether they will be safe. It’s a snapshot in the lives of a few people in an extreme situation.

2. Psycho (1960)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles

More Hitchcock and another deceptive plot. If by some chance you haven't seen the film, please skip the rest of this summary. The plot is fairly simple, but unexpected. A young woman (Leigh) steals money from work and decides to flee the town. The setup leads us to believe that the story will be about her struggle to evade pursuit. But she stops in a motel for the night and is murdered by the owner, Norman Bates (Perkins). I like how Hitchcock makes us root for Bates and we almost want him to avoid being caught. Perkins plays the role perfectly and appears logical and nervous at the same time. The strength of the film is that it could happen. It's more psychological horror than slasher movie and Bates is a character that we can pity. Some of the shocks were original at the time, but probably seem pretty lame now that we know about such techniques. Imagine seeing this 50 years ago. The Blu-ray presentation is incredible.

Click here for my full review.

1. The Shining (1980)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd 

Kubrick was comfortable working in any genre and The Shining was his attempt at horror. I like so many of his films, but this might be his best. It’s not a strict adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, but I like the changes that he made. Technology probably wasn’t capable of showing Danny’s solo encounter in the hedge maze, but it would have been great to see it. Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is a writer who takes a winter job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. The setting is perfect for a horror movie. He takes his wife (Duvall) and young son (Lloyd) and they plan to live there alone until the hotel re-opens in the spring. All three family members witness weird events. Torrance is a recovering alcoholic and finds that the bar is full of people. The hotel is supposed to be empty. He drinks and talks to the barman. We start to see ghosts of people who lived, stayed or worked at the hotel. The story is about how Torrance loses his grip on reality and becomes a danger to his family. It’s full of mysteries and many are never explained. Kubrick’s film creates its own atmospheric world and it’s good to visit when you’re in the mood.

Click here to see #6-10 on my list.

Did I mention any of your favorites? Feel free to let me know what you think of the list or post your own Top 10 in the comments section.

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Psycho's presentation is worthy of a Criterion release

Psycho (horror, mystery, thriller)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles and Martin Balsam
109 minutes
Black and white

Video:
VC-1 | 1080p | 1.85:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD 2.0
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles:
English SDH, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (traditional), Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Discs:
Single 50GB Blu-ray disc

The Film 4.5/5

Alfred Hitchcock directed 67 titles, including more than 50 movies, but most people would rank Psycho among his five best works. It's certainly one of his most influential.

The marketing for the movie was clever and audiences were refused admission after the show had started. Hitchcock wanted them to experience the story from start to finish. He also urged people that had seen it to avoid spoiling it for others. I mention that because I don't want to spoil the experience for you. It's 50 years old, so the following comments contain spoilers and assume that you have seen the movie. If you haven't, please stop reading now and remedy the situation as soon as possible.

Psycho might seem a bit tame by today's standards. It was shot in black and white to lessen the impact of seeing the blood. The murders appeared brutal through the clever cuts and camera angles rather than explicitly showing flesh being cut. As with all of Hitchcock's work, what you imagine in your own mind is more frightening than what you see on the screen. To truly appreciate the impact of the movie, imagine what had gone before when this was originally released.

Without Psycho, we may never have seen franchises like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Saw. But unlike some of those mentioned, Psycho isn't remotely humorous. The reason is that Norman Bates, or someone like him, could exist. That's the most frightening thing about the movie. Compare it to Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker for instance. The Dark Knight is elevated above every other superhero movie because it could happen.

Hitchcock uses misdirection effectively by opening the movie as if it is a romance. Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, meets her lover and the audience assumes that she is the focus of the story. We see her steal the money and flee the city. The camera hints at her thought processes without the use of narration or dialogue, and we see her nervous reaction to harmless encounters. It's a fascinating look at how people change under stress.

Crane eventually needs to stop for the night and we are introduced to Norman Bates and the Bates motel. The story still focuses on Crane's character, but changes dramatically after Bates attacks her in the infamous shower scene. This is usually the first scene that comes to mind when thinking about Psycho, and it's a shame in a way. The movie is so much more than a simple murder.

The plot switches as people start to wonder what happened to Crane, leading to a second murder. We then realize that Norman Bates is the true focus of the story. He's brilliantly portrayed by Anthony Perkins. He's shy around women and outwardly calm, but clearly nervous when under pressure.

Until the revelations near the end, Hitchcock cleverly lets us think that the mother exists. In a way I suppose she does. This is a sad story and Bates becomes a character we can pity. If you think things through from his point of view, his actions make sense. Wouldn't you cover up a crime committed by someone you love? There are many layers to the story and several different ways to appreciate it.

The initial setup uses well-established Hitchcock techniques and themes. He misdirects us and uses suspense. The initial focus of the story, Marion Crane, is a woman on the run. Because she's in that situation, she becomes more interesting to us. The $40,000 she steals is a MacGuffin that serves no purpose other than to give Crane's character a reason for her actions.

Everything flows smoothly and the pacing is effective. It's hard to be bored even for a second. The term masterpiece is overused, but Psycho qualifies.

Video Quality 4.5/5

The universal VC-1 transfer is region free and very pleasing. Detail is excellent and instances of dirt on the image are infrequent. Even though the presentation is in black and white, the upgrade is definitely warranted. Detail is incredible throughout. Take for instance the shot of Marion Crane's eye as she lies dead in the shower.

Audio Quality 4.5/5

One of the special features goes into a detailed explanation of how the audio track was converted to 5.1 and the results are satisfying. Ambient sounds, such as rain, greatly enhance the feeling that you are immersed in the story. Dialogue is clear and Bernard Herrmann's score has never sounded better. For the purists, the original audio track is included. Check the beginning of this review for full details of languages and subtitles included on the disc.

Special Features 5/5

Remastering Psycho HD
The making of Psycho
In the master's shadow: Hitchcock's legacy
Hitchcock/Truffaut interviews
Newsreel footage: the release of Psycho
The shower scene: with and without music
The shower sequence: storyboards by Saul Bass
The Psycho archives
Posters and Psycho ads
Lobby cards
Behind the scenes photographs
Publicity shots
Psycho theatrical trailer
Psycho re-release trailers
My scenes
Feature commentary with Stephen Rebello, author of 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho'

The 'making of' feature is fascinating and you'll love it if you are an admirer of the movie. With interviews from many of the original cast, the 95 minutes passes quickly and leaves you with a better understanding of how the movie was made.

The extensive features cover just about everything and it's nice to hear Hitchcock talk about some of the issues that he faced at the time.

This Blu-ray looks exceptional and the package is worthy of a Criterion release. I only hope that all of Hitchcock's important movies are given similar treatment.

Overall 5/5 

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