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January 21, 2005

Vertigo

Vertigo is frequently referred to as Hitchcock's most complicated and deep film, and having seen a good majority of his corpus, I have to agree. It's a thriller, a mystery, and a love story rolled into one film, which works well more often than not, but leaves something to be desired for me. I'm having trouble saying exactly what.

The beginning of the film is typical Hitchcock fare - a stylized chase across an obviously fake rooftop leaves a police officer dead and Jimmy Stewart hanging on for dear life. Stewart learns that he has a fear of heights, and thus quits the force (this is the first question I had about an element which seemed forced - how often do heights come into play for a police officer?). He spends some time with his female friend, with whom he was once engaged but was broken off. An old friend hires him then to keep an eye on his wife, who appears to be possessed by the spirit of a dead woman.

Stewart follows the woman, played by Kim Novak, around town until he saves her life. He falls in love with her, but she seems bent on dying in the same way that the spirit that haunts her did many years ago. She eventually does commit suicide, and Stewart drifts into total despair. He begins searching everywhere for likenesses and reminders of her, and soon finds a woman who is her resemblance. He begins to force the woman to dress like her, and and do her hair like her.

Spoilers! But this journal is for Nick. We are then presented with a montage that suggests that Kim Novak was all part of an elaborate scheme to kill Stewarts' friends wife. Novak posed as her to give an alibi for insanity, then did the ol' switcheroo when it was time for the actual wife today. Novak was then expected to disappear, but Stewart had still managed to find her.

Anyway, one night, after they seem together and in love (though he doesn't knwo her true identity), she puts on a jewel once worn by the spirit who she was supposedly possessed by. Stewart realizes this, and forces her back to the scene of the murder, where she ultimately meets her demise.

This was an easy, easy out for Hitchcock, in my opinion. I mean, Jesus, the woman creates an airtight case for being the dead spirit, then creates an airtight case for NOT being the spirit, then screws it all up by wearing the one single most important gem? More questions: whatever happens to the old college flame? There is a very interesting subplot that develops, then dies out to be forgotten. Are we left to assume that Stewart simply left her in the dust? Ah well, that's Jimmy.

The actual possession seems like a really, really stretch of a way to set up an alibi. I mean, it works, but it's also somewhat unbelievable that someone would go to such weird lengths to get away with the murder.

However, I see what Hitchcock was going for, and in that regard, I'm with him - that a woman involved in a murder con unfortunately falls in love with the man she should conning. There were excellent elements to the film - the beginning is very lyrical as Stewart follows Novak from place to place, and it almost lulls you into a sleep. The picture is almost angellicaly hazy, as the whites take on a comforting, soft glow. And this is all perfect for that crucial, shocking moment when she plunges into the bay.

One of my biggest problems with Hitchcock was his famous boast that he treated actors like cattle. Ultimately, he was more concerned with screen placement then anything else, and this is unfortunate because it is then up to the actors to pull of good performances with little direction from ... well, their director. Sometimes, great performanes get by, such as the quirky Norman Bates of Psycho. Character actors are also allowed to get in there, such as the standard villain prototype, and the cop/sheriff figure. However, I feel that his females often come off as the exact same person. Always super elegant to the point of artificiality. Kim Novak reminds me of Janet Leigh reminds me of Tippi Hedren reminds me of Eva Marie Saint. Meanwhile the men are left to play themselves. Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant play Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant. Firm-jawed do-gooders always in suits with carefully combed hair.

The colors of this film are very intriguing, but I also have to admit I'm not a fan of Technicolor, as it always feels like I'm looking at pictures from a color magazine of the 1950's. I almost wish I could see what the film would be if shot on modern day stock, as I believe the true vision could come about.

I think there is a superb film in here, but I think it gets a bit lost and muddled with so many different elements. I don't think it's Hitchcock's masterpiece. The ending, above all, gets rid of the problem rather than trying to deal with it, leaving us in almost hte same place we were 20 minutes prior.

***/****

(three out of four stars)

Posted by nick at January 21, 2005 12:01 AM

Comments

Posted by: jack at January 21, 2005 01:53 AM