Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton: Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere.
John "Scottie" Ferguson: How about a drink? -or some variation over and over.
Jimmy Stewart looks better in black and white. He just does.
I'm hesitant to lavish praise on what is widely considered a classic because I don't think there is much I can say that hasn't already been said by critics, students, professors, bloggers, etc in the 61 years since its release. At this point, my pronouncement of its worth is lost long before I write it. Suffice it to say, Vertigo is worth the watch.
But, I would be remiss if I didn't remark on the effect it has had on my thought process. It got me to think about legacy, temporal truths vs self-evident ones, and mostly obsession.
A hypothetical question: how would you want an audience or a critic to react to you on screen 60 years from now? Is it even worth it to try and meet a vague future's expectations? If you do that, what about the views of the present?
A quick trip to Wikipedia on Vertigo told me that it barely broke even on initial release. So, then why are we all so obsessed with it? It's returns were meh..and 1958 audiences felt the same. Well one answer could be that the audience changed between release and its revival. Hitchcock may have been trying to connect with his present but hit the bullseye on a future Zeitgeist. The question is was it intentional?
So why did the audience feel differently about male-obsession in the mid 1960s then they did in 1958? Which is closer to how we feel now? I don't know. My first thought is simply that the 1960s and feminism, changed the landscape of critics and the audience. The proliferation of violence and young obsessive behavior merited a reevaluation to Hitchcock's understanding of it.
My last thought was that it's far easier to follow through on obsessive behavior today than in 1958. We all should know. It's called social media. In 1958, you had to work at it hard and it showed that you followed through. Now you just follow their instagram.
You know it's a dark entry when Hitchcockian hallucinations are our reality.
4.2 out of 5 stars.
Jimmy Stewart looks better in black and white. He just does.
I'm hesitant to lavish praise on what is widely considered a classic because I don't think there is much I can say that hasn't already been said by critics, students, professors, bloggers, etc in the 61 years since its release. At this point, my pronouncement of its worth is lost long before I write it. Suffice it to say, Vertigo is worth the watch.
But, I would be remiss if I didn't remark on the effect it has had on my thought process. It got me to think about legacy, temporal truths vs self-evident ones, and mostly obsession.
A hypothetical question: how would you want an audience or a critic to react to you on screen 60 years from now? Is it even worth it to try and meet a vague future's expectations? If you do that, what about the views of the present?
A quick trip to Wikipedia on Vertigo told me that it barely broke even on initial release. So, then why are we all so obsessed with it? It's returns were meh..and 1958 audiences felt the same. Well one answer could be that the audience changed between release and its revival. Hitchcock may have been trying to connect with his present but hit the bullseye on a future Zeitgeist. The question is was it intentional?
So why did the audience feel differently about male-obsession in the mid 1960s then they did in 1958? Which is closer to how we feel now? I don't know. My first thought is simply that the 1960s and feminism, changed the landscape of critics and the audience. The proliferation of violence and young obsessive behavior merited a reevaluation to Hitchcock's understanding of it.
My last thought was that it's far easier to follow through on obsessive behavior today than in 1958. We all should know. It's called social media. In 1958, you had to work at it hard and it showed that you followed through. Now you just follow their instagram.
You know it's a dark entry when Hitchcockian hallucinations are our reality.
4.2 out of 5 stars.
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