My favorite Hitchcock film. I really should rewatch it sometime soon. My grade: A.

Not as high on my list as many others put it. Still a great movie, especially the second half.

Without question, one of the greatest films ever made. I don't want to comment too much on it because I think much of what underlies the film must be explored by the viewer, and only in exploring it can the viewer really appreciate the profundity of it. But I have to say that, had Hitchcock never made another film but this, it would still merit his ranking among the great artists cinema has produced.

A+


This is the first A+ I have given in such a long time. I was thinking of giving Rear Window an A+ too. I think the grades themselves are ridiculous, but whatever the case, the are two of the best films ever made, so grades don't matter that much here.

A/A-

Takes a bit to get going, I don't feel that outside the opening scene that it really picks up until Novak starts speaking, but once it starts it picks up a momentum and never stops. Fairly ingenious twist, pulled off in a fanastic finale. Hitchcock's direction is kind of unbeatable here, for the directing trade you can't really top his work in here. Stewart and Novak pull off their roles very well, also. Some scenes in here would rank among the best ever, really. There is a few inconsistencies though like a lack of traffic on the street whenever he's following her, and the Midge character amounting to mostly nothing.

For a long time I would flip-flop on what I really thought constituted Hitch's best work, but I think I've finally come to terms with it. Vertigo is his masterpiece. It's the one.

1 Vertigo
2 The Lady Vanishes
3 North By Northwest
4 Notorious
5 Rear Window

One of the 10 best films ever IMO, its unbelievable to know that this film was panned by critics when it came out and almost went out of print if it werent for people like scorsese and other filmakers.

I've always remembering *liking* this film, but going back tonight and reliving it was wonderful. It's wonderful.

Anyone buy Ebert's theory about Hitchcock's personal investment in the picture?

Haven't seen it for a decade or two, but I've seen it a dozen times and each succesive time liked it more and learned something new about it. The very peak of Hitchcock's art.

Just saw this the other day and all I have to say is I realize what all the fuss is about. It was simply amazing.

A

Not one of the best Hitchcock's movies, but still very good.
B++ or 9/10

Wow, that's a pretty radical opinion! What are his best in your opinion?

Psycho is his best work, in my opinion, it easily gets an A+ from me. Vertigo is also overtaken by North by Northwest, Rear Window, Birds and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), in decreasing order.

I think I can understand where you're coming from, though I don't agree...

I wasn't really overly impressed. It's classic Hitchcock direction, of course, but the plot tries to cover too many stories and it just becomes tiresome after a while. First there's the mystery surrounding Madeleine's 'possession', then the love story between her and Scotty, then the mystery surrounding her death, and then the love story between Scotty and Judy, and then - finally - the completion of the mystery. Too much flip-flopping between the various mysteries and love stories. I also thought that Scotty's vertigo should have been more incorporated into the film - it shows up once at the beginning, once in the middle, once at the end, and that's it. Still, Stewart is great and Novak is gorgeous and fantastic in her dualish role, and it's fantastically directed, of course. I would have loved it if it had followed the promise shown in the opening scene, but alas, only the trippy dream sequence and the stuff in the bell tower does so. Still a pretty good film, though.

i saw it for the first time and i found the first half confusing but the 2nd was done just beautifully, the ending was griping.

Considering the types of film that were out back in those days (ben-hur, the ten commandments). Having such a complex storyline and such a twist ending was very out of the norm for those days.

I give it A as the last 50 mins really made the movie special.

PLus the girl looked beautiful in her Grey suit and the music was griping.

This is easily one of those classics that is much loved today then it was first released. maybe it was to complicated for audiences back then.

B


"Incredibly overrated" are the words jumping into my mind thinking about this film that I have seen not too long ago, at last. It's certainly my least favorite Hitchcock film I've seen thus far. That's in no way to say that it's bad. The direction is still masterful, the performances, especially by Stewart are solid and the twist towards the end is, indeed, ingenious. I give it credit for that.

But for over half of the film it just strikes me as, well, boring. Scotty's fear of heights never really plays much into the plot, except for a few selected scenes. The love story wasn't engaging (didn't feel any chemistry between the leads). So it's a decent effort, but behind the few other Hitch films I've seen.

I saw it again yesterday for class. It definitely gets better on a second viewing, but I still don't think it's a masterpiece.

It's main problem, for me, is that it gives away its twist too soon. That scene right after Scotty meets Judy in her apartment, where she flashbacks to how the scene in the bell tower actually happened, is not only narratively useless and unneeded (because Scotty explains everything that happened as he's dragging Judy up the stairs at the end), but it drains all the supernatural mystery out of the film and just leaves us with 'another' Hitchcock crime thriller. That scene where the ghostly Judy/Madeleine emerges from the bathroom is not effective at all, since we already know the truth. If that terrible flashback had been omitted, we would have been left in Scotty's place, and wouldn't find out the truth until he does (with the necklace), and thus the mystery would be retained for much of the film.

Still, this is a film that definitely deserves more than one viewing, because the shifting narrative is so off-putting the first time around. It's beautifully directed and has some great sequences (the trippy dream is probably my favourite), and Stewart and Novak are terrific. Not Hitch's best, but it could have been.

Dude, A+.
If you didn't "get it," read something on it...it might help.

Why, you're absolutely right! I'm just too stupid to fully appreciate this film. Now that you have enlightened me, I am a better person. Read something about films? What a novel concept! I can't believe I'd never thought of that before....

Someone's defensive.
I was simply saying that if you don't get it, read something on it, (not addressed to you in particular) simply because there's a lot of stuff that's hard to see going on unless it's pointed out to you.

I watched it a 2nd time.

Actually Hitchcock and Paramount had a huge fight over including the flashback scene.


I think without it, it would have created perhaps one of the best endings of all time. The ending itself is quite unexpected still but if it the truth was revealed there as well, it would easily be a all time best ending like Psycho. The Ending of Psycho was sooooo unexpected a was literally spinning in confusion for like 5 mins.

This is one of those films where you have to be alone and stay focused and just watch the movie. It is one of this film that need a lot of thought and attention to appreciate properly.


However easily the highlight to me really is not the story but it is the beauty of the film that really makes it good and a masterpiece. The music and the scenery easily makes this one of the most beautiful ever filmed. The music was haunting and easily one of the best scores ever.

The flaw of the film was the flashback scene. Sure it would have made a really bizarre wacky ending, but we all love psycho though.

A

Best Score. of all time.

My favorite movie of all-time.

Not my most well liked film but this is tied with Psycho as my favourite Hitchcock film.

The film involves so much emotion and colour through its music and its scenery.

You can say it is not one the best film ever, however hands down it is one of the most beautiful films ever made.

second viewing reveals this as one of the most ambitious pictures I've had the privilege of seeing. how hitch manages to exemplify both what an auteur picture really is and make perfect hollywood thriller is beyond the comprehension of not only myself, but basically any other director.

if I weren't so stubborn, this would be my favorite movie.