September 21, 2010

FILM THEORY 101: VERTIGO


It's a film about stalking, mind-fucking, and murder.

Originally released in 1958, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was a flop but has since become one of his most beloved and studied films.

It was filmed on location here in San Francisco, a city that Mr. Hitchcock loved and said was his favorite American city. In fact, he is quoted as saying the city by the bay was "the most Parisian city outside of Paris."

I'm not sure how I feel about the movie, it is a bizarre one. But if I see that it's on television, I do find myself sitting down for a viewing. I suppose that if I really had to break it down, it's the performance of James Stewart that draws me in.

Stewart plays police detective Scottie, a vulnerable, broken-hearted and slightly mentally-ill man police detective. His portrayal is completely out of sync with the macho 1950's idea of what a real man was, and it's what I think makes he performance so amazingly good.

2 comments:

  1. ahahahaha: "Scottie"...an overly-vulnerable, broken-hearted and slightly mentally ill man. wonder why it sucks you in ;)

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  2. lol i saw that after i finished and thought "oh man, here it comes."

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