 Considered by many to be director Alfred Hitchcock's greatest achievement, Leonard Maltin gives Vertigo four stars, hailing it as "A genuinely great motion picture." Set among San Francisco's renown landmarks, James Stewart is brilliant as Scottie Ferguson, an acrophobic detective hired to shadow a friend's suicidal wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak). After he saves her from drowning in the bay, Scottie's interest shifts from business to fascination with the icy, alluring blonde. When tragedy strikes and Madeleine dies, Scottie is devastated. But when he finds another woman remarkably like his lost love, the now obsessed detective must unravel the secrets of the past to find the key to his future. Storyline: John "Scottie" Ferguson is a retired San Francisco police detective who suffers from acrophobia and Madeleine is the lady who leads him to high places. A wealthy shipbuilder who is an acquaintance from college days approaches Scottie and asks him to follow his beautiful wife, Madeleine. He fears she is going insane, maybe even contemplating suicide, because she believes she is possessed by a dead ancestor. Scottie is skeptical, but agrees after he sees the beautiful Madeleine. Written by filmfactsman Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on November 6, 2012 -- A man confronts his accuser atop the Statue of Liberty, where one false move will spell death. A wolf in sheep's clothing allows the beast lurking within to bear its teeth. A housemaster slowly, oh so slowly, pieces together the heinous crime perpetrated by two former students. A woman searches for clues in a suspected murderer's apartment just as the man returns home. Four people work to keep the demise of a fellow smalltown resident a secret from a local deputy. An assassin's gun slides out from behind a curtain as an ordinary man races to thwart his plot. An airplane buzzes then roars past as a man dives for cover. The hiss of a shower masks the approach of a madman with a knife in his hand. Countless birds gather on a jungle gym as a woman smokes a cigarette nearby. A husband barges into his new wife's bedroom and has his way with her as she retreats into a near-catatonic state. A physicist discovers killing a man isn't as easy as it might seem, wrestling with his victim right up until the violent end. A purple dress billows out beneath a dying woman like spilled blood. A serial killer retrieves his pin from a woman's grasp, one dead finger at a time. A fake psychic tries to squirm out of a thief's vice-like grip as he pushes a syringe closer and closer. Be it drama, horror or comedy, psychological stunner, monster movie or international spy thriller, is it any mystery that filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was known as the Master of Suspense? Is it any wonder his movies still hold hypnotic sway over filmfans all these years later? Vertigo debuted to mixed reviews, audience apathy and general disappointment. It would be twenty-five years before the film finally earned the reception it deserved, when its 1983 theatrical re-release was greeted with fanfare and high praise. Fast forward to 2012, as Hitchcock is experiencing nothing short of a postmortem resurgence. It's abundantly clear that Vertigo was ahead of its time, and even more clear that it deserves to be ranked among the best and most important films of the latter half of Hitchcock's career. Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak's performances are riveting, the story itself is an ingenious labyrinth of identity and deception (improbable though it all may be) and the director's eye is as sharp as it's ever been. The mystery surrounding Madeline's possession, attempted suicides and eventual fate still has the power to captivate, and the suspense of it all borders on unbearable. This is Hitchcock in rare form, defying convention and breaking every last rule. Twisting, upending then subverting expectation. Assembling all the pieces, from screenwriters to actors to cinematographers and composers. Pitting a fatally flawed man against his own weakness, a detective against his own duty, and a lover against his own deep feelings. This is Hitchcock in control. Hitchcock choosing the game and manipulating each piece. Hitchcock doing something unlike anything he did before or since. This is the master at work, and Vertigo represents something of a masterpiece. Vertigo isn't a perfect Hitchcock film as some contend, but it is one of the enormously talented filmmaker's finest. Ahead of its time and in full command of its faculties, it twists, turns, coaxes, manipulates, lunges and goes in for the kill, all with such unnerving ease that it earns its place among the greatest films of the era. Fortunately, it also earns an excellent Blu-ray disc that features a high quality video presentation, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and a solid selection of extras. It doesn't offer perfection on any front, but it comes close enough to make this one of the best releases available in the 15-film Masterpiece Collection. Cameo: Vertigo - 1958 - 0:11.40 - In a grey suit walking in the street with a trumpet case. Cast Notes: James Stewart (John 'Scottie' Ferguson), Kim Novak (Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton), Barbara Bel Geddes (Marjorie 'Midge' Wood), Tom Helmore (Gavin Elster), Henry Jones [I] (Coroner), Raymond Bailey (Scottie's Doctor), Ellen Corby (Manageress of McKittrick Hotel), Konstantin Shayne (Pop Leibel), Lee Patrick (Older Mistaken Identification). IMDb Rating (12/22/12): 6.7/10 from 12,044 users
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