#9 Vertigo

Sadly it's come to an end....the final James Stewart (and Hitchcock) movie on the list.

Vertigo is actually ranked #1 on the BFI List (British Version). Look, I'm not one to side with Americans on many things, nothing really. But the Brits took a swing and a miss with that one. Although, so did the Yankees.

Vertigo is a good movie, but honestly? It's not even the best Hitchcock film, let alone worthy of a Top 10 here. Out of three Hitchcock films, I'd put them in this order: Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo. When according to AFI, it's the opposite. Meh, can't please them all.

It's a good enough story - though lacking in any suspense/mystery/freaky aspects that you'd expect from Hitchcock. To me, it's more so just a standard crime drama with an unfortunate ending (not style wise, plot wise...not a happy ending).  That, at least, is very Hitchcockian. Did I just make that word up?

Carry on.

Jimmy Stewart is great as always, and you see something you rarely see from him in his movies - in multiple scenes he is freaked out as shit. You can see it in his eyes, despair, fear, it's great on his part.

It didn't matter much back in the day, but even Hitchcock had to admit he had an issue with Stewart being twice the age (literally) as his love interest (Kim Novak). He was 50 Alfred. You cast him after all. But this very well could be standard Hitchcock drumming up press/interest. He was known to do that - even creating fake fueds on the set between co stars.

But I'm trying to think why this movie, of the three on the list, is in the Top Ten. Why not Rear Window? Or Psycho? Both were pretty revolutionary in terms of approach and filming style. Vertigo did introduce a pretty crazy technique that gives the audience the feeling that they too are suffering a bout of vertigo due to acrophobia. Which is pretty crazy in and of itself, but apart from that it's a simple murder/setup/frame someone else type of movie. 

Hey, at least I was able to see Jimmy Stewart again before I finished this thing - and within shooting distance of a Bogie and Clark Gable film. The ultimate triad. Look at those too pimps!