Every 10 years, since 1952, the British film magazine Sight and Sound polls
critics and directors on the "Greatest Films" ever made.
For cinema fanatics (and list fanatics) such as myself, it's a major event.
My wife Emily and I are planning on watching the top 10, 1 by 1, and
having a conversation about them here on the blog. We'll start with
#1, Vertigo, and move on down the list.
1. Vertigo (Hitchcock)
2. Citizen Kane (Welles)
3. Tokyo Story (Ozu)
4. The Rules of the Game (Renoir)
5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau)
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)
7. The Searchers (Ford)
8. Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov)
9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)
10. 8 1/2 (Fellini)
We hope you enjoy!
Ben:
Vertigo
is only the third film to hold the top spot on
the list.
Bicycle Thieves held it in 1952 and Citizen Kane had a long run on
the
top spot. from 1962-2002. Vertigo first appeared on the list in 1982
at
#7, moved to #4 in 1992, and to #2 by 2002. It was a bit of a
shock to
see Citizen Kane off the top, but I guess this was probably
the least
surprising film to topple Kane.
Vertigo is a film by one of just about
everyone's favorite directors,
Alfred Hitchcock, and is his only film to ever make
the top 10 list.
It came out in 1958 and was considered something of a box
office
failure. It starts James Stewart as a man hired to follow another
man's
wife (Kim Novak), who seems to be entranced by a dead woman. To
say much
more would ruin the many pleasures of discovery in the movie.
I hadn't
seen this movie in probably 15 years, and it was quite an
amazing experience to
watch it again. The themes in this movie seem
so modern, and so
influential, that its hard to believe what Hitchcock
could do in 1958.
Emily, I guess I'll ask you a few questions to get us started:
-Why do you think critics are gaga for this film?
-What was your favorite shot or sequence in the film?
-Is Scottie (played by the usually lovable James Stewart) one of the most twisted protagonists in film history?
Emily:
This was my first time seeing Vertigo, and I have to say it was
pretty entrancing. The twists, turns, eeriness, darkness, and
obsessiveness -all juxtaposed with the striking backdrop of sunny San Francisco -really drew me in, and probably the critics too. It's interesting
to know this was originally considered only a marginal success, given
how well it's known today.
My favorite sequences were the really spooky moments. Can I say
two? The first was when Scottie and Madeleine are in Muir Woods, looking
at the tree rings on the redwoods. Madeleine flips into Carlota mode, showing Scottie when she was born and... when she died. Chilling.
And kudos to Hitchcock for taking advantage of this gorgeous setting.
The
second is when the remade-as-Madeline Judy emerges from the
bathroom in a haze, in her pulled back blonde hair and gray suit. The way
it's shot gives it this great ghostly feel.
While I am definitely no film historian, so can't say whether
Scottie is the most twisted character in film history, I'd have to think
he's probably right up there! It's like being obsessed with the past and dead women is contagious - first in the case of Madeleine, then in
the
case of Scottie. And it leads him to say and do some pretty bizarre things.
So let me ask you:
-Why the change in momentum in this film's critical acclaim?
-What directorial elements did you appreciate most?
Ben:
Ah, yes. I also appreciate the spooky moments, and I also
love how they're also infused with romanticism. I especially love a
couple scenes. First, where Scottie follows Madeline down a
downtown alley and spies on her as she browses a dazzling array of flowers.
So
beautiful and heady. I also love the 360 degree camera
angle when they embrace and it switches between their current locale and
the mission.
The change in criticism came for a couple of reasons. I
think the themes of this movie were a little disturbing for early
audiences, who didn't flock to this movie as much as his "fun" movies
like Rear Window or North by Northwest.
Also, during most of his career, Hitchcock was considered
talented and popular, but also somewhat of a genre filmmaker. It took
some of the European critics to elevate him to his much deserved masterful
status. What they loved about him was his command of the craft and psychological undertones, and this movie fits this to a T.
As a side note, it only shows how great he is that Vertigo is probably my
3rd or 4th favorite movie of his. I love Rear Window and Psycho
even more.
What directorial choices did I like most? I love the
technicolor and the amazing score by Bernard Hermann. I also love how much
he uses visuals to tell the story. We'll be getting to some silent
films later in our viewings, but I think he really took a lot of
visual storytelling from past films into Vertigo. There are
several sequences where words don't happen for quite a while and we are
simply transfixed by the score, the visuals, and Kim Novak's hair
twist....
It just makes me want to watch the whole thing again.
I also love how it influenced one of my other favorite movies,
David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. The mystery, the doubles, the
changing of style, and the twisted romanticism. It's all there so
beautifully in both films.
Any closing thoughts?
Emily:
Yeah, it definitely makes me want to watch Mulholland Drive again (another great movie!), and take notice of the influences. Another blog conversation for another time?
A couple final thoughts. First, I wanted to mention was that there were several points where I thought Scottie's misogyny and the
general portrayal of women was kind of over the top, and wasn't sure if
this was a product of the time or Hitchcock's own views. But then some
of the unpredictable turns in the storyline end up adding complexity
to the question of who holds the power. What's your feminist critique?
Then finally, I would just want to add for those who have never
seen Vertigo before, go put it in your queue! It was truly a riveting watch, and a film I'd highly recommend seeing.
Ben:
Yes, the misogyny was over the top, but I think the movie is
fully aware of that. Scottie's obsession with recreating a
certain type of woman is creepy and crazy. I also think the most
accessible and sympathetic character in the movie is Scottie's friend (and
admirer) Midge, played by Barbara Bel Geddes. She definitely seems
like a modern, independent woman. And yet, Hitchcock definitely
had a thing for cool, icy, blondes, and put them through all sorts of
travails in his movies. I think a reason critics obsess over this
movie so much is the psychological underpinnings that give us a peek into
Hitchock's own psyche.
So yes, go see it!
Next
Up (Probably in October): Just a little movie called Citizen Kane!
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