Skip to main content

Vertigo - film review

Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. The film was based on the book by Boileau-Narcejac called D'entre les mort (directly translated into English as The Living and the Dead), which was written in 1954. The story was then adapted for the screen by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor.
"The story concerns a former detective (Scottie) who suffers from vertigo, who is hired to follow the wife of a friend who is puzzled by her strange behavior. The detective becomes obsessed with the woman, eventually falling in love with her but unable to explain her strange trances and her belief in a previous life".
Some critics have named 'Vertigo' as one of Hitchcocks greatest films, and it could be perhaps be seen as a confession from Hitchcock himself, dealing with the way he used and controlled women in his films - much like the main character (Scottie).

The film is well-known for it's use of the 'Dolly Zoom' which is used frequently throughout the film to convey what happens when a sufferer from vertigo looks down from a great height suggesting a 'falling away from oneself' feeling, which it does perfectly. The audience is drawn into the scene itself, the longevity of the tower stretching to show ridiculous heights that whilst the mind knows it is still the same height they cannot help but feel like they are falling.

The Dolly Zoom was nicknamed the 'Hitchcock Zoom' or the 'Vertigo effect' as this was its first appearance onscreen.



Reviews:
  • Hitchcocks' rich and strange fable of love lost, and lost again, makes the case for him as a grand experimental artist who labored in genre cinema - SLANT MAGAZINE
  • Vertigo is an acknowledged masterpiece, one of those narrative films in which a bracing and unpredictable story has been distilled into a form that is at once classic and inventive - BLOG.OREGONLIVE
  • Hitchcocks' most tender story - TIMEOUT

Vertigo is a puzzling and yet compelling film that draws the audience in with mystery and intrigue, dazzling the senses with state-of-the-art special effects and a brilliant plot-line that will never fail to disappoint.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

STORYBOARDING: The Chess Player

A few months ago I was presented with the opportunity to create the storyboards for a student project at the University I had graduated from. Having always storyboarded my own projects, and used to drawing what I could see inside my own mind, I jumped at the chance to help visualise someone else's film. Everybody sees things differently. We imagine, we visualise in different ways. Maybe because our brains are wired differently, maybe because we all rely on different experiences or the things we've read. A wide shot to one person might be a close to another; or someone might prefer a high-angled birds eye view, whilst another a fish-eye lens effect. There are endless ways to visualise a story and we are all unique when it comes to this. So being tasked with aiding in the visualisation of someone else's film is by no means an easy feat. One must be able to see inside the director's mind, understand their vision and translate that into something that will reach and ...

Cardiff Film and Comic Con Event - Sat 1st March '14

Cardiff Film and Comic Con ( also known as the Film and Comic Convention)   was on at Motorpoint arena on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd March 2014. Following the success of the first Cardiff  Film and Comic Con, the event was full of promise for hundreds of people across the UK.  Comic Con events occur approximately four times a year, if not more. It is a convention that joins everything from films, Tv, games and comics together and welcomes everyone who is interested in those worlds - as well as those who are just discovering them. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people and famous actors, actresses, screenwriters, authors, publishers and directors; many of whom take part in discussions, panels, signings and photo booths. The Reluctant Blogger , Lifeline and Shirley Holmes At Comic Con it is a tradition to dress up and come as your favourite character from a film, Tv programme, game or comic. At Cardiff in March 2014 one of the most pr...

TRAILER REVIEW: STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI

Finally, after what feels like decades of waiting, it is finally here... After the epicness of The Force Awakens , and then the Episode 4 prequel Rogue One, who knew that it was possible to get even more excited about Star Wars? Following on from Episode 7, The Last Jedi promises more adventure, more action, and could possibly (just like The Empire Strikes Back ) be overshadowed by the dark side of the force - hence the red typeface perhaps? There were so many unanswered questions left after the last film: Who are Rey's parents? Who is Snoke? Has Luke already turned to the dark side? Will Finn survive? What is Snoke planning next? Will Kylo Ren eventually turn to the light, and be reunited with his mother? Will Leia be reunited with Luke? Who knows? But the teaser trailer does offer enough sneak peeks to let the entire Star Wars fandom start speculating and anticipating the movie's plot.  Besides, we've all watched it a million times now, right? WARNING: TEAS...