I watched this last year, too, and basically I feel the same way about Hitchcock's classic.

I feel Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) is a bit abandoned--both as a character and as a strand of a subplot. Even though both Kim Novak and James Stewart shine, the romantic chemistry is wobbly.

As a structured calculus on creating and elongating a mystery, VERTIGO shines. And on this viewing I feel more of the weight and calculated intention in so much of VERTIGO's slow-moving, enigmatic behaviour.

The hearing into Madeleine's death struck me as particularly powerfully acted as Stewart caught the slings and arrows of character assassination from the coroner, Henry Jones. Stewart is beautifully dumbfounded and Jones is somehow gleefully nasty in his work of assessing the case.

VERTIGO gives us the beautiful opening rooftop scene and memorable outings at the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bell tower (and I never realized until now that the exterior image was a special effect as it didn't really exist). I also found the red-room restaurant particularly impactful in its loud, violent ambiance. It's such an overwhelming red, and the interior seems to be broken into chambers where people can flow through--I wonder actually, if the scene is meant to be a representation of 'inside the human heart'. The eerie final act and it's twisty end--even accompanied by an agent of God (the nun) all feel underwhelming a bit to me. However, when I take a step back, I realize that I'm watching early writings of this cinematic code--haunted characters, dark endings, climactic twists, memorable setpieces, thematic texture.

Ultimately, I'm watching VERTIGO again to complement my DePalma marathon. So many broad references: the art gallery (DRESSED TO KILL), cloudy cinematography (OBSESSION), staircases & mirror compositions (almost everywhere in DePalma's film), rooftop scene (DOMINO), climactic setpiece and a fall (BLOW OUT). It can be easy to forget how so many of Hitchcock's calculated choices have become so routine today.
B+/A-