Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
For the longest time, I thought that I preferred “Psycho” and “Rear Window” over “Vertigo” but after this rewatch I´ve come to the conclusion that the former two movies are simply more accessible compared to the strange, you could even say trippy narrative of “Vertigo” but the more often I watch it the more I realize that this film is the most brilliantly constructed and crafted as well as thematically most layered and rewarding masterpiece of Alfred Hitchcock´s career. Then again, how do you compare perfection with perfection?
“Vertigo” begins as a film noir in color, then turns into a supernatural ghost story, only to finally reveal itself as a riveting psychological thriller and profound cinematic study of desire, obsession, paranoia, voyeurism, identity, manipulation, control, and madness. Similar to “Rear Window”, “Vertigo” can be interpreted as a meta-cinema commentary, though this time it´s less about the director´s/audience´s gaze (though this is part of it) and more about the blurred line between imagination and reality and the director´s desire to form the world to his will and his ultimate failure to do so. He might create illusions that resemble reality, but they remain uncanny illusions, nonetheless. It´s widely assumed that Hitchcock processed his own personal demons with this film, in particular his obsession with having control over his actresses, to mold them to conform to his desire and embody his Hitchcock Blonde archetype, a fake image that could never become reality. It´s a movie about men who gaze at women but don´t see them as they are. Instead, they project their own desires and ideals on them, force them to conform to said ideals, and when they realize that reality cannot conform to fantasy, they lose their mind. Yet the biggest prize is always paid by the women. If you will, “Vertigo” offered the most damning cinematic indictment of toxic masculinity long before that even was a widely used term. And for Hitchcock, it was a self-indictment, which is why it´s so uncomfortable, bitter, and hard-hitting.
Everything about “Vertigo” is filmmaking at its finest, including the captivating opening credits, glorious Technicolor visuals, hypnotic atmosphere, unpredictable plot, symbolic color scheme, evocative San Francisco setting, innovative camera techniques, Bernard Herrmann´s godly score, and Hitchcock´s sublime formalism and mastery over tension. As two highlights I have to mention the long dialogue-free observation sequence and the surreal dream sequence, which in my opinion are two of the greatest achievements in film directing. And of course, the film is further elevated by James Stewart in his greatest role casted against type and Kim Novak, who lights up the screen, both embodying and deconstructing the Hitchcock Blonde archetype like no other actress did.
I guess after this rewatch I now agree with Sight & Sound. “Vertigo” is Alfred Hitchcock´s magnum opus and one of the greatest movies ever made. Also, given how much this haunting, mind-bending “ghost story” influenced “Mulholland Drive”, one of my top 3 all-time favorite movies, it shouldn´t be surprising that I consider it my favorite Hitchcock film (“Sunset Boulevard” is my favorite Billy Wilder film for similar reasons).
