Vertigo

     A retired detective, Scottie Ferguson, who suffers from a paralyzing fear of heights, is called to follow an old school chum's wife and her strange actions.  Ferguson soon finds himself falling in love with her, but this is no ordinary love story.  Scottie becomes entangled in a dark, dangerous web of deceit and obsession.

     "Vertigo" is one of the most exquisitely made movies in history.  Filmed like a fever dream, Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece is a triumph of cinema.  Almost lost forever, it's been painstakingly remastered, and the picture and sound quality are nothing short of astonishing. It's dark, haunting, and hypnotic- there is just something about this movie that gets under your skin. It still has an effect on me, and I've seen it way too many times to count.

     To give away anything about this movie is a crime- trust me, it just needs to be seen.  Part of a string of outstanding movies made by the master of suspense, "Vertigo" is such a classic that I get a bit tongue-tied just trying to talk about it.  I'm such a Hitchcock junkie that I can never find anything bad to say about any of his movies, much less "Vertigo".  Unbelievably, this was a huge flop when it was first released in 1958- how this is possible is beyond me.  James Stewart delivers the performance of a lifetime here.  It's almost hard to imagine good ole' American Stewart in such a dark role, but he pulls it off beautifully.  Kim Novak is also unforgettable- she doesn't even speak until almost an hour into the film, yet she immediately makes a lasting impression.

      Hitchcock mixes a complicated story, lavish visual detail, Bernard Hermann's unearthly and mysterious score, tension stretched almost to the point of discomfort, incredible San Fransisco locations and unbelievable matte shots to make a movie that's simply astonishing.  The restoration edition DVD  is a must-have, and the documentary detailing the movie's restoration is completely and utterly fascinating.  Honestly, I could blab all night about "Vertigo", or you could just watch it for yourself and hopefully fall under its mysterious and enchanting spell.