Despite being 60 years old, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' still holds up today. Its breathtaking use of colour and camera work to tell the story is excellently anchored by Bernard Herrman's majestic score and some masterful performances by James Stewart and Kim Novak. The film perfectly conveys the theme of voyeurism, thanks to Hitchcock's amazing use of the shot-reverse-shot structure and eye-line matches, to place us inside the head of Scottie, who we begin to discover may not be the person whom we should be rooting for. The themes that 'Vertigo' explore are definitely ahead of their time, and it is confounding that Hitchcock actually managed to sneak them into this studio film. The story takes some genuinely unexpected turns and Hitchcock cleverly allows the audience to be one-step ahead of the characters, in order to create tension and excitement. Although the film does include some heavy exposition, Hitchcock's use of visual storytelling (especially in the first act) makes up for it, and this makes the film require much more thought than many from its time. My main issue with the film is its somewhat quick conclusion. A little more time to digest what is happening would have made the ending more satisfying. Still, 'Vertigo' is definitely a great film and, in my opinion, Hitchcock's best. 8/10

On second viewing, there were a lot of great things that I hadn't noticed the first time around; subtle clues of the twists to come, being able to view the film while knowing the inevitable outcome adds a new level of tragedy to the events of the film for the viewer. While I may have romanticised this film in my head after my first viewing years ago, I believe it is still an absolute masterpiece, and a good starting point for my proceeding journey into the best of cinema.

If you've only encountered the films of Alfred Hitchcock through scary films like PSYCHO and THE BIRDS then you are missing out on the bulk of his work and some of the finest motion pictures ever made. I had the privilege of checking out one of his best films, VERTIGO, on the big screen as part of the EMAGINE WILLOW CREEK's SECRET CINEMA series - and what a treat it was.Starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, VERTIGO is a film about obsession, desire, deception and murder all told in a package by the great Hitchock that pops off the screen and into your brain. EVERY part of this film works and it still holds up 60 years after it's release.Stewart stars as John "Scotty" Ferguson a former Police Detective who must retire from the force because of his severe acrophobia (fear of heights) heightened by vertigo. He is asked by a friend to follow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak) for fear that she is suicidal. I won't spoil what happens from there, but Hitchcock puts us on the trail of a psychological thriller where Scotty is both the hero and the heel - a real balancing act to pull off and one that needs a beloved actor like Jimmy Stewart in order to be successful. We instantly start liking - and trusting - Scotty from the beginning only to start to lose our trust of him as the events unfold. Stewart's performance is one of the best of his career and holds our attention throughout.Equally captivating is Novak's portrayal of the suicidal wife, Madeleine, who is equal parts beautiful, mysterious and cagey. Without giving too much away, Scotty starts to fall for Madeleine and with Novak's performance, I can see why. She has the trickier part to play in this film and plays the layers of her character well. But this is a Hitchcock film through and through - and shows a top director at the top of his game. From the opening note of Bernard Hermann's off-kilter score to the use of color, place and camera movement, Hitchcock keeps the viewer off-center throughout the film, immersing us in a world that is not quite real, not quite false, which mirrors the reality (or un-reality) that Scotty is dealing with himself.If you have not seen this film, I strongly recommend that you do. If you have not seen this film on the large screen, I doubly strongly encourage you to do so. as it will be theaters on March 18 & 21 as part of Turner Classic Movie's Big Screen Classics film series.Vertigo was recently sited by the BFI Site and Sound poll as the best film of all time, and while I don't quite share that rating of it, I do rate it as ONE of the top films of all time.Letter Grade: A+10 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)

Vertigo Vertigo definitely has some twists, tragic and a dark theme but most of the time is spent on carving the characters which could have been edited better.