When the name Alfred Hitchcock is dropped, people immediately think suspenseful. Certainly the name is synonymous with thrillers, films that keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last moment. Hitchcock's 1958 thriller Vertigo does not disappoint. A masterfully done film, Vertigo captures the audience's attention from the strange but artsy introduction right to the final moments.
At first, this movie was truly astounding. I was captivated by the intricate, complicated story, which kept me guessing. A truly amazing thing is the fact that despite revealing the twist in the middle of the movie, Hitchcock is able to keep the story going, and for quite some time. At first you believe that Vertigo really is about the mysterious actions of Madeleine Elster and Scottie's determination to uncover the truth. But as the movie progresses past Madeleine's demise, you realize that it is truly about Scottie, and his personal battle to let go. At the beginning, when his partner falls to his death, Scottie cannot let go of the feeling that it is his fault, and that his fear of heights is the cause. He is so consumed and burdened by the guilt that he leaves his post as a detective within the police force. Later, when Madeleine similarly falls to her death, Scottie cannot forget and move on. Rather, he spends his days searching for a new Madeleine, one who can fill the void in his heart that her death brought on.
However, when I reached the end of the movie, I was shocked and disappointed. Not only did the ending make no sense, it was too sudden and swift an ending for a movie that had been so good thus far. First of all, what on earth did Judy think was happening that scared her so much? Nowhere perviously was it established that Judy was scared or feared for her life, except maybe at the end when Scottie was scaring her by roughly questioning her. Yet, a vague, shadowy figure (that clearly resembles a nun) frightens Judy enough for her to fall to her death, without a thought. It just doesn't make sense.
This got me thinking about the movie some more, and I discovered that I had problems with the plot. For one thing, when Judy, playing as Madeleine, went to the hotel, Scottie followed in right after her. But the hotel keeper said she hadn't seen anybody, and when Scottie looks out the window, Madeleine's car is gone. How Madeleine got in and out of the hotel without the hotel keeper or Scottie knowing is never explained. At the time it didn't seem odd, because you're wondering just how real Madeleine is. But when it is revealed that Judy was simply playing Madeleine, this little detail is simply glossed over. As well, if Judy truly fell in love with Scottie when playing Madeleine, why didn't she tell him exactly what was going on? At the end of the movie, Judy tells Scottie that she ran away from him and up those steps to stop the murder from taking place. Really? Why not tell Scottie what was going on before she led him to that town? I mean, she knew that the murder was going to take place there and then, so why not clue him in and have the police brought to the scene?
I know, there are answers to that last query. Scottie still thought she was crazy, or she loved him but also loved Elster, or even she didn't have the guts to try and stop Elster until the very last moment. The most obvious answer, I suppose, is that it wouldn't be much of a movie if Elster had been stopped. But that doesn't stop me from being disappointed in the plot.
That being said, the movie was still well done. Cinematically, the shots were incredible, especially the shot of Madeleine driving along the water with Scottie following her. The scene is so wonderfully filmed, with the wide shot of both cars driving around a bend, that it makes you forget about the movie for a second and forces you to ponder the art behind it. Truly, Vertigo was shaped up to be one of my favorite movies until that ridiculous end, but, I can't have everything I suppose. C'est la vie.
