The Most Overrated Film Ever?
....and why it's Vertigo (1958)
With Halloween around the corner, the films of Alfred Hitchcock — otherwise known as the Master of Suspense — will more than likely be screened by classic film aficionados to get into the spirt of the season. And while he didn’t necessarily direct horror pictures, Psycho (1960) remains number one as the American Film Institute’s (AFI) most thrilling movies. In fact, North by Northwest (1959) and The Birds (1963) also crack the top ten. So there are thrills to be sure, and there are magnificent circumstances the Master of Suspense lives up to his moniker.
Sadly, it appears Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will not be screening any of those movies this October — though Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Dial M for Murder (1954) have made the cut.
Hitchcock has numerous films I’ve enjoyed (see my top ten below), but one has left me perplexed as to why it ranks higher than others in his filmography. That film being 1958’s Vertigo.
For a brief synopsis, James Stewart is a former detective who is hired to follow a mentally unstable, even suicidal, woman. One of his character flaws is his fear of heights, which is relevant throughout the plot — including at the Mission San Juan Bautista’s bell tower. However, as the story unfolds, Stewart’s detective is also flawed by another trait: obsession. Without spoiling the film for the uninitiated, his obsession to ‘remake’ the death of a loved one spirals further and further into madness. And there lies the thrills. But the course is murky, confusing and, frankly, a little too uncomfortable. If it’s truly a metaphor for how Hollywood filmmaking ‘fixes’ actresses to appear and act a certain way, then Hitchcock successfully sticks the landing.
Also, it’s undeniable that the special effects and filmmaking are also top-notch. The use of color especially is effective (perhaps on the nose at points), but movies are about remembering the images, right? And there’s no doubt — Vertigo has memorable scenes.
So why is it overrated? The praises stop at the technicalities. What makes a story engaging are the characters and plot — both of which are either not charismatic enough (i.e. Stewart — whose best work is in Harvey) or, as mentioned previously, unnavigable plots. And what do I mean? If the audience has to keep asking ‘who’s who’ and ‘what’s what’ then you’ve taken them out of the film’s world. No matter how many times I’ve viewed Vertigo, my favorability of these elements has not improved.
My analysis is more aligned with contemporary reviews than modern-day critics. For example, Variety called the film “too long and slow” and the Los Angeles Times said the plot “bogs down in a maze of detail.” There are plenty more critiques on the Wikipedia page that I won’t bore you with — but suffice it say, Vertigo was not regarded as one of the greatest films ever at the time of its release.
Now the movie ranks ninth on AFI’s “Top 100” American films ever made. The Hitchcock classic dethroned Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) in the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine (side note: apparently Welles disliked Vertigo). Unlike Vertigo, other films in the same pantheon — like Citizen Kane or The Godfather — were critically and financially well-received. Granted, those factors don’t determine a movie’s legacy, but the 1958 film is not even the best in his own filmography (Psycho was more popular critically and financially when released, and is more than likely Hitchcock’s most recognizable film).
Surely, appreciation for a film can evolve over time, and the film has definitely found its audience — with the origins growing out of the ‘New Hollywood’ directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Coppola. Yet, like Blade Runner (1982), Vertigo is one of those movies that, no matter how many times I watch it, my level of appreciation remains the same. I’ve tried to like this film, but to no avail. It’s still confounding, still unengaging from a character perspective, as if Hitchcock treats his characters more as dolls than “flesh and blood” (although I do think Kim Novak does a nice job).
If you like or even love Vertigo, I won’t protest. Perhaps this is a case where I heard great things before my first viewing and ended up disappointed. Still, when compared to other more character driven dramas Hitchcock directed, Vertigo falls short in my eyes.
…and the second most overrated film in my view is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Send me your angry letters (or maybe join me in a polite debate on an episode of Straight to Laserdisc?).
As promised, here are my favorite Hitchcock movies:
Shadow of a Doubt (which was Hitchcock’s personal favorite!)
Rebecca
Psycho
North by Northwest
Rear Window
Strangers on a Train
Notorious
To Catch a Thief (which, I believe, was a precursor to the James Bond films)
The Birds
The Man who Knew too Much (1956)