Unpopular opinion: Vertigo is not Hitchcock’s best film. It’s not even his best film starring James Stewart (that would be Rear Window). Nor does it have his best trippy nightmare sequence (that would be Spellbound).

I can’t help but feel the story would be improved without the big reveal in Judy’s hotel room; keeping the audience in the same mindset as Scottie. [I’m not completely off-base here; even Hitch wanted the flashback omitted.]

That said, even a decent Hitchcock film is better than most films and there’s lots to like here, especially on a technical level, and also Stewart’s performance.

Scottie’s post-breakdown obsession has always bothered me (yes, I know that’s the point), but more upsetting than that is Judy’s and the rest of society’s willingness to go along with it: “Yes sir, we know what you like” as Judy is breaking down in the corner. That’s messed up, 1950s America.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2