![]() ![]() His chilling monotone voice, his expressive eyes, and his chilling grin all highlight a scarier and subtler Jimmy Stewart. Witness the chilling final scenes as Scottie drives Kim Novak’s Madeleine/Judy to the tower where she supposedly died earlier in the film. In Vertigo, Stewart’s John “Scottie” Ferguson transitions from the Jimmy Stewart audiences had loved in many previous films (early on, he channels that same “aw-shucks” quality he trafficked in) to an obsessive, almost unhinged man who inadvertently forces the women he loves to plummet to her death. In four collaborations (Rope, Rear, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window, and Vertigo), Hitchcock coaxed scarier, rougher, and–ultimately–BETTER performances out of Stewart. Hitchcock was one of the few directors to exploit the audience’s perception of Stewart. Not unlike Tom Hanks in our modern era, Stewart was seen as a real-life “good guy” and parlayed that impression into a onscreen persona of kindness and virtue. Smith Goes to Washington, and It’s a Wonderful Life is famous for being a humble, generous Everyman in the majority of his films. The star of such films as The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, Mr. Below are the eight reasons that Vertigo is Alfred Hitchcock’s unequivocal greatest film. It’s moody, it’s romantic, it’s insane, it’s gorgeous, and it’s one-of-a-kind. What was behind the rapid rise of Hitchcock’s most moody movie? (Which also came in at #1 in British magazine Sight and Sound’s 2012 poll.) Mostly, in a critical re-evaluation of Hitchcock’s career, critics and cinephiles have realized what a profoundly ahead-of-its-time movie it is. Most notably, though, Vertigo, originally the lowest rated of the four, in the nine or ten years that had elapsed, came to be considered Hitchcock’s classic, rising an incredible 54 spots to #9, ahead of The Wizard of Oz and one spot below Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. ![]() North by Northwest was a victim of the same, dropping below Rear Window to #55. Rear Window, a victim of a number of movies joining the list and a few others moving up, descended six spots to #48. Psycho rose in esteem, gaining four spots and ending up at #14. Something interesting happened with Hitchcock’s oeuvre. Hitchcock was one of the most well-represented directors on the list, indicative of his critical standing and influence on cinema.ĪFI decided to revisit their list in 2007, revising and re-ordering based on a critical reassessment of all of the previous films. When the American Film Institute (AFI) released its first list of the 100 Greatest American Films in 1998, Hitchcock had four films make the list: Psycho came in #18, North by Northwest came in at #40, Rear Window came in at #42, and the haunting and atmospheric Vertigo followed at #61. And a passionate crowd would have also lobbied for Rear Window, Hitchcock’s taut thriller that riffs on the idea of paranoia come true. Though once considered a horror film, it feels more like a campy parody in 2017. Northwest is Hitchcock at his most spry, juggling a twisty plot, showy set pieces, and a romance with aplomb.Īnd there were probably even votes for The Birds, arguably Hitchcock’s most dated film. Some may have stumped for North by Northwest, with its charming leads and its espionage-lite plot. For years, the consensus pick was Psycho, Hitchcock’s tense puzzler of a movie that ends with one of the most well-known twists of all time. ![]() Obviously, to discuss which of his movies is his best would inspire furious debate. He is beloved and revered for the mark he left on cinema. Not only did he create some of the most suspenseful films ever put on screen, but he collaborated with an incredible composer (Bernard Herrmann) on some indelible music, created new types of camera shots and angles with his directors of photography (most notably with Robert Burks), and coaxed great performances out of the many actors and actresses that had the pleasure of working with him on his movies. Alfred Hitchcock is considered a visionary and impressive director for good reason. ![]()
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