Rightfully acknowledged by many as Hitchcock’s “greatest achievement,” Vertigo is an illustrious masterpiece of infatuation, deception, detection, and dizzy spells that delivers on multiple levels.  In addition to its spinning sensation, induced by the “contra-zoom/trombone shot,” Vertigo exhibits a rotational component in its shift from one genre to the next; one minute it’s a mystery, then a romance, and finally a thriller.  Likewise, while Vertigo features countless instances/metaphors of mirrored images, it is a matchless reflection of Hitchcock’s style, ability, and celebrated status.

After a traumatizing incident, involving hanging from a rooftop and witnessing a fellow policeman fall to his death, San Francisco detective John “Scottie” Ferguson acquires acrophobia, a tremendous fear of heights.  Due to this sudden, non-permanent disability, Scottie quits the force and spends more time with his friend and former fiancée, Marjorie “Midge” Wood (Barbara Bel Geddes).

However, when an old college friend named Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) asks Scottie to follow his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), Scottie puts his detective hat on once more.  Gavin fears that his wife is possessed and suicidal.  Upon investigating, Scottie soon agrees.  Yet once Scottie and Madeline connect near the Golden Gate Bridge, things take an unexpected turn.

Vertigo is a whirling combination of San Francisco sights and striking colors.  As the main characters visit Fort Point, the Golden Gate Bridge, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and Mission San Juan Batista, they also swirl around a world of reds, greens, blues, oranges, purples, and yellows.  Most memorably, viewers enter a world of spirals and colors during Scottie’s nightmare. 

Playing Scottie, the laudable James Stewart is at the top of his game.  Just as he did in Rear Window, Stewart captures a sense of voyeurism in both his detective snooping and handicap (this time without a wheelchair).  Shockingly, Vertigo is the final connection between actor Stewart and director Hitchcock, on account of Hitchcock blaming a handful of negative reviews of Vertigo on Stewart’s performance.

How can anyone give Vertigo an unfavorable critique?  Vertigo is not only top-shelf Hitchcock, but also top-shelf cinema.  Marvelously executed, Vertigo is one of the finest American motion-pictures ever made.  It deserves to be mentioned among the very best and, its disorienting theatrical poster is sure to stick with you just as much as the picture’s superior quality.  If you ever veer off course and lose your cinematic equilibrium, get back on track by loading Vertigo into your DVD player.