Paolo

Genre switches aren’t all too common, so it is always interesting to encounter one, especially one that is done so well. With a lot of mystery films, I often have at least some ideas as to how the film is going to unravel, but there was just no way for me to have predicted the way this one played out. As per usual with Hitchcock films, Vertigo felt ahead of its time and the cinematography and storytelling stood out above all else. I do not want to say too much in this review in order to avoid spoilers, but this is definitelt one of the best representations of obsession I have seen in any form of media. Vertigo is definitely the best Hitchcock movie I have seen so far, and I would assume it is probably the best in his entire filmography.

I typically do not care for occult horror. Nonetheless, I decided I would give this movie a shot, hoping for a pleasant surprise. However, my distaste for the aforementioned subgenre continues for the time being. I found this movie to be rather dull, and I couldn’t really find any scenes that stuck out to me, nor did not care for the religious themes whatsoever. Maybe I simply can’t find a way to relate to these themes as someone who does not believe in religion. I wouldn’t say that this is a poorly made film, just not for me.

I found this movie to be quite similar to American Psycho, and honestly, I consider Rope to be a significantly better movie than American Psycho. I always love a great one-location movie, especially one as well crafted as this one. Every detail was perfected with utmost precision from story to cinematography. This movie was very ahead of its time in my opinion, as Hitchcock movies tend to be. Most importantly, Brandon and Philip were intended to be homosexual lovers. For the main protagonists to be homosexuals was insanely progressive for 1948 standards. In fact, it was so progressive that it can be difficult to discern that the two are lovers rather than very close friends, due to the strict prohibition of homosexual relationships in movies by the Hays Code. I strongly admire Hitchcock’s continuous pushing of the Hays Code throughout his career, as it was paramount to its eventual demise and the opening of an era of greater artistic freedom in cinema, and his commitment to this goal can be seen clearly in this film.

Felt very Pulp Fiction-esque, and I have a lot of the same critiques with this movie that I had with Pulp Fiction. I loved the Ronna part, just as I loved the Una Thurman part, I hated the Simon part, just as I hated the Bruce Willis part, and I have mixed feelings with the rest of the movie, similarly, again, to my feelings about the rest of Pulp Fiction.