Vertigo

I went into Vertigo knowing nothing of the plot, and having not read any reviews, which, while a good approach for some films that I’ve seen (most recently Cabin in the Woods), was probably not the best way to watch this film. While this did mean that I was surprised by the way the plot developed, it meant that I focused on this to the exclusion of everything else about the film. Now, the plot of Vertigo is on the surface pretty far-fetched, to the point of breaking suspension of disbelief - when watched as a mystery film. But really, it’s about the obsession of the main character, and his descent into madness. While this aspect of the film didn’t completely pass me by, it took my subsequent reading of reviews to realise the extent to which this was the heart of the film.

The twists of the film also mean that the first section will be seen in a very different light upon repeated watchings. The knowledge gained from knowing where the plot is going, what is truly happening, and the mental states of the characters changes the meaning of everything on the screen. Only as I’m writing this am I realising the extent to which the surface plot is, in the beginning at least, irrelevant to what is actually happening. It is really just a method to set the real plot in motion, and it’s unbelievability only highlights how unimportant it is. I need to watch this again.