How come Vertigo replaced this as #1 on the Sight & Sound poll?
-
HotDogBox — 9 years ago(June 01, 2016 01:09 PM)
"It is the most important film ever made,"
The most important film ever made is The Horse in Motion, being the first film and predating the motion camera, followed by the actual first recorded movies. Neither Vertigo or Citizen Kane would exist without them.
"and it comes as close to perfection as human art can."
How is Kane a bigger achievement than the music of great classical compositors? Than the best of the best sculptors?
Heck, is it even bestter than the best sequential art magazine ever made(or in lesser words, a comicbook?).
You can't compare art like that, not across lines. Thinking you can only makes it look silly when you try to prop up something as the be all end all of everything. -
GuenniBraunsten — 9 years ago(June 11, 2016 03:46 AM)
""and it comes as close to perfection as human art can."
How is Kane a bigger achievement than the music of great classical compositors? Than the best of the best sculptors?
Heck, is it even bestter than the best sequential art magazine ever made(or in lesser words, a comicbook?).
You can't compare art like that, not across lines. Thinking you can only makes it look silly when you try to prop up something as the be all end all of everything."
His quote doesn't say it's better than all the things you said, just that it's not worse. And that's only if you equate greatness in art with perfection, which I wouldn't do anyway. -
Liz01219 — 11 years ago(March 24, 2015 10:32 AM)
I am a big Hitchcock fan but maybe I'm the only one who really didn't care much for "Vertigo" or for that matter "Marnie".
Anyway I've never heard of the poll you cited, but on the AFI top 100 from 2007, "Vertigo" placed #9.
I can't believe that Jimmy Stewart said supposedly this was his favorite film.
AFI puts out their poll every 10 yrs so we'll see where all of them place next time especially the top 10. -
thefly50 — 11 years ago(March 24, 2015 10:41 AM)
The Sight & Sound poll is perhaps the most well-known ranking list in the world. Basically, the British magazine takes a lot of critics and directors from all around the world every ten years, and creates a list for both the critics and the directors, based on 10 films every director/critic votes for.
Vertigo is a great film, but I have two problems with it:- The romance is quite unconvincing, but this works in the film's favour.
- The ending-what a cop out! It seems like Hitch was trying to be poetic and forgot he isn't good at that. The ending does not work in the film's favour. It simply blows.
-
theuserformerlyknownasfrantruff — 9 years ago(December 18, 2016 12:41 PM)
When I first saw "Vertigo", I felt outraged by that ending ("You have got to be kidding me.
Death by nun?
?! And so beep suddenly?"). Now I like it a bit more, but I always remember that first impression. Perhaps it would have worked better for me if Judy had been established as being paranoid or having halucinations. -
Beau_Buffet — 9 years ago(December 18, 2016 12:56 PM)
It's more complicated than that.
Here's something I wrote on the Vertigo board.
SPOILERS FOR VERTIGO****************
(English is not my native language, so I'll keep it simple.)
The nun did not "spook" Madeleine.
My understanding is: when Madeleine saw the nun she experienced two things.
First, the guilt of being accessory to a murder.
Second (and that not so much on the nun, but on the scene that just preceded it, and all her affair with Scottie), she realized that whatever she would do, she would never be loved for who she really was. And she couldn't live with that thought.
So she jumped to her death. -
frantruff — 11 years ago(March 24, 2015 01:11 PM)
I can't believe that Jimmy Stewart said supposedly this was his favorite film.
I thought he said "It's a Wonderful Life" was his favourite film where he acted.
BTW, AFI has only put out two such lists, so I don't think it's accurate to say they put them out every ten years. -
thomas-begen-194-976045 — 10 years ago(May 05, 2015 02:31 PM)
It's encouraging you actually criticize "Vertigo" but I really hope you're not dumping on "It's a Wonderful Life." It's the first classic film I watched as an adult and it's easily among Stewart's best films.
I don't know how people can dismiss it as simply a "feel-good film" when it deals with the very serious existential issue of nihilism in some fasion, and suicidality.
It's too bad there are not more American films like it; though, European filmmakers probably do existentialism better.
I guess America never really caught on given we didn't experience WWII and the Holocaust in the way Europe did? -
thefly50 — 10 years ago(May 29, 2015 04:09 AM)
I'm certainly not criticising Frank Capra's masterpiece. The message is ultimately feel-good, but there are also some rather dark undertones to it. There's obviously a place for this kind of movie when done right (and It's a Wonderful Life is about as right as they come).
-
thomas-begen-194-976045 — 10 years ago(May 05, 2015 02:37 PM)
I agree "Vertigo" isn't "as important and innovative" as "Citizen Kane." Then again, just how important and influential has "Citizen Kane" been? As least I can say there are a few people who, regrettably, tried to pawn off Hitchcock's style as their own. But Welles? Well, Welles' style is far less distinct and less desirable than Hitch's.
In any case, I don't care for either film. There are easily several films which are more influential and important than both of these examples and which Welles or Hitchcock had no part of. If I named Hitch's more important film I would have to reluctantly say "Psycho." I believe it's also his most overrated film, but it's the film that Hitch and the entire cast is chiefly remembered by.
Hitch easily has five films better than "Psycho." But as far as film is concerned, there is before "Psycho" and after "Psycho," in the same way as the movie "Halloween" revolutionized horror films. -
Citizen41 — 10 years ago(July 12, 2015 04:27 PM)
I have only watched the first hour of Vertigo and I had decided to stop watching it right when Kim novak is seemingly possessed by some spirit - it seemed like a cheap entertainment trick- .
Something which I find much more disturbing is the fact that Vertigo ranks as number one and Welles's "The Trial" is nowhere to be found. Apart from Hitchcock's alternating use of shallow/deep focus and the beautiful take of Stewart's car following Novak's car before she jumps into the sea there is barely anything worth remembering in the first hour.
On the other hand "The Trial" starts rather quickly with low-angle, slight canted framing -shot of the door- and then proceeds with some wonderful lighting and an indelible long take. The trial does not have the memorable shots that citizen kane has but its storytelling is much more multi-layered than that of citizen kane.
Which movie do you prefer, "The Trial" or "vertigo" and why? -
thefly50 — 10 years ago(July 12, 2015 11:42 PM)
I like both films quite a bit. My complaints about Vertigo have to do with an overall lack of polish, the odd way characters move in and out of the plot, and the ending. Overall though, I think its successes far outweigh its failures, and I could easily see it as top 100, top 50 material even (not even close to No. 1 though). It really grew on me since, and while I'm still convinced it's flawed, I might even agree that it's Hitchcock's best.
As for The Trial, that film is great. I'm not sure what else I can say. Greatness in spades. I don't know why it didn't crack the top 100 (there are films in it that I cannot stand - see Blade Runner), but it isn't exactly the most well-known film out there. I do not feel comfortable comparing Vertigo and The Trial, the latter shows more polish obviously, but I don't think they have enough common ground to compare them on. -
thefly50 — 10 years ago(July 13, 2015 10:18 AM)
Well, you don't need me to explain to you why Vertigo is great - a whopping 98% of RT critics can do that
But if my opinion interests you so much, then fine. James Stewart's performance is essentially career-best. The way the film utilises subjectivity (it's never exactly in the head of any of the characters, but you can definitely see their way of perceiving the world) is nearly unmatched. The cinematography is stunning, and some of the best use of colour in the history of film. And overall, I think it strikes a nearly-perfect balance between Hitchcock's earlier, simple thrillers and his later, formally aware films (Psycho never stroke a chord with me precisely because its formal tricks are obvious and distracting). The pacing is great, and even the driving scenes don't bore me.
Yes, it ain't flawless, and it sure as hell ain't Citizen Kane, but I'm convinced of its greatness nonetheless.