Thursday, October 26, 2006

the experience of vertigo


went to see vertigo at last night; the third time i've paid to see hitchcock's masterpiece on that particular big screen - if you've seen it, you probably understand why. there's something unrepeatable about the atmosphere of a cinema, the collective anticipation of an audience, and the feeling when the lights go down.

'vertigo' is, first and foremost, a bloody good thriller - whose superficially simplistic plot still manages to keep us guessing to the end. beyond that, it's a dreamland for the freud in all of us (if that itself is not a freudian slip). ultimately, this is a film about men and women, and the archetypal lack of understanding between us. it's about how we are tempted to make those we love into our own image; and how when love is lost, we may be drawn to do anything we can to get it back.

hitchcock wasn't known exactly for his healthy relationships, but then again it may well be the case that you don't have to be good to be wise.