Sinking and Spinning

Majorly major things are happening in my neck of the woods. I've quit my job after 13 years in the drug trade, and I'm planning to take my man Horace Greeley's advice and go to the west. Things are still developing, but I'm excited as all get out and taking advantage of some prime free-time before the relocation. This summer just keeps getting crazier and crazier.

Ow! Two Points!

After a fuming exit from work on Tuesday -- my antepenultimate day on the job -- I swung by the Michigan to take advantage of an opportunity to see Vertigo, part of their Summer Classics Film Series. This marks the fourth time I've seen Hitchcock's masterpiece but the first on the big screen and it was well worth it. The restored transfer was absolutely gorgeous. The colors were extremely lush and vibrant, crucial for a film so steeped in the symbolic use of reds and greens.

Despite its lofty acclaim, this is not my personal favorite Hitchcock. In fact, I would probably list North by Northwest, Psycho, Rebecca, and Rear Window in that order before getting around to Vertigo. The deliberate pacing can be a bit of a drag at times, and to be honest I have a hard time accepting the love connection between Scottie and Madeline/Judy. When his repeated makeover efforts cause her frustration to reach a breaking point and she finally concedes

Judy: If I let you change me, will that do it?
        If I do what you tell me, will you love me?

it diminishes the scene into a moment of hysterics and out-of-time feminine weakness that elicited quite a bit of laughter from the modern audience, and I was cringing and laughing right along with them.

That said, there's no denying the lasting impact of Vertigo, as Hitchcock uses every visual trick in his arsenal, From the dizzying opening credits and the harrowing interstitial sequence, to elaborate circling tracking shots with disorienting background changes, and of course the the revolutionary contra-zoom. Even the simple compositions are downright majestic.