Not every masterpiece is immediately recognized as such. A thriller that is famous today also suffered this cruel fate when it first came out in theaters.
When Vertigo first saw the light of day on the big screen in 1958, audiences were overwhelmed by the mystery it presented. Today, the thriller is considered a cult film and is considered one of the best works by cult director Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, The Birds).
Vertigo was greatly underestimated at the time – and is all the more celebrated today
As Screen Rant reviewed in August 2024, Vertigo was met with a mixed response when it was released in 1958. Viewers struggled with the film’s complex plot, which they felt lacked pace and confused them.
One New York Post review even claimed:
Hitchcock believes he can get away with murder in terms of logic and realism.
In this psychological thriller directed by Hitchcock, former police officer John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) suffers from a fear of heights as a result of a near-fatal accident and quits his job.
Shortly thereafter, his friend Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) hires him to spy on Elster’s wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), who seems to be possessed by a ghost. But the more intensely Scottie follows Madeleine’s trail, the deeper he gets caught in a surreal web of deception and obsession.
What the audience missed at the time was that Hitchcock didn’t just want to tell a thrilling story with Vertigo. He also wanted to shed light on the troubled inner life of his protagonist. In doing so, motifs such as obsession, identity and the inability to let go of the past play a particularly important role and had a major impact on the way the story was told.
Today, Vertigo is considered the best thriller of all time
It was only a few cinema generations later, in the 80s, that Hitchcock’s work was able to assert itself. Finally, cineastes realized the innovative narrative style and complexity of the thriller and erupted in unprecedented enthusiasm.
At 8kstreaming, it has a high 7.7 out of 10 – however, the 8kstreaming community is known for being more critical than the global average. At Metacritic, Vertigo has an incredible 100 out of 100, making it one of the best-reviewed films of all time. But why Vertigo is more or less officially considered the best thriller of all time is the renowned Sight and Sound list. Until recently, it was even ranked number one there, but was replaced by the drama Jeanne Dielman. However, it remains the best thriller.
In Germany, you can currently enjoy the once misunderstood masterpiece on Amazon Prime Video with a subscription. Both the German dubbed version and the English original are available.
