Vertigo (1958)

Does this deserve its American Film Institute Top 10 rating?  Another film that might have been slightly ahead of its time.  Which is not always a compliment.

James Stewart plays Scottie, a San Francisco detective who is forced into retirement after witnessing an accident that causes fear of open spaces and vertigo.  He is hired as a private detective to follow Madeline (Kim Novak) whose husband suspects her of being in danger.  Scottie falls for her, but in a complicated plot twist, Madeline may not be who Scottie thinks she is.

A twist on the Hitchcock "Wrong Man" theme - some of the ideas may have been adapted by Christopher Nolan in his time travelling/parallel worlds.

Interesting themes of male domination and female submission.    Also classic cinematography with the San Francisco scenery and the quick zoom/camera spin that have become common in the handheld era.

**** of 5

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