Vertigo

Poorly received during its original 1958 release, Vertigo has since been hailed as one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest achievements, and it's certainly one of his most disturbing. It's also, by his own accounts, his most personal picture, burrowing deep into what are said to have been some of the director's own darkest wormholes: obsessions with women, the desire to control them, and to mold them into a personal ideal. Such psychologically complex material is best suited for adults and mature teens, who will find more to enjoy here than a simple suspense story. This is the work of a master, whose genius shows in unconventional use of color and intricate storytelling that unwinds slowly, like the dizzying spirals of the opening credits sequence.

Stewart, is easy to sympathize with as the good-natured guy who learns too late that he's been set up. Kim Novak is also eerily convincing in a difficult role, and Barbara Bel Geddes is irresistible as Midge Wood, the woman Scottie would be in love with if he knew what was good for him. A painstaking two-year restoration project saved this movie for future generations. The colors are dazzling, and Bernard Herrmann's extraordinary score is crisp and haunting. Hitchcock would indeed be grateful.