Somewhere...Somehow - He'd Loved and Killed That Self-Same Girl Before!

Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, Henry Jones, Raymond Bailey, Ellen Corby

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past - someone dead - can enter and take possession of a living being?" - Gavin Elster

Why watch this? An eerie tale of a man's obsession with a beautiful, mysterious woman.

Plot Summary: Scottie Ferguson is a retired detective, who develops a severe fear of heights after a traumatic incident. He is hired by an acquaintance to follow his wife, Madeleine, who seems to be behaving strangely and possibly possessed. As Scottie delves deeper into the mystery, he finds himself becoming dangerously obsessed with Madeleine, which leads to a series of unsettling events and revelations.

Dad's Preview: It took me a long time to watch Vertigo, because my natural (if flawed) tenancy is to run from over-hyped films listed as "the best of". I now see why this mystery is so liked. It's the complexity of James Stewart's character, Scottie. Unlike past roles for Hitch, Stewart's protagonist is unsure, tortured, afraid, obsessed, even a little kinky. It IS shocking and intense, even if it moves a little slow at times (that's Hitch, building suspense). This crime mystery is worth a serious gander, just don't look down...

Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions; Paramount Pictures