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James Stewart & Kim Novak in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo
A time comes in almost every great filmmaker’s career when they are widely seen as having totally lost their minds. It happened to Buster Keaton with The General, and to Stanley Kubrick many times, but especially with Barry Lyndon. Hitchcock’s moment of supposed madness came with the release of Vertigo in 1958. Though it arrived sandwiched between two of his blockbusters, The Man Who Knew Too Much and North by Northwest, critics and audiences alike were horrified by Vertigo, generally shocked and revolted by this strange tale of sexual obsession. Thematically it was just too much to accept, especially from the master of suspense, and particularly in the context of the neo-Victorian mores of the 1950’s. The film fell into obscurity – partly for this reason_ and also due to a copyright dispute that set it adrift for years, with only poor prints remaining in circulation. When the film was finally rediscovered and restored decades later, Hitchcock’s vision for the film was seen again as he intended it to be seen, and reevaluated with contemporary eyes. And like the works of those other filmmakers who supposedly had gone completely insane, Vertigo was declared to be one of Hitchcock’s masterworks, and an essential film in his catalog. Hitch will forever have the last laugh on all of us, it seems. Featuring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore, and a hypnotic score by Bernard Herrmann. (128 minutes) FREE! Enter Side Door