Hey Everyone! Just wanted to address something that I knew might come up in the Vertigo video and that I wanted to set straight. When I talked about past lives being “absurd” I meant that in the context of the film. Hitchcock hadn’t set it up to be a past lives/ghost story film. I didn’t want anyone to take that the wrong way and think that I was taking a position towards certain spiritual beliefs. I apologize if I offended anyone, as that was not my intention.
@gerardcote83912 жыл бұрын
Watch this kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ibSTo6WBmNbQf58.html for color analysis - this one you'll find interesting. Now this one on motion and blocking kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7ObiZCptrmYdn0.html
@johnwriter82342 жыл бұрын
. I saw this re-lease in movie theater 1997..you GOTTA see it on big screen! .
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
I am so glad that you are a fan of reaction channels! That’s great! Maybe you should watch someone else’s channel and fall in love with their content 😊
@johnwriter82342 жыл бұрын
@@bobbybingle1662 dude it's called "reaction " for a reason..Mia is good, I want her comments..it's the reason I sponsor her.
@vandboeffel2 жыл бұрын
Past lives are absurd in every context, but I understand your disclaimer :-)
@christopherleodaniels72032 жыл бұрын
The ending cured him of his vertigo. He stood on the ledge looking down without feeling any dizziness. And yes, Hitchcock knew it was about very VERY dark themes and toxic relationships. This film was ahead of its time.
@schmuck.on.wheels2 жыл бұрын
Considering Hitchcock's own behavior towards women, I've always felt like it's the film exploring the most personal (and darkest) parts of himself.
@photo16111 ай бұрын
Since when are dark themes something new?
@Hawk1701222 жыл бұрын
Midge’s reactions are priceless in this film. “ you know there’s only one person in the world for me Johnny O!” Filled with such regret of not seizing the moment. She loves him so much and hates that any other woman would surpass her! Excellent performance!!!
@sodapop832 жыл бұрын
so.. then they other way around, right?
@1nelsondj2 жыл бұрын
Midge would have made him very happy, Scottie was batting out of his league.
@Hawk1701222 жыл бұрын
@@1nelsondj midge was hot!! Lol
@PrimeCircuit2 жыл бұрын
Poor Midge, forever in the friend zone, despite being pretty and smart and caring. I wonder if she felt too ashamed for having ditched him in the past to tell him the truth.
@MethodFire01 Жыл бұрын
@@1nelsondj and I tend to doubt he came crawling back to her after he cracked the case.
@gregorybrown32722 жыл бұрын
The movie left you reeling, your head spinning, knocked you off balance...perhaps you have Vertigo?
@celinhabr12 жыл бұрын
I remember the first time i watched and was under its spell and decided to rewatch on the same week again and boy it got even better. It's fascinating and it's better every single time i watch, the dreamy/nightmare-ish environment is brilliant. I think Kim Novak did great in this and James Stewart is fantastic. Hitchcock at (one of) his best.
@bighuge10602 жыл бұрын
I had to pop on here and compliment you on truly loving and appreciating the craft of motion pictures. We'll never meet but I would love to find a like spirit to which to catch movies together and enter fun discussions afterward. The visible proof of you enjoying cinema makes you one of the best reaction video channels on KZfaq. As always, I look forward to your future videos, Mia. Thank you.
@catherinelw93652 жыл бұрын
You should join her Patreon. We get together a few times a month and watch a film together on Zoom and discuss. Really a wonderful time! Plus Mia does full length reactions on Patreon. Lively comments too.
@bighuge10602 жыл бұрын
@@catherinelw9365 Thank you. That sounds like fun. I'd love to look into that once I relocate and have my new internet hook up.
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching, Big Huge 😊
@strongdecaf37292 жыл бұрын
I totally want younger people to see more tragedies. The art of tragedy in cinema is more rare (harder to make box office with tragic tales.) Figuring out the mystery is good for the first viewing -- after that -- it's all appreciation of the beauty, colors, historic San Francisco and the anguish of obsessive desire.
@zmani4379 Жыл бұрын
Very nicely put
@no28810 ай бұрын
Nice input!
@liteflightify2 жыл бұрын
Vertigo is an intangible movie on first watch. You don’t really know what’s going on the entire time, and you’re not quite sure how you’re supposed to feel about what you can tell is going on. While both lead characters become far less innocent, more twisted than they initially appeared. The story evolution and convolution, the character ambiguity and the eventual demise of both lead characters is what makes this such a fascinating (and for some people frustrating) watch. There’s also the great score, editing, cinematography, camera work, acting and the fact that the entire movie manages to feel like a waking dream then a nightmare. It’s beautiful, disturbing, romantic, preposterous, alluring, shocking. There’s so much to it. It is pure "cinema", which is probably why it eventually became Hitchcock’s most acclaimed movie. There’s a few videos on KZfaq that do a decent job at breaking down the movie and it’s ending. I particularly suggest The Take’s video on it.
@Hawk1701222 жыл бұрын
Hitchcock’s masterpiece. I have been to many of the scene locations in San Francisco. I’m giddy for this!!!!!
@cliffordsam82602 жыл бұрын
There also is a self-guided tour book on the actual filmed San Francisco sites, the mission cemetery and the Old Mission (minus the church bell tower) locations (which I received as a gift). I had an exhilarating nostalgic time at these sites!!
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
@@cliffordsam8260 I bought it once upon a time in San Francisco (many years there )
@astragalusson2 жыл бұрын
That scene she gets out of the bathroom finally with the full Madeline appearance glowing under that green light, looking like a ghost image of a dead(!) person, where I always have (and it seems also this time you had) goosebumps might be my favorite scene of all times in any movie.
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
So do I and so ùany copy-pasre directors true to do as well as Hitch !
@brandonflorida10922 жыл бұрын
Yes, Hitchcock appears on "Vertigo." About 10 minutes into the film, while we wait for Scottie to arrive at Elster’s shipyard, Hitchcock walks across from left to right carrying some sort of case.
@FrancisXLord2 жыл бұрын
6:30 Just catch a glimpse of Hitchcock in the video.
@DarrinSniderАй бұрын
He usually, not always, appears right before the hero is either forced, or commits, to the plot.
@ChrisWake2 жыл бұрын
Judy Barton's story is possibly one of the saddest in terms of cinematic women. She's used and discarded by Elster after the plan succeeds. Then, the man she's in love with won't accept any version of her that isn't the woman he fell for. The woman who never existed. When Judy asks him "couldn't you like me for me?" followed directly by his fixation on the color of her hair. Jeez. That was rough to take in. It's as if Judy Barton from Salina, Kansas was destined to be an unloved person while Madeline Elster, the visage, is the only way she could obtain that love. Her accepting to be Madeline again is tragic on its own even without the ending.
@haps20192 жыл бұрын
Judy Barton is a murderer. Nothing tragic about her. She manipulated and abused Scottie. She simply got what she deserved.
@agenttheater52 жыл бұрын
@@haps2019 And that's something else - she's living with her guilt, that's one of the reasons why she was scared to go up the stairs again and why she was terrified when the shadowy figure that turned out to be a nun appeared, she thought it was a ghost. I'm not saying she's off the hook, her 'this wasn't supposed to happen' line indicates that even though she intended to have him there she might not have intended for him to fall for her (perhaps) so I'm both condemning her and feeling sorry for her at the same time
@gerardcote83912 жыл бұрын
Yes notice the parallel between Judy's story and Carlotta's life.
@DanielS20012 жыл бұрын
You should probably read The Testament of Judith Barton by Wendy Powers and Robin McLeod. The authors have Judy notice the similarity between herself and Carlotta in the story itself.
@johndoe62602 жыл бұрын
@@agenttheater5 living with guilt after murder isn't enough, in fact it's the bare minimum you deserve
@takaono72432 жыл бұрын
Midge remarks at the beginning of the movie that only another traumatic experience could potentially cure Scottie of his vertigo. It took me a few watches to understand this, but I believe the ending is supposed to indicate that, as Scottie looks down at Judy's body from the top of the tower, he realizes that he's cured. I wish that Hitchcock had figured out a better way to convey this through his cinematography, but that's a small complaint compared against everything else I love about this movie. I also think it's easier to process how you feel about the story when you consider that this is not a love story between Scottie and Judy, but a love triangle between Scottie, Judy, and Madeline. The person that Scottie fell in love with was an emulation of Gavin Elster's wife, whom Elster himself essentially molded and groomed Judy into being. Scottie only cared for Judy in so much as he was able to see Madeline in her, which is why he went to the lengths that he did to remake her back into this dead woman. It's not a love that I believe you're ever supposed to root for, but I think it serves as a character study on how far people will go - or how low they will sink - for romantic fulfillment. Thank you for reacting to my favorite film of all time.
@robertguttman1487 Жыл бұрын
The overlooked the fact that, in the final scene, James Stewart is standing on the ledge LOOKING DOWN. His fear of heights is finally GONE. His acrophobia was caused by a shock, and it was cured by another shock.
@ajmccalla45112 жыл бұрын
31:06 That score is Bernard Herrmann, one of my favourite film composers! He also did the score for Psycho and Taxi Driver and a bunch of other classics from the '50s/60s/70s. And that particular "distorted" effect is called a tremolo!
@TTM96912 жыл бұрын
and "Citizen Kane"
@porflepopnecker43762 жыл бұрын
and "7th Voyage of Sinbad"/"Jason and the Argonauts"/"Twisted Nerve"
@yvonneplant9434 Жыл бұрын
Hermann did all of the Sinbad movies.
@modder19752 жыл бұрын
"Rear window" is another Hitchcock's gem.
@hwinker2 жыл бұрын
Props to you, first for being so tuned in to the logic of the Madeleine portion of the movie (including the color, which you were alert to from the jump) and, second, for appreciating that the movie's full measure could not be taken in one sitting. As several comments have noted, a first viewing of Vertigo can only ever be preliminary. This is among the most complex movies ever made and in ways that aren't immediately obvious. It's not only that the film unexpectedly gains depth as you detach from the initial need to find your way through the mystery plot. Also, intricacies of the double story only begin to reveal themselves upon subsequent viewings. Even if it were a less rewarding film than it is, though, I'd urge you to see it again if only because your reading of where Scotty was emotionally slipped a bit in the Judy half. And I'd certainly urge you to see it again before looking at "explainer" videos or essays. But again, praise overall for being such a great viewer in this instance -- and for the Hitchcock in general. Looking forward to Rear Window!
@keithbrown84902 жыл бұрын
Around 30 years ago Vertigo got a renovation done to restore the color and sound to it's original form. They released it in some theaters in a 70 MM print. There is nothing quite like seeing and hearing this on a large screen. Critics marveled at Hitchcock all over again and many kept saying besides Stewart's acting Stewart has the bluest eyes in Hollywood outdoing even Paul Newman's .
@gammaanteria2 жыл бұрын
I saw the restoration in the 1990s, in the then also newly-restored (all the old-school fixtures, etc.) Ziegfeld Theater in NYC. The enthusiasm and energy amongst the audience that night to see it was akin to attending a rock concert.
@YolandaAnneBrown957262 жыл бұрын
I saw the restoration back in the 90's and I was caught in its spell ever since. OMG!!! Weren't we all Scottie watching this movie?
@CPTDoom2 жыл бұрын
I got to see it at the classic Uptown Theater in DC and remember noticing on the big screen that in most, if not all scenes, Hitchcock keeps everything in focus, rather than mimicking the human eye, with focus on part of the scene and blurred remainder. It's really striking when you see the shots with that fantastic San Francisco scenery in the background. He's literally messing with the audience's sense of depth perception, in a way giving everyone a bit of vertigo. I also think Kim Novak does not get enough credit for how good she is in this film, playing really three different women - Madeline in those few scenes with her husband, Judy-as-Madeline and, of course, Judy as herself. You have to believe she could be a different person in the third act for the reveal to really work.
@PrimeCircuit2 жыл бұрын
If they brought these movies back to the theatres, i would totally go there to watch them, though I don't go to the movies anymore.
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
Yes ! Once I brought the DVD "The man who knew too much" at my brother's home and while we were warching it, my niece, only 10 or 11 at that time, during the scene where Stewart makes an injection to,Doris Day to calm her prr she understans their son has been kidnapped, my niece all of a sudden said "the mister has so beautiful blue eyes" !
@Jeff_Lichtman2 жыл бұрын
This is frustrating. I left a comment here yesterday, and it has disappeared. I didn't say anything remotely offensive, or that could be construed as spam. I'll try to remember what I said: One of the things I love about Vertigo is Kim Novak's acting. She plays two characters who are really the same character. Madeleine and Judy speak differently, move differently, and have different facial expressions. Her gradual transformation from Judy back into Madeleine is a masterpiece of acting. Thanks for this reaction! I'm looking forward to Vertigo. It's one of my favorites.
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
Weird. And it’s not in my hidden comments folder either. KZfaq is lowkey shady 👀 I absolutely agree! It really did feel like she was two different women!!
@randywhite39472 жыл бұрын
This has happened to me before
@GMAMEC Жыл бұрын
This has happened to me on other channels too. YT can be weird.
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
Your comment about Novak's actino is so true, how could someone remove it?
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
acting, sorry
@thomastimlin17242 жыл бұрын
The innkeeper in actress Ellen Corby, who later played Grandma Walton on Tv in the 1970's show The Waltons. A well known great character actress with a decades long career.
@snookyookum2 жыл бұрын
Scotty chases his fantasy woman. Midge is reality. That's why she put her face on Carlotta he freaked because his fantasy can't survive with reality. He had to get away from it. The red and green was stop and go in basic form and you can extrapolate that into Fantasy/death, Reality/life. Judy was reality but she was chasing a fantasy relationship also so gave up her personality to become the fantasy that she played for Scotty, her 'dream' love. Judy was real but changed back for Scotty. His actions making her over had nothing to do with her, he was recreating his fantasy. It was a doomed pairing and Judy wearing the necklace broke his dream and revealed her betrayal. Just before Judy/Madelaine fell out of the window, they were seemingly convincing each other to try anyway. At that moment, she dies, the fantasy dies, any hope of building a real relationship dies and Scotty is left leaning off balance on the ledge caught between life and death, success and failure, fantasy and reality, an inescapable limbo. How I've come to understand the film. My opinion only, after many many viewings. You nailed it in advance up to the first death and no one i ever viewed this with ever even came close. Brilliant job, very impressive! You 'get' Hitchcock and it's a pleasure to see. PS so ahead of it's time in '58 because people really weren't ready for this bombshell psychological profile.
@adamwarlock12 жыл бұрын
Yeah him not being able to handle Midge's face on Carlotta seems like foreshadowing how he won't be able to handle Judy's individuality.
@ElliotNesterman2 жыл бұрын
In 1958 the Hays Code was still in force, so since Judy was complicit in the murder of Madeleine she had to get some kind of comeuppance, the choices would be going to prison or dying. The novel ends significantly differently than the film. Let me also recommend the supernatural, romantic comedy "Bell, Book and Candle," It would be perfect for Halloween, were you doing a Halloween theme.
@adamwarlock12 жыл бұрын
Yeah it definitely comes across as a code ending, but at the same time it kind of fits. Johnny and Judy both make their choice to pursue their obsession rather than stay safe, and they both learn that you can't have it both ways.
@brentwebster61642 жыл бұрын
The scene in his friend Gavin's office where he lays out the job to follow his wife is everything. It starts out with Scottie in charge, standing over the friend, skeptical. It ends with the friend standing in the upraised portion of the room like it's a stage, with Scottie seated, now an enraptured audience to the story being presented him. It's so masterfully framed and choreographed. A true virtuoso director at work.
@no28810 ай бұрын
Yes i agree, i'm not sure many get that interpretation. Still, there are many layers in Vertigo hence way this movie grows on you everytime you watch it ; )
@brandondavis78802 жыл бұрын
One of my favorite films of all time!
@Rickhorse12 жыл бұрын
I love this quote about Vertigo... from Kim Novak. "The thing I loved about Alfred Hitchcock is that he left a lot of open ends there, a lot of clues that didn't really add up the way you think they would, and sometimes, not at all."
@1nelsondj2 жыл бұрын
I LOVE Technicolor, it always makes a film look so rich. I know it required a lot of extra lighting because of the process but it was worth it.
@davidpeters442 жыл бұрын
One of the best scores in film history.
@civlwrbuf2 жыл бұрын
Back in the late 80's, early 90's, a group of filmmakers and archivist got together and decided to form a company that would restore classic films from the original film stock. Film makers such as Spielberg and Scorsese were a part of that process. After the success of their first project Lawrence Of Arabia, they all agreed they wanted to restore Vertigo for their next film as they felt very passionate about the film. The reason you can see all the color is because of the painstaking restoration they did, as all the colors had become muted in the reels used over the years.
@michaelbradley75952 жыл бұрын
Kim Novak is a very talented painter who used her art to relieve the pressures of working in Hollywood.
@yvonneplant9434 Жыл бұрын
Didn't she get a scholarship to the Art Institute in Chicago? In any case Novak is from Chicago. Believe it or not she will turn 90 years old this year.
@michaelbradley7595 Жыл бұрын
@@yvonneplant9434 There was always more to her than her beauty. She was a better actress than the critics of the time gave her credit for. Her paintings are quite good and very much her own vision.
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
Yes and she did well to go living in Oregon, painting and living the good life with her veterinarian husband and a lot of animals (she herelf used to ride horses )!
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
herself !
@CharlesDickens1112 жыл бұрын
Carlotta's appearance in Scotty's dream still gives me shivers
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
YES!! So creepy!!
@PrimeCircuit2 жыл бұрын
And I agree, Scotty knew from the moment it happened that something didn't add up. He was quietly puzzling it over in his mind while pretending to be confused, waiting for her to make a mistake. She was an aid in the murder of Mrs. Elster. There was never going to be a happy end for them.
@pleasantvalleypickerca76812 жыл бұрын
A great film. It would never get made today. An older man obsessed with a younger woman. Bernard Herman's score is perfect as always! And that ending!!! OMG! Too great! Classic Hitchcock. By the way I was lucky enough to see this and "Rear Window" on double bill at a Rerun theatre 30 years ago. Rear Window Is great. \
@rabbitandcrow2 жыл бұрын
Great insight about San Francisco geography too - the rolling hills, the ups and downs, nothing feeling stable.
@ChipWhitingtonIII2 жыл бұрын
Guys... I suspect Mia Tiffany liked the colors in this... just a hunch.
@TTM96912 жыл бұрын
Mia, as usual, GREAT job! Not only were you really are every person who has ever watched "Vertigo" for the first time, you were way sharper than most of us were, first time we saw it! (Although in my defense, I was, like, 8, lol) You knew something was fishy all along! You caught all kinds of things, loved watching you drawn into the movie's mystery, pointing out all the color themes that run through it, figuring stuff out, NOT figuring stuff out (lol), floating theories....LOVED it! Thoroughly enjoyed it! You actually boosted my affection for this film. Kim Novak is great in this.
@adrianaheiler97942 жыл бұрын
I think I will have to rewatch it as an adult again. It has always been my favourite Hitchcock movie and I also started pretty young. I bet now I would find so many more complex details that I didn't get in my youth. And yes, Kim Novak is absolutely stunning! One of the scenes that stayed with me and messed with my head since I first watched it was when she's looking at the tree lines in the forest saying 'this is when I was born ... and this is when I died.'
@TTM96912 жыл бұрын
@@adrianaheiler9794 It's actually FAR from my favorite Hitchcock movie, I find it extremely overrated, but I thought this was a great reaction to it. I love that Hitchcock got "weird", I love the opening credits and the dream sequence (thanks, Saul Bass!), but I find the plot silly. That said: it influenced plenty of my favorite directors/movies, so.....can't complain about it too much! But topping Sight & Sound's list of greatest movies ever? That is ridiculous.
@wmg93 Жыл бұрын
The music accompanying the scene of Judy's final transformation when she steps out of the green light as Madeleine is Hermann's almost direct quote of Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde. (Liebestod meaning roughly love/death). An inspired choice of music!
@racafritz2 жыл бұрын
I met Kim Novak’s son at my local grocery store years ago. He helps disabled/ elderly people. We had a great convo waiting in line he was such a sweetheart.
@josephcope7637 Жыл бұрын
Mia ... your comments amount to one of the most intelligent, sensitive analysis of the film I've ever seen. I thoroughly enjoyed them. I would suggest you consider that the moment Judy was trying on the necklace, Scotty recognized it and this truth made him realize how she and Elster treated him as a pawn in a murder plot ... reawakening his instincts as a police detective. At the end he realized her death broke his obsession. Notice that as he stands, looking down from the mission tower, he assumes a birdlike bodily position. He feels that he is "free as a bird" of it. By the way, in the summer of 1990 I toured the shooting sites in San Francisco and San Juan Bautista. It was eerie how little those places had changed in a third of a century. The only exception was that the McKittrick Hotel had been torn down. I was surprised that the mission has never had a bell tower. The tower seen in the movie was a matte painting placed in front of the camera with the church in the background. The stairway Scotty and Judy supposedly climbed up was a 75 foot tall prop built by studio workmen.
@MrGadfly772 Жыл бұрын
Scotty was obsessed but he really didn't know it was Madeline until the necklace. The creepiness is part of what this movie is about. Seriously Scotty is so driven he doesn't see the obvious. The ending is perfect because obsession leads to death, and that's what Scotty was suffering from, severely. Remember this isn't about romance so.much as it's about our obsession with romance.
@Hawk1701222 жыл бұрын
“You are married Madeline!!” Bahahahahaha
@Fanfanbalibar2 ай бұрын
Yes, the girl commenting the movie seems a bit "conventional" to me !
@dompy12 жыл бұрын
I love the films you choose to react to and how insightful your observations are and how analytically you follow along. Really enjoying your channel! Keep up the good work! Subscribed!
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching and subscribing, Sergio 😁
@dompy12 жыл бұрын
@@MoviesWithMia 💜
@Jeff-rn7bm2 жыл бұрын
My pick for greatest film ever made.
@kedemberger8773 Жыл бұрын
IMO the best commercial motion picture ever made. More than a film, it is a work of art.
@Hawk1701222 жыл бұрын
The Building that she comes out of and gets into her car is a hotel that is located on Powell Street on the thousandth block. It looks exactly the same
@Divamarja_CA2 жыл бұрын
I forget, was it the Mark Hopkins or The Fairmont Hotel? Either way, both still look the same. On another, yet related topic, wouldn’t it be fun to do a series of films that focus on the “Great Cities of the World”?
@liteflightify2 жыл бұрын
Mulholland Dr. (2001) is another noir-ish mystery that has romantic aspects where you’re not quite sure what is going on the entire time, where you’re not quite sure how to feel about the characters and where you need multiple watches to fully digest it. I suggest watching that at some point. The movie is thematically Vertigo and Sunset Boulevard fused together, with a handful of shoutouts to both films. I know it’s not that old, but it is probably the most acclaimed movie of the 2000s. And the director (David Lynch) is deeply influenced by Hitchcock. It’s also funny how when you watch Vertigo for the first time, viewers almost end of feeling like Scottie: dazzled, confused, shocked and like you’ve been played.
@bespectacledheroine72922 жыл бұрын
I’ve always thought Mulholland was a mishmash of Sunset Boulevard and Persona, but shades of Vertigo are there.
@liteflightify2 жыл бұрын
@@bespectacledheroine7292 Mulholland Dr. has call-outs to Sunset Boulevard, Vertigo, Persona and The Wizard of Oz. That movie is quite a twisted Valentine to Hollywood and the nature of movie-making. I specifically suggested it because, like with Vertigo, it’s a rather surreal, mysterious “romance” where you’re at odds about how to feel about what you can tell is going on and who these characters actually are.
@bespectacledheroine72922 жыл бұрын
@@liteflightify Oh it’s an appropriate suggestion, I agree there. Lynch really loves him some Wizard of Oz doesn’t he? Looking at you, Wild at Heart.
@yvonneplant9434 Жыл бұрын
Some of Edith Head's best costumes designs ever.
@liteflightify2 жыл бұрын
A few people here are saying the Hays Code is why Judy dies at the end. That’s not why she dies. By the time this was filmed many of those initial Hays Code rules had started to be widely ignored, including “if you commit an ‘evil’ driven action of murder you must get a comeuppance”. Many films throughout the 50s ignored that rule. Judy’s death was initially supposed to be more drawn-out, with Scottie strangling her. Then they landed on her being spooked and jumping to her death to mirror the theme of “falling”. There’s a scene after that was a quick wrap-up and showed Scottie going back to Midge, but Hitchcock cut it (you can still find it on KZfaq). Judy’s death and the ending is rather abrupt, which I’m sure is primarily why Mia was taken aback, not really by her actual death.
@franl1552 жыл бұрын
I read somewhere that Hitchcock was quite moralistic, and always punished his characters' sins - that's why, in one film [won't name for spoilers], a character starts off with a broken leg and ends up with two broken legs. edit; typo
@girlact75 Жыл бұрын
I get where you are coming from but the Hays code still had a grip on the studio system during the making of this film. It’s documented that Hitchcock fought several battles with the PCA during the making of Vertigo. Let’s also not forget, that it wasn’t until 1959 that the US Supreme Court found “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”’s sympathetic portrayal of adultery to not be obscene. Until that point studios would not risk production time and money only to be yanked or censored (hence causing more time and money with possible reshoots and editing.) Sure studios, mostly independent and foreign were taking some risks in the mid to late 1950s, testing the ground. But by no means were the big studios taking significant risks to go against the PCA before the slew of First Amendment cases that came through in the late 50s - early 60s. Don’t forget that the wrong depiction in your movie could start a congressional investigation and hearings. And last, the determining clue for me, to Hays influence or not, was the studio’s insistence on the ending that had Midge hearing a radio announcement of the capture of Gavin. Hitchcock filmed this ending but fought its inclusion, winning in the distribution in the US but not overseas. I feel Hitchcock was certainly influenced by the censors even at this late period.
@JulioLeonFandinho2 жыл бұрын
"Let's think of some rational explanations" Hitchcock: nope 😎😎
@12classics392 жыл бұрын
I'm SO happy I discovered you! I also LOVE watching classic films and educating myself on them! It's such a joy watching you go on a similar journey through old Hollywood. Keep it up! This film in particular was SO insane the first time I saw it; your reaction was almost identical to mine. The flashback reveal of Judy being Madeleine and Gavin having planned a murder of his real wife all along is by far one of the top 10 greatest twists in cinematic history!!
@nickjames30492 жыл бұрын
Always loved the dream like quality of this movie. Not only perhaps Hitchcock's finest, but Stewart's too.
@YolandaAnneBrown957262 жыл бұрын
I'm so happy to see your reaction to Vertigo. It does pull your deeper and deeper into the mystery. Had to clap when you caught the use of red-green. I miss my hometown so much!
@IJBLondon2 ай бұрын
This is one of the best reaction videos I've seen.
@Progger112 жыл бұрын
I had pretty much the same reaction as you when I first watched this movie. I didn't know how to feel or what to think. It was so... Weird. Even for Hitchcock. Lol. At first, I firmly believed that it was overrated and that I didn't really understand the praise it always gets. Then, I kept thinking about it. And kept thinking about it. Turning it over and over in my head, trying to figure out this puzzle of a movie and why it seemed to have gotten its hooks in me when I wasn't looking. So, I rewatched it. Multiple times. It's now my favorite Hitchcock film. I truly consider it to be his finest work. It really is a masterpiece. But it takes a lot of revisiting and analysis to fully unpack. It's an incredibly dense film that rewards repeated viewings. I now find the ending to be perfectly fitting. Something to take note of: the nun's habit at the end resembles Judy's square cut neckline on her dress, and the nun has "Madeline" 's voice. It's as if Judy is being haunted by the persona she created and the woman she helped kill all at once in her final moments. That's what frightens her off of the tower.
@cliffordsam82602 жыл бұрын
Vertigo's complex theme is the quintessential summation behind why Hitchcock is constantly searching for a blond leading lady to replace Hollywood's exiting Grace Kelly to marry the Prince of Monaco. Also, it begs not only a repeat rewatch but with multiple viewings one can marvel and appreciate the density and depth of this MASTERPIECE.
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
Wow! I hadn’t thought of that before
@KevyNova2 жыл бұрын
This is one of those movies that is unbearably heartbreaking when watching for a second time and you already know the ending.
@tuco742 жыл бұрын
I am riveted by your reaction to this film. The first time I saw it was in the mid-90s. The film had been restored using the original negative (which had some damage) and some other prints to use in place of the damaged sections of the negative. Like you, I was floored by the technical aspects of the film, but confused and frustrated, and probably haunted by the story and its ending. I've watched this film a dozen times since, and part of me thinks it's demonstrating how an ordinary man, if he falls into the wrong circumstances, can be pushed and driven to abandon his sense, his sanity, and finally his soul. I imagine that could be a description Hitch might give if asked what his film meant. But, it could be that "Vertigo" is actually about an obsessive guy who finally finds a target for the darkness he's been denying. Finally letting it out, he succumbs to his obsessive feelings and demands absolute control over the woman who has become the object to hang his desire on. But he pushes too hard and pays a heavy price in order to reach the depths of his need for answers, for some sense of control. Judy, though, pays the ultimate price. I doubt Hitch would ever claim that was the intent of the film. But maybe for him, making this film was as much confession as it was exploration.
@kathleenharris34032 жыл бұрын
Up there at the top of Jimmy Stewarts and Kim Novaks performances. Your reactions are spot on!
@aliksahnda4 ай бұрын
Laughed my head off throughout. Great reactions from you. Love Vertigo; thought I had seen it and processed it but your reactions added a lot more.
@haps20195 ай бұрын
You are the only reactor who has a bit of compassion for Scotty, the only one who doesn't think he's just a creep, and understand why he acts the way he does!
@hippychikforever2 жыл бұрын
Love all your reactions and all the research that goes into them. So glad I played catch up today! I'm familiar with Vertigo through Mel Brooks' High Anxiety, but only recently watched it...with you. Imagine my surprise seeing Barbara Belle Geddis as someone other than Miss Ellie Ewing. Midge deserves better than Johnny four names. The obsessive toxicity and Judy's willingness to change into someone else "for love" puts this at the bottom of Hitchcock's masterpieces for me. It wasn't bad, but once was enough.
@paulcash81602 жыл бұрын
I too was stunned and somewhat confused the first time I saw VERTIGO. The overwhelming impression I was left with was that this film could only have been made by someone with an intimate familiarity with mental illness...from the inside. I think that's why Hitchcock withdrew it from circulation for 20 years - it was too revealing
@rev.jasoncook57992 жыл бұрын
Mia, you should watch "Bell, Book and Candle" with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, made the same year as "Vertigo." It's the romantic comedy antidote to "Vertigo"'s abrupt and devastating ending. "Bell, Book and Candle" is not a great film, but it's a highly enjoyable one and it allows "Vertigo" fans to imagine our doomed couple in happier circumstances (but still with some underlying strands of darkness).
@adrianaheiler97942 жыл бұрын
Came here to say this (just discovered Mia yesterday and I'm so happy to see her appreciate movies I grew up with)
@TimothySmiths Жыл бұрын
They actually made Bell Book and Candle right after vertigo together, I personally think it is a wonderful fun film.
@joebloggs3962 жыл бұрын
I hope you see The Thirty Nine Steps eventually. Also an adventure. Rear Window is good, though much more straightforward than Vertigo.
@jameshose50432 ай бұрын
you are so brilliant the first person who ever knew they were running game
@MsAppassionata2 жыл бұрын
I LOVE your analytical approach to reviewing films. I’m subscribing. Some reviewers couldn’t do a proper analysis to save their lives.
@seanohelan82412 жыл бұрын
Mia, your reaction was priceless. I REALLY enjoy your reactions.
@GrouchyMarx2 жыл бұрын
Have to say Mia, your expression at the very end there @ 35:00 is a familiar one with Vertigo. We've all had it! LOL! I thinking you liked Rear Window, as I'm sure you've already done it by now. I'm betting you DIDN'T miss Hitch in that one! He's pretty easy to spot in RW. ✌️😎
@roygoss75569 ай бұрын
Sorry to comment 2 years late…but Kim Novak sets a bar. She’s ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!
@kruuyai2 жыл бұрын
Even though I've seen this a couple of times, this is the first time I've realized that the opening for Mad Men must have been inspired by that dream sequence. And I never noticed the green everything in the movie before (and the red). Really good catch and analysis on your part. I can't believe that you figured out so early on that this was a scam. Even the second time I saw it (I'd forgotten the plot), I didn't catch on and was taken completely by surprise both times. I love James Stewart and Kim Novak together. My favorite film pairing them up (and one of my all time fave Christmas movies) is Bell Book and Candle with notable performances by Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovaks, Elsa Lanchester and Hermione Gingold. I hope you include it in your Christmas reviews.
@tedcole99362 жыл бұрын
Thanks, yes I just noticed the Man Men (falling man) -straight out of that dream sequence in Vertigo. Good catch, you beat me to it!
@flippert0Ай бұрын
The use of color is absolutely striking in Vertigo. It's almost kind of a second 'Wizard of Oz' in that regard.
@blueeyedbehrАй бұрын
i just recently found your channel and am loving it because i'm an old-movie buff (as opposed to "old movie-buff" - LOL). but gurlfriend, you are gooooood! you nailed this one! i would love to watch old movies with you - i'll make the popcorn & you choose the movie! some i recommend are: alice adams (1935) the heiress (1949) my cousin rachel (1952) and especially - sybil (1976)
@serenitymoon82511 ай бұрын
I learned about vertigo (the condition) from the cartoon Code Lyoko because they made a whole episode about one of the characters having it, then when I was looking up the so-called 'vertigo zoom' after watching "Jaws", I learned of this movie
@Ba-pb8ul2 жыл бұрын
this movie is an 11/10. It doesn't get better. As with the novel, it's about obsession; the Freudian repetition-compulsion/aura of the thing you desire being at a distance, then lost, is the reason why it ends the way it does. It's also the best use of soundtrack in a movie.
@lauce39982 жыл бұрын
This movie is special, it's so personal, it's out of what is expected of Hitchcock. He usually does suspense movies, and this story is. But in the book what matters is the twist, not discovering it until the end. In the movie Hitch changes it, makes Judy tell us the twist, shows us that information because what interests him in the story is not the suspense plot, Hitch is interested in Scottie, he identifies with him!, wants to see how he will react to that discovery. That is why I say that it is his most personal film, it shows his most hidden obsessions, his desires, lusts and frustrations. He is not the Hitchcock of suspense, he is the romantic Hitchcock, that of blondes!
@fredzeppelin39692 жыл бұрын
*goosebumps courtesy of Bernard Herman, writer of the music score and soundtrack
@AlbertusMagnus_442 жыл бұрын
Two notes about the ending. 1. Judy was an accomplice in the murder of the real Madeline. For her to live happily ever after would be immoral, despite Hitchcock making the audience fall in love with her as much as Scotty fell in love with her. Love does not "conquer all." This was Hitchcock's intent. 2. You will notice that as Scotty looks down at Judy from the Bell Tower, he is no longer suffering Vertigo. Judy's death is the "second shock" that cures him. Also, Hitchcock is a pedestrian as Scotty walks up to Elster's business office at the shipyard. "Vertigo" is sometimes called "The Green Movie" because of Hitchcock's use of green throughout the film. Madeline's stole. The Jaguar automobile. Judy's dress and skirt. The eerie (even creepy) green light in Judy's apartment. Hitchcock was a master at creeping out the audience. In case you haven't heard already, "Vertigo" has been rated by many as the "greatest movie ever." I agree with that rating. It is Hitchcock's masterpiece. It is about obsession. From start to finish, the driving force of the action is obsession.
@no28810 ай бұрын
Very good comment here. I so agree. Many seems to forget that Judy was an accomplice to the murder of Mrs. Elster. Judy not only destoyed Scotties life but also triggered his obsession. No, love can’t conquer here ‘cus that would mean that Scottie, a former detective, has to conceal her crime making him an accomplice to her and Gavins dreadful scheme as well. This is the end for Judy as she betrayed Scottie in the worst possible way. I would add, that the movie is also about 'manipulation'. And what happens when you screw with someone's life. Judy and Gavin are the only one to blame for how it all turned out.
@amylou22snowhite Жыл бұрын
This film was my intro to classic Hollywood. My 8th grade English teacher showed us the movie, to learn about peaks and valleys in writing, how to build suspense and interest. I still love to watch it. ❤️❤️❤️
@MoviesWithMia Жыл бұрын
OMG! Please tell me what you thought of it after your first watch as an 8th grader?
@amylou22snowhite Жыл бұрын
@@MoviesWithMia there was a room full of 14 year olds with the same reaction you had. Like, what the heck?
@lemorab1 Жыл бұрын
I saw "Vertigo" for the first time in August of 1958, when it first came out, when I was ten years old. I was completely haunted by it. It was my introduction to the idea of "possession" of a living person by a dead one, and then finding out that Elster had masterminded a giant con on Scotty in order to carry out the perfect murder. I saw it again a short time later, so entranced was I. Then, I watched it again years later in the 1970's at a repertory film house, because I was curious how I'd feel about it as an adult. I found it so disturbing, I wondered what my ten year old self had ever loved about "Vertigo." The final time I watched it was the restored version in the 1990's at the Castro in San Francisco. My friend really, really wanted to see it, so I went along. I watched today because I love seeing Mia's reactions to classic cinema. I still love the first part of the film, where "Madeline" is running around in her "possessed" state and Scotty is being drawn in. One loose end still bothers me, though. The landlady at the old Victorian rooming house where we see Madeline go in, we see her upstairs, and yet the landlady denies she has been there that day. What gives with that? Also, Scotty is violating professional ethics by discussing his case with Midge, even though Elster is a murderer, as we later learn.
@katemoon1594 Жыл бұрын
I'm leaving this comment for my mom, who is loving your channel! Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novac reunite once more in a quirky romance called *Bell, Book & Candle.* It also features Jack Lemmon & Elsa Lancaster in very unique comedic roles! It's one we cherish in my family & grew up watching a lot. Since you loved Jimmy & Kim's chemistry, we thought you might give it a go!!! Hope to see it on the channel! My mom wants me to let you know she thinks you're doing a great job. And it's wonderful to see someone younger keeping the appreciation for "old movies" alive and well! ❤ 🎬 📽
@MoviesWithMia Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for your recommendation! And thank you to both you and your mother for watching 😁
@oqardZ2 жыл бұрын
Why did it end like that? Because he couldn't leave it alone, he couldn't stop and just accept her love, so he had to be destroyed all over again.
@por18212 жыл бұрын
Great Reaction! As you are trying to analyze as you go it will detract from the experience. When I first was aware of it I thought it was slow though the twist at the end is tragic & shocking. In the end it just grows on you over the years until you also become obsessed.
@dandaintac3882 жыл бұрын
Mia, I'm glad you noticed the color--very few people do. An insight into the color. I remember as a small kid in the 60s--even at that time, a lot of television was still black and white. It didn't get to where it was almost all color until the late 60s/early 70s, and even then shows in syndication were black and white--"I Love Lucy". In the 40s still, movies were still mostly B&W. So color in film, even in the 50s, was still fairly fresh and new--and skilled innovative directors like Hitchcock (one of the greatest), were eager to experiment and do things in color that are no longer done today, because color has become mundane, and taken for granted. The greatest COLOR movies are not in the present or near-present, but when color was still fairly novel in film--late 40s through the 50s. There are indeed more recent great films, but not necessarily from the color aspect. If you want to do a clip on another great movie where the color is gorgeous, vivid, and part of the story in subtle ways, please do a reaction video to Black Narcissus (1947) with Deborah Kerr. It too, is a film with psychological suspense. If you like Hitchcock, you will probably like Black Narcissus, and it has similar themes of a build-up of stress and madness. As for Vertigo, I've been a film buff for a long time, and in the 70s, Vertigo didn't even crack the top ten on lists of greatest films by actors and film critics. I'm seeing it in the top 3 now. It has been a sleeper of a great film--not receiving that much attention when it came out, then growing and growing in critical esteem. I think it's a great movie, but I like both Rear Window and North by Northwest more. And I agree with you that the ending seems a bit abrupt in this one. Hitchcock often did fairly quick endings without a climb-down, but it doesn't seem to work as well here as some of his others--particularly North by Northwest.
@BuffaloC3052 жыл бұрын
This played for about 4 weeks in town and I was so perturbed by it (much like your "I can't rate it") comment and went back to see it the next night, and the next. I think I saw it 8 or 9 times in those four weeks. After that, once every few years, or every 5 or 10 years.
@1nelsondj2 жыл бұрын
That sounds like me listening to David Bowie's album "Low" for the first time.
@RaymondHng2 жыл бұрын
A coda to the film was shot that showed Midge at her apartment, listening to a radio report describing the pursuit of Gavin Elster across Europe. Midge switches the radio off when Scottie enters the room. They then share a drink and look out of the window in silence. This tag ending had originally been demanded by Geoffrey Shurlock of the U.S. Production Code Administration, who had noted: "It will, of course, be most important that the indication that Elster will be brought back for trial is sufficiently emphasized." Hitchcock finally succeeded in fending off most of Shurlock's demands and had the alternative ending dropped. The footage was discovered in Los Angeles in May 1993, and was added as an alternative ending on the LaserDisc release, and later on DVD and Blu-ray releases. This ending is what I'm most familiar with.
@inkfishpete86952 жыл бұрын
Mia, I had to watch this a 2nd time before I got it. 1st time I saw it, I was so mesmerized by Judy transforming to "Madeline" and coming out of that green light - it was a sensory overload for me (Kim Novak, big kiss, soaring score). Btw, Hitchcock's cameo is just before Jimmy Stewart visits Gavin's office - he walks by carrying a doctor's satchel just before Scotty goes into the office.
@lizmil2 жыл бұрын
Hitchcock’s sense of place was superb, the city of San Francisco is a major character in the movie.
@LazlosPlane2 жыл бұрын
Her falling out the window was movie justice.
@johneyon52574 ай бұрын
but Gavin might wind up free - the only accomplice makes the same fall as the wife - so the police would need to find evidence that he had been at the mission with his wife's dead or incapacitated body
@jackmessick2869 Жыл бұрын
I first saw this movie when I lived in Northern California. Many of the locations are still there, especially in San Juan Bautista. I got to visit most of them.
@totallytomanimation2 жыл бұрын
The Ending is simple... He's cured of his vertigo.
@KevyNova2 жыл бұрын
My interpretation of the color scheme is that Jimmy Stewart’s character is often surrounded by red because it’s the color of love, but when he sees the girl, she is surrounded by green which signifies envy as he is lusting after his friend’s wife.
@zmani4379 Жыл бұрын
Great reaction - I first saw this in the cinema as an adolescent, during its re-release, and afterwards I could hardly walk straight - I'd say it's first of all a tragedy - and it's also a horror movie - the reference to vertigo shows how far romantic swooning can blend into horror - the perfect companion piece is La Jetee, a sort of "sequel"
@randallshuck29762 жыл бұрын
Surprise! You just got "Hitchcocked". His movies always guaranteed that there was lively conversation at the after movie dinners. I went to see this with my parents when I was 8. The dinner at my folks favorite upscale restaurant was a lively one. My mom had three old fashions. I remember because I always got the cherry from them. A simpler time.
@laurab687072 жыл бұрын
You had great reactions to this movie. Although I love Hitchcock movies and James Stewart, I was not into this movie. Maybe cause it was too confusing, I don't know. Just never could get into it. Believe me, I have tried several times. But that's ok, not everyone likes the same thing. I must say though, I am very excited for the next movie of Rear Window. That one is my absolute favorite of Hitchcock movies. Another must see is Dial M For Murder.
@Hexon662 жыл бұрын
No, it's not just you. And it's not it's too confusing, it isn't really. And even if it were, it's just too damned long to carry over that interest. It's Hitchcock at his most self-referential. He's pushing to see how far he can strain his audience. I love a slow burn, but this film was tedium for me.
@4CardsMan Жыл бұрын
Early color films were shot on three black and white negatives which were later combined in printing to produce color. This one was shot on a single color negative. Kodak's early color negative film deteriorated quickly. As other commentators have noted, this one underwent a major restoration which was only partially successful, hence the hazy look that you noticed.
@channelthree94242 жыл бұрын
There was a Hitchcock retrospective a few years ago in Santa Monica California and Vertigo was one of the films shown. It was the first time that I’ve ever seen a Hitchcock film on the big screen. As many times as I’ve seen Vertigo prior to that, seeing it on the big screen made me notice things that I had not noticed before. It made me appreciate the film a lot more.
@marecku213 ай бұрын
Mia, of course Hitchcock totally played with and manipulated the audience. He sets up a romance that draws us in like catnip then sends us falling to ruin like Judy from the tower. The entire situation and all the relationships are utterly twisted. No happy ending was possible in this film. By the way, Hitchcock's cameo came at 6:30 in your video. I love watching your reviews because I know all the films very well and love your shocked reactions to the plot twists. The look on your face when Judy falls to her death was just priceless!!!
@reverts30312 жыл бұрын
Maybe for Halloween you could watch the movie Bell, Book and Candle - Kim Novak and James Stewart team up again! It's not Hitchcock, but it's perfect for Halloween... or Christmas.
@RetroClassic662 жыл бұрын
Your reaction to the end of this is HILARIOUS and INCREDIBLE! I literally belly-laughed just seeing your jaw dropped open, which is, I think, exactly the reaction Hitchcock was going after, a total WTF moment. You're the best, Mia. I really enjoy your reaction videos. You're so much fun to watch. I hope you get millions of subscribers; you really deserve it!
@thishappybreed65052 жыл бұрын
You effortlessly provide acute cinematic analysis combined with real emotional identification with the narrative and characters. I hope we get to see the zoomer take on "Marnie" sometime soon! (Tippi Hedren, I mean, not anime Marnie!)
@MoviesWithMia2 жыл бұрын
Thank you 😊 “Zoomer” I love that 😂 Marnie isn’t on our list for this month, but I will keep it in mind for future videos 😊 thank you for watching!
@paintedjaguar2 жыл бұрын
@@MoviesWithMia You can include "Marnie" in your inevitable Sean Connery retrospective 😃, along with other relatively unappreciated Connery classics like "Robin and Marian" and "The Wind and the Lion", a particular favorite of mine. But seriously, even though it came out in 1975, "The Wind and the Lion" just reeks of classic Hollywood and is worth your time. Highly recommended by most who have actually seen it.
@garylee36852 жыл бұрын
Vera Miles did end up in Psycho for Hitchcock. Hitchcock is walking down the street in a great suit carrying a trumpet case.