Vertigo

Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock are a pretty potent combination. Vertigo is considered by some to be the great Hitchcock's best film, and of the three I've seen, it's definitely one of the best two. I didn't find it to be as pulse-pounding and inventive as Rear Window, but it has a wider scope than that movie and a more complex and interesting plot, and stands up to its reputation better than I thought Psycho did. Stewart as always brings a lot of humanity and sympathy to a character that at times could otherwise seem unlikable, as it's definitely the darkest role I've seen him take. The rest of the small cast was pretty good too, although I didn't know who any of them were.

Unfortunately, like Psycho, some of the more famous and harrowing imagery was spoiled for me before I saw the film properly, but I think it probably damaged my opinion less this time. What really works about the movie isn't the shocking moments, but the mystery about what's really happening and the surprise of some of the later revelations. It has one of the earliest huge twists that change the whole movie I can think of, and stays unexpected and exciting right to the finale. I'm coming to appreciate what Hitchcock did for the whole medium of film more, and I'm definitely interesting in seeing some more of his work.