---
title: "Vertigo: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/vertigo/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/vertigo"
critics_score: 81
critics_reviews: 18
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vertigo (1958): what the critics said

Critics' score 81 from 18 reviews: 15 positive, 0 mixed, 3 negative.

Most critics place Vertigo near the top of Hitchcock’s work, and the praise clusters in three places. James Stewart’s obsessed detective is singled out again and again, several reviews noting how far the part sits from his usual warmth; Kim Novak’s dual role is admired almost as often. The look of the film draws the rest: the San Francisco locations, the Technicolor, the recurring greens and Bernard Herrmann’s score, all of which recent reviews of the 4K restoration say benefit from a large screen.

The dissent is old rather than wide. Two of the three negative notices come from the 1958 release: The Guardian finds the second hour tests patience, and The New Yorker finds the plot far-fetched and the driving tiresome. Sight and Sound finds it slow and the story unable to sustain itself. Variety, positive overall, also calls the first half too long. Later critics note the same plot holes and the unlikeable hero, and forgive them.

## Little White Lies — Lillian Crawford

Rating 5/5/5. 12 July 2018. 

The critic calls it a dizzying cinematic experience that restores its status as a picture to be obsessed with, thanks to the new 4K restoration highlighting its lavish visuals and Bernard Herrmann's score. They single out the sheer colour, cinematography, and audiovisual allure for praise while noting the plot's holes and the reprehensible hero.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/vertigo)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 5/5. 

The critic calls it one of the truly great later Hitchcocks, praising the hallucinatory quality, dreamlike San Francisco locations, and standout dual performance by Kim Novak alongside James Stewart's complex characterisation.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5al5de/vertigo/)

## The Times — Kevin Maher

Rating ★★★★★. 13 July 2018. 

The critic reflects on the film's enduring status as a Hitchcock masterpiece about obsession and identity. He highlights its perverse themes and quotes other directors' praise for its poetic qualities.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/film-review-vertigo-1958-xvpht8z09)

## Time Out — Geoff Andrew

Rating 5/5. 22 September 2014. 

The critic describes it as a brilliant but despicably cynical view of human obsession and manipulation in love. They praise James Stewart's performance as the neurotic detective and note that Hitchcock is at the peak of his powers, with Kim Novak a revelation, though the bleakness is hard to swallow.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/vertigo-1)

## Empire — Jake Hamilton

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic calls Vertigo Hitchcock's most disturbing masterpiece and one of the finest American movies ever made. They single out the superb performances from Stewart and Novak along with the director's signature techniques and obsessions.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/vertigo-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2012. 

The film offers the most elegantly spooky vision of an American city ever captured on screen, particularly in its 70mm presentation of San Francisco. Hitchcock uses major stars to craft a dark and deeply personal story.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-sep-26-la-et-mn-vertigo-egyptian-critics-pick-kenny-20120927-story.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Jim Emerson

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2012. 

The critic calls Vertigo one of the most ravishing Technicolor films ever made and a masterpiece whose reputation has only grown. He singles out the film's masterful use of color, especially green, as central to its mystery, emotion, and psychology.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/verdant-vertigo-dreaming-in-technicolor)

## Slant Magazine — Bill Weber

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2011. 

Calls it a rich and strange masterwork that positions Hitchcock as a grand experimental artist in genre cinema. Singles out its perverse poetry, emotional desolation, Bernard Herrmann's score, San Francisco locations, and Stewart's anguished performance as elements of its obsessive, dolorous view of longing and betrayal.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/vertigo/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Jack Moffitt

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2022. 

Praises Hitchcock for topping his suspense record with a tale of murder, madness, and mysticism. Highlights pioneering techniques, strong performances especially by Stewart as the obsessed detective, and effective nightmare sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vertigo-review-1958-1235144601/)

## The New York Times — Janet Maslin

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 1996. 

The critic hails the restored Vertigo as the deepest, darkest masterpiece of Hitchcock's career and a prescient spellbinder. She singles out its eerily perverse exploration of obsessive themes, the power of the past, and the near-fetishistic use of symbol and color.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/library/film/100496hitch-vertigo-restored.html)

## The Independent — Jonathan Romney

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2012. 

Romney discusses Vertigo topping the Sight & Sound poll and analyzes its complex, multi-layered appeal as a thriller, love story and psychological study. He praises its influence and visual density while noting its strangeness.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/jonathan-romney-better-have-a-head-for-heights-vertigo-is-back-8007576.html)

## The Telegraph

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 2016. 

The piece examines Vertigo's rise to critical acclaim as the greatest film ever in polls, contrasting its initial flop status with its later appreciation for its obsessive narrative and visual style.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/04/19/is-alfred-hitchcocks-thriller-vertigo-really-the-best-film-ever/)

## Variety — Stef.

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 1958. 

It is prime though uneven Hitchcock, with strong performances from Stewart and Novak and masterful direction, but the first half is too slow and too long. Overall it should prove profitable at the box office.

[Read the review](http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117796098)

## Sight and Sound — Penelope Houston

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film slow and deliberate in technique, with a plot that fails to sustain itself and elements that feel sexist, though it includes some good suspense diversions and moments of virtuosity.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/vertigo-archive-review-hitchcock-has-never-made-thriller-more-stately-deliberate-technique)

## The Guardian

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 1958. 

The critic praises Hitchcock's mastery of suspense and sleight of hand in crafting atmosphere and uncertainty through slow, unostentatious camera work, despite the implausible story. However, the film is deemed not really worthwhile due to its essential dottiness and an unnecessary second hour that tests patience.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/aug/09/archive-hitchcock-s-new-essay-1958)

## The New Yorker

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1958. 

The critic finds the plot farfetched nonsense involving a detective shadowing a woman who believes she is possessed by a spirit from the past. The endless driving sequences prove tiresome and the story indulges in implausible twists.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1958/06/07/familiar-but-funny)

## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric

Rating 5/5. 13 July 2018. 

The critic calls Vertigo a masterpiece and one of Hitchcock's finest works. They single out the new 4K restoration for allowing audiences to experience its dreamlike suspense and iconic status on the big screen once again.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/vertigo-4k-restauration-review/)

## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2008. 

The critic calls Vertigo the pinnacle of moviemaking and his pick for the greatest film ever made, praising its concise, clever story, Hitchcock's masterful direction and depth of character, and the stunning performances, especially James Stewart's against-type role.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/vertigo-film-review-by-scott-macdonald)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/vertigo.md