Peter and Andrew tackle Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 psychological thriller Vertigo, exploring why critics have called it the greatest film ever made. They analyze Jimmy Stewart's obsessive detective, the film's groundbreaking camera techniques, and whether this complex meditation on identity and control works better as art than entertainment. Plus, they debate if it's even really a detective story at all.
In their remake scenarios, they face a psychological puzzle: How do you adapt Hitchcock's most personal film? Could it work as a school-based family drama? What would a no-budget version focus on? Would it be better as a series exploring obsession over multiple episodes?
The hosts also share their current viewing habits, including Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass from Sundance and Sicario, while referencing Rear Window, Psycho, Rope, North by Northwest, Shutter Island, Anatomy of a Fall, and various Hitchcock classics in their analysis.
Topics covered: The famous "vertigo shot" technique, Hitchcock's approach to mystery vs. psychology, Jimmy Stewart's darker roles, whether critics overrate experimental films, and why some movies work better as museum pieces
