Film Forum

(1958) Acrophobic ex-cop James Stewart, hired to shadow seemingly death-obsessed Kim Novak, saves her from drowning in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, but not from a fall off a Mission steeple. But then, he meets her again—or does he? Hitchcock shrugged off collaborators’ objections to reveal the solution midway (“Do we want suspense or surprise?”) in what is essentially one of the screen’s most wrenching treatments of loss and—in Stewart’s tormented performance—of sexual obsession. 35mm. Approx. 128 min.

Reviews

“An altogether deeper investigation of guilt, exploitation, and obsession...the director at the very height of his powers.”
– Time Out (London)

“A mesmerizing experience… Demands repeat viewings.”
– Eric Monder, Film Journal