Great points and well said egman
On the Vertigo documentary, Martin Scorsese said he was surprised how such a personal film was made during that time. Vertigo was definitely a film ahead of its time. It's Hitchcock's ultimate fetish film without even looking like one. "
The man wants to go to bed with a woman who is dead. He is basically indulging in a form of necrophilia," says Hitchock. Another quote regarding the theme of being made-over:
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That scene in Vertigo where James Stewart forces Miss Kim Novak to alter her whole personality by altering her lipstick, haistyle, even hair-tint --- for me it has the compulsion of a strip-tease in reverse. The woman is made insecure by being forced to make-up, not take off."
As Scorsese says, what has given this film its enduring power was Hitchcock's personal touch. The film's dialogue and characters don't seem like they were born on the screenwriter's page, but rather, they have a warmth and vitality, an obsession that is recognizable by the audience. On the surface we may see the usual Hitchcock staples -- perfect editing, great cinematography, handsome budget, big attractive stars --but there is an intellectual undercurrent and an intensely personal stroke by Hitch that colors every element of this film.