Alfred Hitchcock fans will always debate which of his movies should be considered the best, and legendary film critic Roger Ebert put his name behind a 1958 thriller. There are plenty of contenders for the title of Alfred Hitchcock’s best movie, including Rear Window, North By Northwest and Rope. One movie that comes up more often than most is Psycho, Hitchcock’s masterful 1960 horror movie which helped redefine the genre for decades. If it isn’t his best movie, it could yet be his most iconic, with several images that have entered the broader cultural psyche of film lovers.
Psycho‘s shocking twist helped cement its legacy as a classic horror movie, but it’s worth remembering that it’s also a brilliant mystery film. This intelligent blending of genres demonstrates Hitchcock’s ability to bend the form of cinema to his will, and he was capable of creating movies that defied audience expectations. Decades later, Psycho still has the power to terrify and shock people, even though horror movies tend to have a shorter shelf life than most other genres. The fact that Anthony Perkins delivers one of the best performances in any Hitchcock movie certainly helps.
Roger Ebert Rated Vertigo As Alfred Hitchcock’s Best Movie
The Film Critic Saw Vertigo As A Confessional Work Of Art From Hitchcock
Although many people might rank Psycho as the greatest Hitchcock movie of all time, Roger Ebert was in favor of Vertigo, the 1958 mystery thriller. Vertigo was one of James Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock’s four movies together, with Stewart playing a San Francisco-based detective who stumbles onto a perplexing conspiracy when he’s hired to investigate the movements of an acquaintance’s wife. Scottie is a typical Hitchcock hero in some ways, since he’s nursing a deep psychological wound, and he gets caught up in a twisty criminal case that he didn’t go looking for.
Ebert’s review for Vertigo examines the link between the film and Hitchcock’s life. He notes the fact that Hitchcock’s portrayal of women often returned to the same physical and mental qualities. Hitchcock’s icy, blonde women became one of his calling cards, just like his famous cameos, but Vertigo seems to examine what lies behind this fixation. As Scottie and Elster both try to shape and control Judy, it seems as if Hitchcock is reckoning with his own dark desire to fit his female characters into neatly defined boxes. This intriguing psychological exploration is one reason why Vertigo has aged so well.
Roger Ebert Didn’t Have Psycho As Alfred Hitchcock’s Second-Best Film Either
Ebert Also Preferred A 1946 Spy Film
It would have been fascinating to see a full ranking of Hitchcock’s best movies from Roger Ebert, but it’s still possible to piece together the critic’s feelings based on his reviews. Before he decided that Vertigo was superior, he had previously rated Notorious as Hitchcock’s finest work. The 1946 spy film is something of a dark horse in conversations over Hitchcock’s movies, but it still enjoys a glittering reputation, with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman delivering top-notch performances in a typically twisted spy narrative.
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Are Vertigo & Notorious Really Better Than Psycho?
Opinions Will Always Vary When It Comes To Hitchcock’s Movies
While Ebert made his feelings known, his is just one more opinion in the ongoing discussion over Hitchcock’s greatest movies. The fact that no consensus has been reached speaks to the quality of Hitchcock’s filmography, but it also reveals the simple fact that it’s difficult to compare his work. Fans of horror might prefer Psycho, while those who are into spy thrillers might opt for North By Northwest, and mystery fans might prefer Dial M for Murder. What’s certain is that Vertigo and Notorious deserve a place among the top contenders.
It’s possible that Psycho is Hitchcock’s most iconic and most well-known movie today, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best.
It’s possible that Psycho is Hitchcock’s most iconic and most well-known movie today, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best. It sums up a lot of what made the director special, and it benefits from having one of cinema’s most compelling villains. However, Vertigo‘s shocking ending makes it more rewarding to watch multiple times, and its colorful, bold visuals give it something that Psycho doesn’t have. Notorious, on the other hand, definitely deserves more love these days. Whether it’s better than Psycho is hard to answer, although it’s more romantic, which offers something quite unlike most Hitchcock movies.
10/10
- Release Date
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May 28, 1958
- Runtime
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128 minutes
- Writers
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Alec Coppel, Samuel A. Taylor
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James Stewart
Det. John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson
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Kim Novak
Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton
