Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film does not save its secret: shortly after Judy appears the scheme is handed to the audience while Scottie knows nothing. Hitchcock told Truffaut he wanted the suspense to hang on how Stewart would react on learning Judy and Madeleine were one woman. The passage was cut after a preview; studio head Barney Balaban restored it. So what is left is no mystery: you watch a man remake a woman knowing exactly what he is doing, hair colour and dress where a puzzle would be. Vera Miles was cast first and lost the part to a pregnancy, which is how Kim Novak got it. By Hitchcock’s own account the vertigo shot was solved cheaply, a model staircase laid on its side cutting a 50,000 dollar estimate to 19,000. Shot in VistaVision, it was restored in 1996 by Harris and Katz in 70mm with every sound effect rebuilt from scratch to Hitchcock’s notes, only Bernard Herrmann’s orchestra surviving as original recording. It topped the Sight and Sound critics poll in 2012 and came second to Jeanne Dielman in 2022. A good fit if you want the answer before the hero gets it, and want to watch his second chance. Not for you if you want a case to solve, since it closes long before the film does.