The casting of James Stewart and Anthony Perkins in those roles was brilliant. Not just because they were excellent actors working with great material, but because when the films were released both were known for light material and were playing against type.
Jimmy Stewart was known for his aw-shucks folksiness and mostly did comedy or sentimental dramas, audiences in 1958 would have gotten halfway through the film thinking they were seeing a straightforward romance, they would have been astonished and horrified to see the most charming actor in Hollywood get increasingly creepy and crazy as the film went on. And Stewart did it so well! Still, perhaps the shock of seeing Mr. Nice Guy go crazy was one reason that "Vertigo" wasn't a success when it was released.
Anthony Perkins was known for playing puppy-eyed juvenile leads before "Psycho", and yes, when you see the film for the first time he seems to be a sweet puppy-eyed male ingénue for the first 9/10ths of the film. But when you see it again, you realize that his sad-eyed portrayal of Norman includes all sorts of subtle little indications of his true nature. It's a brilliant performance, he should have got an Oscar.
“Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it!
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jonhopper217
7 years ago
I agree with you on Perkins, but not with Stewart. It's completely a personal thing. I also found Stewart's role in Rear Window to actually be kind of creepy and for me it's his only role that truly worked for me. Perkins was brilliant as Norman and while I find Psycho dated, his performance was without a doubt, Oscar worthy and in fact was better than the five nominees.
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