I was completely blown away on several levels by this Hitchcock classic the first time I saw it many years ago. Though he was an undeniably eclectic actor who brought to life characters from George Bailey to Elwood P. Dowd and everything in between during his long career, this part still seemed fairly offbeat for Jimmy Stewart. Yet, per usual he did an excellent job giving us one very confused individual who embodied all the internal fear, sexual tension and repression that seems to be the underlying theme in so many Hitchcock thrillers. Kim Novak may have lacked Stewart's range overall but was still a very good choice for her role as well. She conveyed just the right combination of beauty and eccentric mental ambiguity to make her character both an integral part of the story and fascinating love interest for Stewart's Scottie Ferguson. This is an excellent classic film that will challenge your intellect as well as keep you on the edge of your seat.