We study the thin-film flow of a constant volume of silicon oil (polydymethilsiloxane) spreading down a vertical glass plate. The initial condition is generated from a horizontal fluid filament of typical diameter 0.4 mm. Two optical diagnostic methods are used: One based on an anamorphic system, and the other on the Schlieren method. The first one allows for a detailed characterization of the early stable stage of the spreading which is used to estimate the thickness of the precursor film needed to model the flow. The second one captures the bidimensional pattern of the transversal film instability. We use these techniques to determine the film thickness profiles, and the evolution of the moving contact line, including its shape and Fourier spectra. The numerical simulations of the stable stage of spreading are in good quantitative agreement with the experimental results. We develop a model based on linear stability theory that predicts the evolution of the modes present in the linear stage of the instability.