Vertigo (Collector's Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Vertigo (Collector's Edition)
Movie Review: Magnificent Obsession
Summary: 5 Stars
This by now generally recognized masterpiece by Hitchcock at its release didn't exactly have rave reviews (commercially it became Hitch' second biggest flop) of both the general audience as well as critics, because the movie was so different from Hitch' other movies. Subjects like identity, madness, (sexual) obsession and the in those days widely viewed unsatisfactory ending didn't exactly make the film popular; it was too far ahead of its time.
More in particular people very much had to get used to seeing "all American" icon Jimmy Stewart, next to Cary Grant Hitch' favorite alter ego, in the part of obsessed former police inspector Scottie Ferguson, who, at the beginning is mentally recovering from a dramatic chase of a criminal on the San Francisco rooftops (the movie's spectacular opening scene), which left him suffering from vertigo after the chase ended with him slipping and subsequently hanging from the rooftop and more important the death of a fellow policeman who saved him only to plunge to his own death, causing before mentioned vertigo as Ferguson sees him falling down from the rooftop into the depths below.
Mental band aids are offered by a good friend, named Midge (played by a young Barbara Bel Geddes, long before Miss Ellie fame in 80's iconic TV-series Dallas), but Scottie realizes his days as a policeman are definitely over.
An old friend from college, Gavin Elster, persuades him to follow his wife as he fears for her mental health as she seems obsessed with events from the past and is demonstrating exceedingly eccentric behavior. Scottie falls in love with incredibly beautiful and mysterious Madeline (magically performed by Kim Novak and yes, I could understand Scottie's obsession quite well). Gradually he becomes more and more absorbed by the woman's behavior who thinks she is the reincarnation of a woman that lived in San Francisco over a century ago and whose life ended in tragedy.
As Madeline is driven to despair, Scottie needs to intervene and a romance ensues, but always overshadowed by Madeline's obsession, which reaches a dramatic climax.
And then we're halfway through the movie.
It's quite tempting to reveal more about the story, but who knows, maybe there are still people on this earth that have never seen this masterpiece and I would never want to spoil their viewing pleasure (I can only be envious of what's in store for them should they decide to indulge themselves).
Stewart's acting is among the best of his career, certainly my personal favorite, and the anguish he suffers in the movie to the viewer becomes an almost physical experience, because Hitchcock knows so well to take us along Scottie's dark and doomed path.
Kim Novak is fantastic and for better or for worse gives us the performance she would always be identified with from then on.
Equally important is the wonderful music by Hermann that carries you on high emotional waves on the psychologically very stormy sea into whose depths this movie's protagonists are carried on a boat driven by a rudderless fate, reminiscent of Wagner's "Tristan & Isolde".
The cinematography is of unparalleled beauty and never before or since was San Francisco filmed in such a romantic light.
There is no movie that equals the depiction of the old two sided coin of love and death, linked to one another by doomed sexual obsession. To me it's one of those movies where words will always fall short and forever proved that Hitchcock belongs in the pantheon of greatest film makers.
Thank God the movie has been restored a few years ago both in picture and sound and I will never forget seeing it released again after that and being able to see it in its full restored glory on the big screen for the first time: one of my most treasured cinema experiences.
See this movie, while you still have a beating heart, preferably with the one you chose to share that same heart with.
Movie Review: Universal Legacy: Not quite the definitive edition
Summary: 4 Stars
The merits of the movie itself are debated enough in other posts. I will limit myself to pointing out that as attractive as the October 2008 reissue is, there is one singular flaw, namely in the audio tracks.
True, the new extra features and the marginally better quality image as compared to the previous anamorphic version in the Hitchcock masterpiece box Set are probably enough for a die hard fan of this masterpiece to shell out for still another version of the DVD. Even the Friedkin commentary is quite enjoyable and offers some useful insights, contrary to his somewhat spotty reputation as to his commentary talents.
However, the two audio tracks are replicas of the attempt at modernizing it in the 90s by making a stereo version. The absence of the original sound effects track led to some tinkering and yielded certain strange results, most notably the double gunshots during the initial rooftop chase and a generally less-detailed aural picture. Strange that the edition in the boxset did include the original mono mix, but Universal dropped it in 2008. For those who insist on purchasing only the most perfect edition, this is not quite it then. It was not enough to stop me, but I do notice that the sound experience is slightly less interesting with this edition.
As for the improvement in image quality, it may not be visible on all systems. I did the comparison on two other systems and in one case the improvement was also noticeable, the image being sharper and the colors more vivid, while on the other one my friend and I saw no difference.
In conclusion, perhaps a Blu-Ray edition will one day bring it all together, correcting the audio deficiencies and adding HD quality, should it appear one day.
Movie Review: Vertigo: Universal Legacy Series version (2008)
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is for the Universal Legacy Series DVD from 2008.
The film itself (*contains spoilers!*): 3.5 stars.
I have now seen Vertigo two times with some years in between. On the cover of the DVD it says (as is often said) hat it demands re-watching, it is supposed to be beter for each time you see it. I disagree. It actually does not benefit from a second viewing as it reveals the flaws of the film. First of all: the murder plot is totally unbelievable and depends on so many assumptions and strange elaborations. When I watched Vertigo for the first time I was mystified about what was happening, was Kim Novak possessed and so on... On a second viewing the banality of the plot is known from the beginning which takes away the suspense and makes it all feel a little boring - the mystery is gone, and maybe some people fill this up with psychoanalytic observations or something. Also some unexplained or weird things get attention: how did Madeleine disappear from the hotel, for example? Still, the film contains nice shots, and James Stewarts descent into obsession is interesting.
The DVD: 5 stars.
The Universal Legacy DVD has a transfer that is amazing! I watched this on a projector and the colors, sharpness and details are fabulous, esp for a 50 year old film. And it contains two commentary tracks, an alternate ending and a whole extra disc with documentaries, Hitch interviewed by Truffaut and so on. In the interview, Hitch says that he thinks the plot in Vertigo has a "hole": that the murderer relies too much on Scottie's acrophobia! I agree. But, as the commentator points out: Vertigo is not so muck about plot as about atmosphere.
The Universal Legacy package is made to look lie a hard cover book. Also, the price is right (20 USD). If you are the least interested in Vertigo or Hitchcock, or haven't seen this film, this DVD can be recommended.
Movie Review: Complex Challenging Beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally a DVD worthy of this film. Vertigo stands as one of the greatest achievments in all of film history. It is impossible to "overrate" this film. Every viewing offers a new and deeper experience. To "rate" Vertigo would be like rating the Mona Lisa or Tolstoy. Truly a classic. Open your eyes and your mind.Movie Review: A Great Version of 'Vertigo' -- FINALLY!
Summary: 5 Stars
Universal has gained a rather unflattering reputation over the years for putting out some very substandard DVD's in terms of picture and sound quality. THE GLENN MILLER STORY and the Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies immediately come to mind. However, in the past year or two they have really gotten things on track, producing some of the best releases of classic films that have ever been done. They continue their new commitment to quality with the restored version of Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO. The film looks absolutely stunning, and Bernard Herrmann's unforgettable score has never sounded so good.
Since the film has been reviewed extensively here, I won't bother to add any further comments, other than to say that I find it amusing how quite a few viewers have complained about the number of implausible situations and story elements in VERTIGO and other Hitchcock thrillers. Well, as Hitch himself might have said: "Remember, it's only a MOVIE." We're not talking about a documentary here, we're dealing with a fictional story where there are many scenes and shots done strictly for effect.
Lastly, I will mention one oddity, simply because it's kind of puzzling. The film contains three logos at the beginning: the current Universal banner, an older Universal logo in color, and an original Paramount logo with the VistaVision introduction. The Paramount logo is proper, since that's the studio that first released the film, but -- it's in black & white! I'm not sure if this was a blunder or not, but for a brief moment you wonder whether the film is actually going to be in color.
In any case, whether you've seen VERTIGO many times or are curious about checking it out, this outstanding Special Edition is the one to get.