One of Hitchcock's more impenetrable films and not originally well-received in 1958, 'Vertigo' was definitely ahead of its time with its dense layering that offers more rewards on repeat viewings and this new 'Universal Legacy Series' release is the perfect way to reap those rewards.
Less accessible in one viewing than most of Hitchcock's other works and a sometimes meandering pace has led to a spotty reputation amongst casual film fans but it's also grown in esteem for film buffs since it's release. It is now considered one of Hitchcock's most accomplished films with a tour de force performance from James Stewart and some amazing technical values.
Widely accepted to be Hitchcock's most personal pic with a sense of anguish and obsession that permeated through the film that may or may not have resulted from the tragic retirement of Hitchcock's muse Grace Kelly who left their professional relationship and the industry altogether for the love and wealth of Prince Rainier of Monaco, Hitchcock didn't waste any time exacting a sort of indirect revenge on blondes in this and subsequent films. Janet Leigh's fate in Psycho anyone?
Unlike Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh in their Hitchcock offerings, however, blonde Kim Novak makes little impression here with James Stewart shouldering all of the heavy lifting.
One of the bravest performances of a film icon at the time, watching Stewart proceed from guilt to madness to love to obsession to regret is one of the films many treats.
Stewart plays John Ferguson, known to his friends as Scottie, and the opening scenes detail his extreme case of acrophobia aka vertigo due to the death of a fellow police officer. So shaken by the death, he retires and wiles about his time with gal pal Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) who harbors a crush but Scottie remains willfully ignorant of this.
His life takes a sudden change for the bizarre when he gets a call from an old college buddy Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) who has made a mint in the shipping business but is worried about his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak).
Gavin believes there’s supernatural foul play at work and that his wife has been possessed by an ancestor who committed suicide and that Madeleine might be destined to repeat the death.
Gavin wants Scottie to follow her and keep her out of harms way and of course that plan doesn't go quite as planned. Similar to classic film noir 'Out of the Past', the hired falls in love with who he needs to be keeping tabs on and Scottie's relationship with Madeleine forms the backbone of the story as both try to excise some demons all the while embracing the tangible passion between the two.
Making great use of San Francisco locations, this pic is one of Hitchcock's best-looking films with sharp, vibrant colors just popping off the screen. This new digitally remastered anamorphic picture is a wonder.
Other technical achievements is the outstanding Saul Bass credits sequence and the now iconic psychedelic dream sequence from John Farren that really takes the audience for a ride.
I quite often hear from films fans that they watched 'Vertigo' as they were going through the popular list of Hitchcock films like 'Rear Window', 'Psycho' and 'The Birds' and were underwhelmed with it at the time as it's cinematic experiences aren't quite as viscerally interesting as the others.
Most of those other films also have great subtext but work on a more accessible level as well that 'Vertigo' that doesn't really try for. It defies conventions and therefore become a bit more work for the viewer but going in with the right frame of mind will find a film that might be one of Hitchcock's best.
Like the other recent Hitchcock Universal Legacy Series releases, this is the third DVD release for the film after the popular '01 Collector's Edition release and then later in 2005 as part of the Masterpiece Collection.
I own the non-anamorphic '01 disc and can speak on those comparisons. This new transfer is a beauty and is well worth the double dip alone for owners of that '01 disc. As I talked about above, 'Vertigo' is one of Hitchcock's most visually interesting films and his great San Francisco locations just bleed color and vibrancy.
We get an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track and the original mono track as 2.0. The 5.1 track was appropriate to the age and tone of the film with nice subtle effects but nothing to distractingly pounding.
The two-disc Legacy Series release carries over all of the '01 extras which includes a feature commentary from producer Hebert Coleman, and restoration team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz and 'Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece', a half-hour doc along with production notes and trailers.
Some great new stuff includes a feature commentary from director William Friedkin which basically acts as a film fan talking about a favorite movie. It has a little too much saying-what’s-happening-on-screen redundancy but proves a nice listen anyway.
'Vertigo Archives' is an gallery of storyboards, drawings and photos and 'The Foreign Censorship Ending' is a funny look at what Hitchcock had to add to international prints.
On disc two, we get the huge 'Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators', an hour-long doc broken up into four sections that includes clips, footage and interviews from a variety of historical and contemp film professionals. Saul Bass, Bernard Hermann, Alma Reville, Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro, John Carpenter amongst others all pop up and wax on the film and the famous director.
A fifteen-minute 'Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview Exceprts' is presented here which has Hitchcock being interviewed by Truffaut about 'Vertigo'. And finally is an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', 'The Case of Mr. Pelham' that appropriately covers some of the same themes as 'Vertigo'.
Like the other Legacy Series Releases from Universal, the studio pulls out all the stops to show some reverence and appreciation for one of the studio's most beloved classics.
An extremely well-made pic in which your appreciation for it will grow on multiple viewings, this release is an easy recommend for fans and definitely worth the double-dip for owners of the old '01 release.
Vertigo (Universal Legacy Series) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story