Rating: 
Summary: My Greatest Movie of All Time
Review: Alfred Hitchcock made "Vertigo" at the height of his creative power. I first saw it in 1984, during its first release in almost twenty years, and viewed it over a hundred times since. In 1996, James Katz and Robert Harris painstakingly restored it, and although I have some issues with the restoration of the audio tracks (there are some sound cues missing, a couple obvious tape drop-outs from Herrmann's soundtrack), "Vertigo" would've disappeared without the TLC they put into saving it from total deterioration. It is this restoration that is on this DVD.What really makes "Vertigo" stand out is its synthesis of both pure technique and pure emotion. This is a rare combination in any art form, as the technical is often equated with cold, objective detachment, and emotion is equated with sloppiness. Hitchcock was probably more personally involved with the making of "Vertigo" than any other film, and it shows. Beginning with Madeleine Carroll, Hitch obsessively cast cool blondes as his heroines. Following Carroll were Joan Fontaine, Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich and Anne Baxter. But it was Grace Kelly whom Hitchcock felt most represented ideal woman. She starred in three of his movies ("Dial 'M' For Murder," "To Catch a Thief" and "Rear Window"). When she married Prince Rainier of Monaco, Hitchcock felt the loss deeply, and tried to recreate Grace in the form of other actresses. He attempted to groom Vera Miles to fill Grace Kelly's shoes (literally, Hitch was a foot fetishist you know), but Miles got pregnant as shooting got underway on "Vertigo". Hitch then brought in Kim Novak from Columbia studios, and found an actress with depth, beauty and empathy far beyond what Grace Kelly ever achieved. It is eerie, watching Jimmy Stewart re-create a love lost, realizing all the while that Hitchcock was attempting to recreate and monumentalize his own unrequited love for Grace Kelly. Strangely, Hitch's molding of Tippi Hedren into Grace's double during the filming of "Marnie" (1964) mirrors Stewart's obsessive attempt to bring Madeleine back from the dead. The acting is stellar across the board: Jimmy Stewart's fear, depression and cold sweat come across as real, not as some "method" acting technique. You sense that he brought out a lot of his own hidden fears, desires and obsessions in fleshing out Scotty Ferguson. The supporting actors, Barbara Bel Geddes as Stewart's plain, practical girlfriend, Tom Helmore as the suave, manipulative Gavin Elster and Konstantin Shayne as Pop Liebl, the bookstore owner with a knack for oral history, are all perfectly cast. But what makes "Vertigo" is more than just acting. To have realized this film, Hitchcock's crew was so in-sync with each another that "Vertigo" is experienced as the singular vision of one mind. Samuel Taylor's screenplay, which was worked out in writing sessions with Hitchcock, is intelligent, yet emotional, and the actors' lines resemble poetry more so than everyday conversation. Yet, the lines are delivered naturally. Saul Bass' iconic whirling abstract titles open up the movie and set its tone. You realize that you are in for a movie unlike any other you've experienced. Robert Burks was Hitchcock's cinematographer, and on no other film, was Hitchcock's visual sensibility so keenly felt. Burks was a DP at Warner's, and his impeccable craftsmanship can be seen in such non-Hitchcock movies as "The Fountainhead" (dir: King Vidor) and "The Spirit of St. Louis" (dir: Billy Wilder). But, it was his work with Hitchcock that his potential was most realized, and "Vertigo" has got to be the most beautifully filmed movie ever seen. The infinite perspectives, the jarring angles and the surreal lighting attest to Burks' visual genius. Working with editor George Tomassini, who cut this film really tight, and Technicolor advisor Richard Mueller, "Vertigo" shows what is possible in color moviemaking. The scene in which Kim Novak is dropping broken flower petals into San Francisco bay with the Golden Gate Bridge receding in the distance, silhouetted before a cerulean blue sky is reminiscent of a Vermeer painting, and just as skillfully executed. The interiors were designed by Henry Bumstead, and are expressions in simple elegance. Bumstead had to design the bell tower for the Mission scene, and its staircase is a visual expression of the vertigo that haunts Scottie. Edith Head was Hitch's favorite costume designer, and Kim Novak's severe yet sensuous gray tailored suit is the most beautiful woman's costume I've ever seen in any movie. Much talk is made about how Head won the Oscar for "Sabrina" when Audrey Hepburn was really wearing a Givenchy gown, but Kim Novak's entrance in that gorgeous emerald evening gown always makes every head turn, and makes Hepburn look like a gawky teenager in a rented formal by comparison. But it is Bernard Herrmann's beautifully Romantic and polytonal score that really completes Hitchcock's artistic vision: It is a haunting and obsessive score, and the ostinato of the swirling strings accentuates the vertiginous feelings Robert Burks' complex camerawork instills in the viewer. In the scene in which Scottie finally has recreated Judy in Madeleine's image, the kissing and caressing that is a prelude to their lovemaking is set to Herrmann's Wagnerian "Scene d'Amour," which runs over five minutes with only a few seconds of dialogue. However, Herrmann's scoring was so integral to the film that the scene never seems like a showcase for the music; instead, one can really understand how Hitchcock was a master of silent film, and how Herrmann composed music that was the perfect counterpart to the action onscreen. It is really astounding when one considers how all these masterful artists' talents are so seamlessly woven together. "Vertigo" is truly larger-than-life and unrepeatable, despite its numerous imitations.
Rating:
Summary: A Stellar DVD and A Great Film
Review: I love this film. It takes place in beautiful San Francisco and concerns mostly a man's love or obsession with one woman (who he can not have). It parellels Hitchcock's own life and often commented obsession with Grace Kelly, who later left him to become a Princess. People may find it moves 'slowly', but I think it's more relaxed, things are happening with the character all the time. My favourite scene is where Johnny being cared for in some facility and his plain friend (the one he probably should marry) is speaking with a person in charge of him, telling him how he 'loved' this girl and how Mozart's music can't help him. You should try renting this, before buying, anyone who has been in love can appreciate this, but you may not like the pacing.
Rating:
Summary: Don't forget Bernard Herrmann
Review: Hitchcock shows that suspense doesn't always have to be who done it. Watching the affable Scottie (Jimmy Stewart) sink into his surreal, waking sleep is as excrutiating as it is unforgettable. This is Stewart's most original part, as Scottie is completely out of character of whom he normally plays. He has far more depth as an actor than he's given credit for. Hitchcock made the comment that, when working with Bernard Herrmann, the story they presented together was 60% film and 40% music. Herrmann was one of the few movie composers who were interested in the color, look and taste of a musical composition, a score that could stand on its own. Even more rare, he was able to pull it off. The swirling, bittersweet score matches and amplifies Hithcock's movie, underlining Stewart's obsession and confusion. This DVD is packed with the goodies one expects of DVD's nowadays (interviews, behind the sceens, commentary, etc.) and a most revealing alternate ending. This was an "edit" for foriegn release that required some kind of "closure" for criminal acts, which is blasted on the radio that Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) listens too. But the rest of the scene was brilliant *SPOILER* Scottie slopes in, is served a highball by Midge, and he simply stares out of the window while drinking. No talk (the radio was turned off) or music You hear the traffic below. A very simple yet profound ending. *END SPOILER*. This DVD was the first time I saw the movie, and I honestly thought it was a better ending. Regardless, one of the best films ever made.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving of its accolades
Review: I have heard people talk about great movies, saying, "I envy the person who is seeing this for the first time, because I'll never get to relive the pure awe I felt then." Well, that was me, seeing Vertigo for the first time. Pure awe. I, of course, being a film fan, had heard people laud this as Hitchcock's best film. But I would scoff and say "pshaw" go back and watch The Lady Vanishes again, or Shadow of a Doubt. I really had no idea what I was missing. This is a fascinating film. Not only because of the surprises thrown at you, but also because of the performances. Jimmy Stewart is cast against type (although he is still the everyman we identify with) as a man obsessed with a woman he fell in love with, and then lost to a bizarre suicide. Kim Novak is perfect as well in her dual role as the suicidal woman and her lookalike that Stewart sees walking along the street some days after and takes up with. If you haven't seen it, I won't say any more, so as not to ruin the twists and surprises. I will say, however, that if you like Hitchcock, you should definitely add this one to your list. If you are renting it, make sure to get the Widescreen version. It does make a difference.
Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock's best, hands down.
Review: Let's cut to the chase: has there EVER been a better mixture of musical and visual than this brilliant film? This is my favorite film of all-time and this restoration was a God-send. The look and sound are INCREDIBLE. The extras are pure eye candy-a joy to watch. THIS is the film AH should be remembered for. Essential.
Rating:
Summary: 'FRIENDLY FAVORS..........
Review: De Palma tried quite successfully in "Dressed to Kill" to recapture that hypnotic Art Gallery sequence, same thing previously with "Carrie" [at the prom] - yes, the somewhat tiresome list of replicants goes on and on and on, but this is the difinitive version, and it absolutely has survived the test of time. A detective with a fear of heights, a slightly 1950ish kooky artsy girlfriend, and a "friend" who wants his wife "watched"; the wife - cool, aloof, stunning, blonde, extraordinary - and maybe quite dead[ly]. Stewart is perhaps just a little too dry for this one, maybe slightly too old - now William Holden, an interesting match, more sex appeal [something Hitch commented on later]. BUT this is possibly Novak's best - exquisitely costumed [although she did resist the gray outfit and the shoes - those shoes!] Everything else pales by comparison. Moral of this tale? Beware of friendly favors! A flawless enetrtainment, sets, costumes [Edith Head], music [Bernard Herrman's superior score], mood cannot be faulted, and it still is quite a disturbing study of male deception and male obsession another fragment of the PYGMALION myth. This is an excellent DVD - the fully restored work is essential for the serious collector. Now for pure FUN double-bill this one with "Bell, Book and Candle" also with Stewart and Novak [more chemistry this time around]. Or Triple-bill with De Palma's "Obsession" - a worthy tribute!
Rating:
Summary: one of the best I have seen
Review: Released more than 40 years, Vertigo still stands as a cinematic triumph. From start to finish, Hitchock directs a suspenful thriller with James Stewart on a quest to follow his friend's dead wife. The cinematography is brilliant helping the movie remain a classic
Rating:
Summary: Yet another admirer here...
Review: There is no shortage of accolades for this movie, and I'm just another fan; what I'd like to attempt here is to let the average viewer unfamiliar with "Vertigo" get a grasp on what the fuss is all about...Hitchcock once said to an unusually interpretive viewer, "My dear, it's just a film." Hindsight into the director's life post- "Vertigo", however, shows us something far deeper- this film proved to be as revealing about its director as its central character, Scottie.
Scottie (a seamless James Stewart performance), a San Francisco detective recovering from a harrowing accident, is summoned by old friend Gavin Elster to follow his wife, whose erratic, "haunted" behavior is threatening her life. That's all you get here...if you have not already read up on the remaining plot points, you need no more to get the hook in you. Kim Novak plays Madeline Elster, and Hitchcock's genius--and his crew-- manage to display her in settings as memorable as a Monet. Bernard Hermann's score is a perfect marriage to these visuals as they unfold in an intricate, layered plot. The vantage point of each character, if we could imagine it, would be a completely different movie in its emotions and resolution. "Vertigo" is extremely difficult to describe objectively. If you are about to view it for the first time, treat it with respect...it demands attention without distraction or sleepiness. If you've ever cared for someone and lost them, or tried to change to be liked (we all have done one or the other) then you'll understand its message. And the critical raves, too. I hope you agree...
Rating:
Summary: "...a flawless, seamless examination of romantic pathology."
Review: One of Hitchcock's most ambitious projects, "Vertigo" left critics and viewers alike unmoved and baffled at the time of it's release. Here, in it's newly restored format, we get to experience one of cinema's most powerful, unusual, and dizzying romances. A film, no matter how many times I see it, remains a flawless, seamless examination of romantic pathology. In one of his greatwet roles, James Stewart's Scotty is one of Hithcock's most richly developed and memorable characters. Trading in his usual nice-guy persona, we get to see a darker, more hard-edged side of Stewart. Kim Novak nails the icey blonde and tawdry redhead, effecting two amazing performances. I really can't think of any two actors besides Stewart and Novak who could be more right for this film. And there are just so many other things about this movie that are just right. As tense as it's is romantic; as complex as it is fascinating, Hitchcock truly weaves a tale of terror, but not just terror. A film about sexual obsession, desire, and deceit. The ending might just crush you, but this film is hardly upbeat. It does, however, seem right that should happen. Everything really falls together at the end, making perfect sense, as everything you thought and knew in the first half of the movie doesn't matter any more. Bernard Herrmann's score is his best, and one of the most memorable of any film. But it's perhaps worth it all, just for that scene in which Judy emerges from the bathroom, remade to look like Madeline, with the green light on her, and the look on Scotty's face. It's almost as relieving and powerful for us as it is for him. And there kiss remains the most erotic and passionate scene in cinema history. With this film, Hitchcock broke the rules of suspense, as the viewer is swept into the figurative whirlpool of Scotty's mind. Using such visual techniques as the famous trck-in/zoom-out shot to signify Scotty's vertigo, and the surreal dream sequence, hithcock reveals Scotty's tortured psyche. A true cinematic revelation!
Rating:
Summary: It may not be a box office success, but you can't miss it!
Review: "Vertigo" is a teriffic, Hitchcockian style movie. I just loved this one. I don't want to spoil this movie, but I can say the James Stewart and Kim Novak were teriffic in this movie. I think that everyone ought to see this masterpiece. Enjoy!!
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