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Vertigo
Release Date: 31/03/1998
Runtime: 129 min
Studio: Universal Studios Home Video
Starring:
Kim Novak, James Stewart, Raymond Bailey, Tom Helmore, Paul Bryar, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Richardson, Lee Patrick, Roland Got, Konstantin Shayne, Henry Jones, ...
Language:
English (Original, Closed Captioned), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
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Description
VERTIGO is Alfred Hitchcock's haunting tale of deception, madness, and death—a masterful exploration of fantasy and anxiety. The film ranks with REAR WINDOW as one of the director's most closely studied films for its psychological complexity, while the obsession of its protagonist—John "Scottie" Ferguson (James Stewart)—can also be seen to parallel that of Hitchcock's own fascination with the icy-blonde leading lady he re-created at the center of so many of his films. Ferguson is a retired detective, his career ended by the onset of a paralyzing fear of heights. An old friend, the wealthy Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), hires Ferguson to follow his wife (Kim Novak), whom, he explains, has grown obsessed with an ancestor of hers. The assignment, however, draws Ferguson out of his comfortable role as observer and into a complex web of intrigue, mingled with the detective's own fantasies and fears.
Stewart gives an exceptional performance as the disintegrating detective, while Novak, who was left largely undirected by Hitchcock, conveys a subtle and powerful psychological journey. Another star of the film is its San Francisco setting. VERTIGO is considered one of Hitchcock's most complex, finest films.
Synopsis
A detective tails a cool, glamorous woman around the equally glamorous San Francisco of the 1950s; his fear of heights prevents him from saving her life. Obsessed with the dead woman, he stalks, meets, and manipulates a suspiciously similar-looking, if somewhat lower-class, woman, who inexplicably falls for him even though he demands she change her identity to match his fantasy. VERTIGO is an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, in Technicolor as lurid as its plot. The year 1996 saw the acclaimed rerelease of a restored, remastered version. The film is based on the novel D'ENTRE LES MORTS by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.
Chicago Sun-Times:
10/13/1996 "...Alfred Hitchcock took universal emotions, like fear, guilt and lust, placed them in ordinary characters, and developed them in images more than in words....A great film..."USA Today:
03/28/1997 "...Widely regarded as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest film and certainly his most disturbing..."Entertainment Weekly:
01/11/2002 "...An unexpectedly personal tale of obsession..."USA Today:
09/07/2004 "[T]he best movie ever made about romantic obsession..."Total Film:
02/01/2007 5 stars out of 5 — "Drenched in suspense and dipped in a dollop of despair, nothing is what it seems..."Empire:
12/01/2008 5 stars out of 5 — "Authentically scary, sexy and disturbing."
CAST
| Kim Novak | American Actress, VERTIGO (1958) |
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| James Stewart | Oscar-winning actor, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, VERTIGO, HARVEY |
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| Raymond Bailey | Milburn Drysdale of TV's "Beverly Hillbillies" |
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| Tom Helmore | Actor/"Vertigo" |
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| Paul Bryar | |
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| Barbara Bel Geddes | American Actress |
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| Jack Richardson | American Actor |
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| Lee Patrick | American Character Actress |
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| Roland Got | Supporting Actor |
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| Konstantin Shayne | American Character Actor |
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| Henry Jones | American Character Actor |
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| Ellen Corby | Esther Walton (Grandma) of TV's "The Waltons" |
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CREW
| Producer | Alfred Hitchcock (Director/screenwriter/producer, VERTIGO, THE BIRDS, PSYCHO) |
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| Story | Pierre Boileau |
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| Costume Designer | Edith Head (Oscar winning costume designer, THE STING) |
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| Art Director | Hal Pereira (Production Designer) |
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| Story | Thomas Narcejac |
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| Screenwriter | Samuel W. Taylor |
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| Editor | George Tomasini |
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| Director of Photography | Robert Burks |
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| Production Designer | Henry Bumstead (Production Designer, MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)) |
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| Composer | Bernard Herrmann (Film Composer, PSYCHO, CITIZEN KANE) |
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| Screenwriter | Alec Coppel |
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Edition: CollectorsEdition
Video: Color, LetterBoxed
Audio: Dolby Surround AC-3, NoiseReduction (Dolby)
Subtitles:
French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Closed Captioned)
Weight factor: 1 item(s)
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| Area |
Runtime |
Box |
| USA |
129 min |
(normal) |
| Rating |
PG (MPAA)
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Catalog #: 2036891
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UPC: 025192018329 |
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Release NotesDVD Features: Region 1 Keep Case Single Side - Dual Layer Collectors Edition Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85 Letterbox - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Additional Release Material: Film Highlights Production Interviews Trailers Alternate Ending: Hitchcock's Foreign Censorship Featurette: OBSESSED WITH VERTIGO Audio Commentary: Restoration Team Text/Photo Galleries: Production Notes Biograpahies: 1. Cast & Crew
Title NotesHitchcock cameo: Hitchcock appears walking in the street about 10 minutes into the film. VERTIGO is number 61 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Movies. VERTIGO was an original selection to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1989. VERTIGO, along with REAR WINDOW, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, ROPE, and MR. AND MRS. SMITH, was unavailable for several years. It was rereleased in January 1984. Vera Miles, who also appeared in Hitchcock's THE WRONG MAN and PSYCHO, was originally slated to play the role of Madeleine but had to bow out when she became pregnant just prior to production. Allegedly, Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac wrote their novel in hopes that Hitchcock would purchase it for adaptation. James Katz and Robert Harris led an ambitious $1 million restoration of the film. They created a new preservation negative in 65mm from all the film's original large-format elements. Instead of reduction printing in 35mm, however, they transferred it to 70mm--something done for the first time ever--which has been called Super VistaVision 70. They re-created the movie frame by frame, adding new sound effects, remixing the score, and redoing the title sequence digitally. This restored version was shown at the New York Film Festival October 4 & 5, 1996. It was released theatrically in New York City October 6, 1996. Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) said about VERTIGO, "I got to thinking that Stewart's character is actually quite a fake. If he had been played by John Malkovich, the whole thing would have been different."
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