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| Vertigo |
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Genre:Mystery Suspense
Reviewed In Issue 25 Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
James Stewart, Kim Novak. |
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 DVD General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
UNI |
| (Catalog Number): |
42941 |
| (MPAA Rating): |
Not Rated |
| (Retail Price): |
$79.98 |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
128 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
Yes |
| (Theatrical Release): |
1958 |
| (LD Release Date): |
4/9/97 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
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| Credits Information |
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| (Director): |
Alfred Hitchcock |
| (Screenplay/Written By): |
Alec Coppel & Samuel Taylor |
| (Story): |
NA |
| (Music): |
Bernard Herrmann |
| (Director Of Photography): |
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| (Production Designer): |
Hal Periera & Henry Bumstead |
| (Visual Effects): |
NA |
| (Costume Designer): |
Edith Head |
| (Editor): |
George Tomasini, ACE |
| (Supervising Sound Editors): |
NA |
| (Re-Recording Mixers): |
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| (Executive Producers): |
NA |
| (Co-Producers): |
NA |
| (Producers): |
NA |
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| DVD Picture Information |
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| (Principal Photography): |
VistaVision |
| (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): |
1.85:1 |
| (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): |
1.85:1 |
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| DVD Sound Information |
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| (DVD Soundtrack): |
DTS Digital Surround |
| (Theatrical Sound): |
RE: DTS |
| (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): |
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| (Remastered Dolby Digital): |
No |
| (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): |
Yes |
| (Additional Languages): |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
Based upon the novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomans Narcejac, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is one to the greatest mystery masterpieces of all time. Set in San Francisco, James Stewart portrays an acrophobic detective hired to trail a friend’s suicidal wife (Kim Novak). After he successfully rescues her from a leap into the bay, he finds himself becoming obsessed with the troubled, beautiful woman.
LaserDisc Picture:
The picture quality on both 1.85:1 LaserDiscs exhibits fully saturated colors that, despite a yellowish overtone in some scenes, presents generally natural fleshtones and deep solid blacks. There are inconsistencies in sharpness and detail—some scenes are so completely out of focus that you feel you need a new prescription on your glasses, while other scenes are so detailed that you can see the makeup on Kim Novak’s face. Shadow detail and contrast is poor, with dark scenes appearing too dark. Artifacts are minimal, but there is major grain and noise apparent. The elements were difficult, often damaged, but this is a remarkable restoration that saved this classic.
LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The Signature Collection Dolby® Digital 5.1 discrete soundtrack has a better defined soundstage that is expansive and deep in soundfield character. The Bernard Hermann music score is terrific and beautifully complements this masterpiece. Otherwise, the differences between the discrete and the matrix PCM are not dramatic. Sound effects are often spread across the soundstage, but there is limited sound in the surrounds. In some instances, the matrix version has a surround presence where there is none in the discrete. Overall, surround envelopment is subtle. The DTS® Digital Surround soundtrack projects the same spatial character as the Dolby Digital, but is dramatically richer sounding with better delineated soundfield character overall.
| (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): |
No |
| (Aggressive System Surround): |
No |
| (Intense 25Hz Bass): |
No |
| (Deep Bass Challenging): |
No |
| (Aggressive 0.1 LFE): |
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| (Holosonic Soundfield): |
No |
| (Aggressive Split Surround): |
No |
| (Center Back Surround Imaging): |
No |
| (Directionalized Dialogue): |
No |
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality: |
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Superb Music Score Recording Quality: |
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Superb Special Visual Effects Quality: |
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Superb Color Fidelity: |
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Superb Cinematography: |
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Reference LaserDisc: |
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Collector Edition: |
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