A Few Words About A few words about...™ Vertigo -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[AnthonyClarke]

Loved that crazy foreign censorship ending. I haven't watched the Blu ray yet to see if it's been slipped across as an extra....

 

[Peter Hayes]

As promised, here is my report on VERTIGO in 70mm as screened last night/this morning in Melbourne, Australia.

We were told to turn our phones off at 10.05 pm, so I can't state exactly when the movie started. Obviously it was about a minute or two after that; so around 10.06 or 10.07. By my phone (turned back on at the end), the final credit (of the restoration credits) appeared on screen at 12.14 am. So the film ran last night for around 127 or 128 minutes in total.

Fade in on Midge at the easel: I felt we saw a bit more here than the DVDs, but not quite as much as on the prerestoration laserdisc.

The third stupid: we got to see Midge's mouth form the start of the third "stupid" but we definitely did NOT see her spit the whole word out as she does on the prerestoration LD.

Corridor/cityscape: the transition lacked the overall fluidity of the LD; the fade out, pause, and fade in didn't have the unified feel that one gets on the LD.

I timed the last four shots (with my stopwatch) at 25.59 seconds in total.

This consists ofJudy says no (108 frames)Cut back to nun (24 frames)Cut back to Scottie (17 frames)Cut back to nun and track back (final shot of the movie).

This leads to the result that the final shot ran 19.38 seconds, which is (realistically, ie allowing for reaction time) indistinguishable from the region 2 DVDs.

I have watched the "stupid" fade out on region 2 DVD again today, and it's just how I remember it in the cinema last night.

So the bottom line is that the region 2 DVDs appear to be very faithful transfers of the Harris/Katz restoration (unlike the region 1 DVDs).

 

[Osato]

As promised, here is my report on VERTIGO in 70mm as screened last night/this morning in Melbourne, Australia.

We were told to turn our phones off at 10.05 pm, so I can't state exactly when the movie started. Obviously it was about a minute or two after that; so around 10.06 or 10.07. By my phone (turned back on at the end), the final credit (of the restoration credits) appeared on screen at 12.14 am. So the film ran last night for around 127 or 128 minutes in total.

Fade in on Midge at the easel: I felt we saw a bit more here than the DVDs, but not quite as much as on the prerestoration laserdisc.

The third stupid: we got to see Midge's mouth form the start of the third "stupid" but we definitely did NOT see her spit the whole word out as she does on the prerestoration LD.

Corridor/cityscape: the transition lacked the overall fluidity of the LD; the fade out, pause, and fade in didn't have the unified feel that one gets on the LD.

I timed the last four shots (with my stopwatch) at 25.59 seconds in total.

This consists ofJudy says no (108 frames)Cut back to nun (24 frames)Cut back to Scottie (17 frames)Cut back to nun and track back (final shot of the movie).

This leads to the result that the final shot ran 19.38 seconds, which is (realistically, ie allowing for reaction time) indistinguishable from the region 2 DVDs.

I have watched the "stupid" fade out on region 2 DVD again today, and it's just how I remember it in the cinema last night.

So the bottom line is that the region 2 DVDs appear to be very faithful transfers of the Harris/Katz restoration (unlike the region 1 DVDs).

Awesome. Thanks for the post!

 

[Richard--W]

The U.K. blu streets on September 23. It's cheap and region free:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vertigo-Blu-ray-Region-James-Stewart/dp/B003BEDT96/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1378121641&sr=1-1&keywords=vertigo+blu

 

[Richard--W]

Rear Window has been available in a region free edition since May 2013:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BP5GCVU/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

 

[AstonMartin007]

Stumbled across another rare promo shot...Scottie the art critic:

Between this and the zombie shot, I wonder who was actually handling the publicity...

 

[jsteed]

Ah, well you would know about the flashback. My source was primarily Herbert Coleman's memoirs. Thanks for reading it!I think Kim Novak really does not get enough credit for her work. I never had any reservations about her, the first time I saw Vertigo I had never heard of her and by the end she had totally won me over. I remember one reviewer comparing the unexpected power of her entrance in Vertigo to the Pearl Harbor surprise attack...strange analogy, but it works somehow. It was only after I looked her up online that I found so much criticism of her; I've never understood it. I went back and saw Picnic and The Man with the Golden Arm, and while I'm not sure about the movies themselves, her performances in both still stand out amid the dated and exaggerated acting styles of the cast. She could project an honest sincerity and vulnerability I've never seen elsewhere, it's clear her performance in Vertigo was no fluke. That's primarily why I wrote that whole section on her casting, because at the end of the day, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending Hitchcock's film while at the same time wondering how much credit he really deserves for it. Vertigo wouldn't exist without Hitchcock, but would it be what it is without Kim Novak? That he couldn't understand her value and kept sniping at her through the years speaks more to his limitations than Novak's, I feel.I feel a twinge of sadness watching Vertigo now, unconnected with the tragedy of the film. I don't know how well her career would've gone, but it's clear she didn't deserve the dismissal she received back then, which still continues to a certain extant today. Vertigo should have been a landmark film in an illustrious career, instead it fizzled and no one saw it for 30 years. Instead of the praise that she deserved, all I can find are Hitchcock's quips and headlines like this. At least she's getting some recognition now, albeit 50 years late...it would be nice to see her with Stewart on the cover of the fully restored Bluray release, which will hopefully happen sometime before the Apocalypse.Peter, I'll look for the fades; I certainly won't be using a stopwatch, but in any case, it should be easy to check Midge's scene and the final fade.

Always been a huge fan of Kim Novak. I don't think any other actress could of played the role as well as Kim Novak. I also really like her in Bell, Book, and Candle. Great actress.

 

[DoCaRa]

Good question.

When we performed the restorative efforts in 1996, we did so at the finest level of photographic abilities, using every trick in the book to create something that while not perfect, left current film elements in the dust. The work was performed at Pacific Title, and what they created for us was superb.

Today, we can create a perfect restoration via digital means.

If the desire is there to do so. I fear that the Hitchcock family will lose the films before anyone decides to get around to it
and support their survival.

To my eye, some of the Blu-ray looks very nice. Not fully correct, but very nice. Other sequences look like garbage. And for the record, resolution and sharpness are not a part of the equation. They simply are.

RAH

I have to say, this is very disappointing to hear, especially after the generally positive initial response. Just out of curiosity, what would your assessment of this disc be after all this time and closer inspection, in terms of rating?

 

[Robert Harris]

I have to say, this is very disappointing to hear, especially after the generally positive initial response. Just out of curiosity, what would your assessment of this disc be after all this time and closer inspection, in terms of rating?

Disappointing.RAH

 

[DoCaRa]

Well, that's very unfortunate for many reasons. This should be a good reminder to research before buying.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Disappointing.RAH

Will you be changing your rating on page 1 of the thread. ?

 

[Keith Cobby]

I bought the UK release in September and it was much as I expected after reading the posts on HTF. Overall I am slightly disappointed but not surprised by the image quality. However, I thought the exterior scenes in and around San Francisco were excellent, as good as anything from a VistaVision film on blu-ray. The scenes on set were not as good, and as seems to be usual in a Hitchcock film of this period, the process photography and back projection slightly let it down.

 

[Douglas R]

I'm not in the least bit disappointed with VERTIGO. it looks fabulous to me. So there

 

[Mikey1969]

Kim Novak was brought into films as a Marilyn Monroe substitute (ironically Novak's real first name was Marilyn) and she was "manufactured" to a certain extent by the studios (especially by Harry Cohn at Columbia). She never really fit the "dumb blonde" mold and was a good actress, who could be very compelling with a good director. Hitchcock wanted Vera Miles for the part and didn't really care for Novak, but thanks to her talent and (more importantly) malleability, Hitchcock got a very compelling performance out her, and she matches surprisingly well with the very talented James Stewart.

Always been a huge fan of Kim Novak. I don't think any other actress could of played the role as well as Kim Novak. I also really like her in Bell, Book, and Candle. Great actress.

 

[DoCaRa]

I bought the UK release in September and it was much as I expected after reading the posts on HTF. Overall I am slightly disappointed but not surprised by the image quality. However, I thought the exterior scenes in and around San Francisco were excellent, as good as anything from a VistaVision film on blu-ray. The scenes on set were not as good, and as seems to be usual in a Hitchcock film of this period, the process photography and back projection slightly let it down.

Yeah, I've sampled a few scenes from the blu-ray, and recall being most impressed by the outdoor sequences too, and I suspect this explains in part why so many websites rated this disc so highly. It's too bad when such a high-profile film like this doesn't get the treatment it deserves, when there are companies like Criterion who put out glorious releases of obscure art films like Marketa Lazarova.

 

[Mikey1969]

Vertigo looks good on blu-ray, but it could, and probably should look a lot better. Universal could have digitally built upon the late-90's Harris-Katz restoration and truly presented and preserved the film as Hitchcock intended. Especially considering the interest and sales of this title in many formats. I would have much rather they handled it as Warner does their classics; spending the time and money as needed and releasing them gradually.

 

[mark brown]

Amen. We saw the 70mm Harris restoration at Seattle Cinerama in September and it was the highlight of the festival. Saw the Universal blu ray for the first time a month later and we were really disappointed. Still do not understand why Harris' restoration was not the basis for the blu. mdb

 

[Tom Logan]

Still do not understand why Harris' restoration was not the basis for the blu. mdb

Now I'm really confused. I thought Harris' restoration WAS the source for the Blu-ray. Wasn't it?

 

[Robert Harris]

Now I'm really confused. I thought Harris' restoration WAS the source for the Blu-ray. Wasn't it?

It was not. The studio decided to set our work aside, and try it themselves. This could easily have been a home run, but in this case, the player was thrown out trying to steal second.

RAH

 

[Tom Logan]

Thanks for answering and for the apt (though depressing) metaphor.