The picture looks better, no more blips or speckles. And I thought it was interesting when William Friedkin says Hitchcock loved working with fake backdrops. I never knew that, interesting in the age of CGI technology.

I can't imagine why this movie is so highly regarded by some critics and moviegoers. It is too slow, too complicated by half, has flaws of logic, and is indifferently acted.

Kim Novak has about as much facial expression as Paris Hilton. Oh, she's pretty, but acting should be more than a plastic doll. Barbara Bel Geddes has a part that is not necessary to the plot and she does little with it. James Stewart is his usual laconic self.

The plot is far too complicated. I can't go into much of the difficulty without giving away the ending to those who haven't yet seen the film. Suffice it to say that too many movies devise a Rube Goldberg way to murder someone when a simple gunshot would be more likely to work. In this film the setup takes far too long. Stewart chats with Bel Geddes about nothings and then with his old college friend about this and that before we get down to being introduced to the plot.

Then there are the flaws of reality. Stewart, who is retired form the police force, suddenly flashes his badge to a hotel clerk in order to get personal information. When a cop retires he forfeits both gun and badge. Then on several occasions Stewart follows Novak in his car, and something untoward happens miles from home. But Stewart returns with Novak one assumes in a single car, and yet the other car is also retrieved. Look at the scene again where Stewart saves Novak from drowning and try to figure out how Stewart gets his own car back--or how Novak managed to look so good after being fished from the cold and dirty water of the bay.

Details, details, details. They are what make the difference in a really good book or movie. In this case the details mar the film beyond enjoyment.

If you have fallen under the spell of Vertigo (hopefully, only the movie) and have a high definition, 1080p TV, particularly one with the latest 120 herz sweep rate and 24 frame-per-second (film) signal transfer, you owe it to yourself to experience this new 2008 remastering of the 1996 film restoration. Although the bonus materials do not include a discussion of the technology used for the remastering, it is little short of amazing - much better definition than the master done for the 1998 Collector's Edition and, of course, a much higher resolution than any movie theater presentation. The only aspect that gives this edition away as not having been made this year (rather than the actual 1958) is the slight brightness of color that was inherent in the Technicolor process. A minor item, given the stunning definition and intensity of this transfer; it is truly state-of-the-art.

Other reviewers have noted the higher intensity of the sound effects that were redubbed for the 1996 restoration, particularly noticeable if you have a high-resolution sound system. Given the terrific quality of the restored main voice and music tracks, however, these effects soon fall into the background and out of notice, as you are enveloped in one of the best film scores ever written.

When so much of Vertigo is told by the expressions and body language of Stewart and Novak, the higher resolution and intensity of this remaster makes the "suspension of disbelief" in the unbelievable plot all the more possible. It also makes you appreciate all the more that Stewart was one the few best (the best?) actors in the history of film and that Novak gave the performance of a lifetime; together, they made this film felt if not believed. As the saying goes "see (experience) it as it has never been seen (experienced) before".

A man who's afraid of heights is responsible for the death of someone he loves. He is paralysed by his inability to overcome his fears and later when he meets someone, who reminds him of his lost love, becomes consumed and obsessed. Imagine it's a summer afternoon and you find out someone you care about has died and you are desperate not to believe the nightmare, but the day is beautiful and the nightmare is true and you have to go on. This film enters our psyche and gives us the most incredible perspectives on obsession and sense of devastating loss. Visually one of the most arresting films ever put on screen!

-This review pertains to the Vertigo: Special Edition DVD-

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

The 1958 film Vertigo may very well be one of Alfred Hitchcock's most unusual thrillers. Both convoluted and implausible, the film's screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor, and was based upon the French novel D'Entre les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. More so than any other Hitchcock film, Vertigo has a surreal dreamlike quality which will haunt its viewers long after the film is over. Despite the numerous plot holes in the improbable script, Vertigo has become a classic. Interestingly enough the film was not well received by critics and was too confusing for your average audience member. Yet, since its original release it has been revealed to be Hitchcock's most personal film. Vertigo is far from perfect, in fact the last quarter of the film feels terrible disjointed and mechanical, but the film's flaws are outweighed by its strengths. As the story descends into a fog of obsession, Hitchcock cleverly manipulates his audiences to an almost hypnotic effect. As viewers, we are so absorbed by the emotional conflicts of the characters that we can overlook the illogical mystery at the story's center.
Another aspect of the film that makes it unique was the opening credit sequence designed by the brilliant graphic designer, Saul Bass, who plays with imagery much in the same way that Hitchcock plays with our expectations. Stylistically, Vertigo is somewhat a departure from Hitchcock's earlier films, being more colorful and contemporary. Vertigo also features a phenomenal score composed by Bernard Herrmann, who conjures up a lulling melody that perfectly enhances the obsessions in the story.
Starring James Stewart as John "Scottie" Ferguson, and Kim Novak as both Madeleine Elster and Judy Barton, the film bursts off the screen with star power. While James Stewart feels slightly out of place in the role of a neurotic detective, Kim Novak gives the performance of her career or rather the performances of her career. With nuance, complexity, and sincerity Novak manages to slip from one persona to the next with grace.

During a rooftop pursuit of a criminal, Detective John Ferguson discovers that he suffers from acute acrophobia, an uncommonly severe fear of heights. It's this fear that leaves him paralyzed during the chase, resulting in the tragic death of a fellow officer. After weeks of therapy John quits the police force, believing that he's more of a liability than an asset. But his detective days are far from over. When an old college friend named Gavin Elster requests that John use his detective skills to uncover his wife's strange double life, John is at first reluctant... until he sees the beautiful Madeleine Elster. Apparently, Madeleine is possessed by the spirit of a woman, who committed suicide. She often goes into a trance and follows in the footsteps of a dead ancestor. Fearful that Madeleine might attempt suicide, Galvin assigns John the task of following her to protect her from her self-destructive impulses. After Madeleine jumps into San Francisco Bay and john has to rescue her from drowning, the two fall madly in love. But John is torn between his loyalty to Gavin and his passion for Madeleine, who grows more and more dissociative. One day John and Madeleine visit an old Spanish mission called San Juan Bautista and there Madeleine is consumed by emotion. She runs up the stairs of the bell tower and before John can overcome his acrophobia, she leaps to her death. This second tragedy, which John also feels responsible for, only depends his fear of heights. Overwhelmed with guilt and regret, John spends his days lost in a fugue state within the confines of a mental institution. When John finally recovers enough to be released from the institution, he starts to have episodes of déjà vu. Everywhere he goes, everyone he sees reminds him of Madeleine. John is haunted by his obsession, which reaches its climax when he meets Judy Barton. Judy resembles Madeleine a great deal and after becoming intrigued with John, they develop a relationship. But John is fixated and determined to remold Judy into Madeleine, which he manages to do after convincing her to change her wardrobe and her hair. Soon their strange passion dissolves when John uncovers the shocking truth about what really happened at San Juan Bautista. Though he is cured of his fear of heights, he is subjected to one final trauma from which he will never recover.

This obsessively good DVD includes an audio commentary with Associate Producer Herbert Coleman, Restoration Team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz and others, an audio commentary with filmmaker William Friedkin, Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece documentary, Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators documentary, Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Case of Mr. Pelham episode, Alfred Hitchcock / Francois Truffaut interview, foreign censorship ending, The Vertigo Archives image gallery, production notes, and trailers.

Also recommended:
Alfred Hitchcock: 3-disc Collector's Edition
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The 39 Steps
The Lady Vanishes
Shadow of a Doubt
Dial M for Murder
Rear Window
The Trouble with Harry