Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece (1997)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good idea lost in the noise

A Major Disappointment

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

. . . is not quite perfect, but neither is the James Stewart vehicle itself. Hitchcock clapboard sniffers, some of whom number among the talking heads here on OBSESSED WITH VERTIGO, apparently feel no qualms about going "Tee-hee-hee, wasn't 'ol' Hitch a bad boy for using such a lame dummy to represent the REAL Madeleine being tossed from the bell tower," or "Ha ha ha, ain't that Hitch something for putting Kim Novak in a gray suit which she knew clashed with her blonde hair?", which I suppose could be taken as a refreshing change from my literature prof who claimed THE GREAT GATSBY was the world's PERFECT book, and "not one word could be changed with causing the Great Pyramids to collapse." The fact is, it would make more sense to tell us what's GOOD about a flick than to try to justify the quirky use of stage conventions from the 1800s in movies made a century later as being strokes of genius somehow. Most of us were not born yesterday.

Obsessed with Vertigo (1997) *** (out of 4) Pretty good documentary about the 1997 re-released of Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO, which was returning to theaters after two years worth of restoration that ended up costing over a million dollars. Experts Robert Harris and James Katz did the work on the film and this documentary takes us on a tour of what all they had to do in order to save the film and return it to its glorious look. Scattered throughout their story is another story involving the making of the film and its lasting impact on people. Pat Hitchcock tells some stories about the making of the film as does Samuel Taylor who wrote the screenplay. Assosiate producer Herbert Coleman, production manager Doc Erikson, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes are also interviewed and share a few stories of their own. Martin Scorsese is also on hand to talk about the first time he watched the movie and how it really became an obsession to him over the years. He also talks about how rare it was for a filmmaker to be able to make such a personal film and especially in this era. Other stories include how the film wasn't a hit when released and why it took several years for it to finally catch on. Overall there's nothing ground-breaking here but the stories told are extremely entertaining and fans should enjoy hearing them. The stuff dealing with the restoration was a major plus as it really gives you a great idea of what it takes to fully restore a film to its original glory. There are several examples shown of how the film looked like in its 1983 re-release and what they were able to do for it in 1997.

This is the only featurette on the DVD of Vertigo. It consists of interviews with the duo who were in charge of the restoration(and footage of them working on it, as well as storyboards, posters and shots of the dubbing notes and such), Scorsese(whose fascination with the director is readily apparent in his own movies, and he has important things to say about this picture) and the surviving crew and cast, some of whom also contributed to the great commentary track. Everyone has something to share, if, as others have noted, the 2 who gave us an opportunity to watch this in its proper form again are dreadfully boring. This is very informative, as they go into sets, costumes, the pre-production process and how personal it was for Alfred, and how he went about it. It is a love-fest for both him and the film, however, which gets a little annoying(at points in this, every other word is "revolutionary" or "amazing"... I just think it's more interesting to hear *why* they deem it so, anyone can drop loaded adjectives), and they ignore the elephant in the room(the considerable age difference between the two leads, Stewart not particularly portraying a similar role elsewhere), instead of addressing them(middle-aged men are attracted to young women and sometimes the opposite is true too, and James is convincing and takes us by surprise by playing against type, are my arguments, respectively). In any event, this is good. I recommend it to any fan(note that this documentary contains spoilers) of the masterpiece or the man behind it. 7/10

Chronicling the restoration of Alfred Hitchcock's masterwork "Vertigo", we get background information and amazing behind-the-scenes photographs and gossip about one of the greatest films ever made. I loved getting to see those rare pics of Hitch in San Francisco, and that original cover of the French novel "D'entre les Morts", upon which "Vertigo" is based, is stunning (try finding that in a pinch!). Roddy McDowall narrates in his inimitable, non show-offy way. The quick interviews with Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes and others are very enjoyable. Perfect for whetting the palate for a "Vertigo" viewing, so put them both on (this one first) for a stylish, informative evening.