Vertigo
Year Released: 1958Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Barbara Bel Geddes, Kim Novak, James Stewart
(PG, 130 min.)
Restorations of film classics seem to be all the rage these days, and each new release also kicks off a new round of hype, fanfare, and remembrances. But this time, it's Hitchcock's sublime Vertigo, certainly one of the director's greatest, if not best, works. Vertigo stands as one of the thrill master's most psychologically dense and twisted works in which obsession, commitment, and dual identities all merge to create a voluptuous tale of thwarted love. And here's the icing on the cake: The Bernard Herrmann soundtrack was digitized and re-recorded for this restoration, creating a crisp new musical element that includes sounds and effects not even heard during the original 1958 release. Soundtrack enthusiasts have been in a deep swoon all summer long singing the praises of the new, cleaned-up tracks. And film fans everywhere are simply dizzy with joy.
Marjorie Baumgarten [1996-11-15]
