Posted by One-Shot Scot on 10/09/05 21:19

"Prince of Orange" <nospam@all.com> wrote in message
news:g9mhk1133oajbput9108ehhjd30blj1frb@4ax.com...
<<I've gone ahead and placed an order for the set, and I have to admit,
getting an Anamorphic copy of Vertigo is a huge selling point. It's my
favorite film of all time and I'm happy to see it getting the treatment it
deserves (now all I need is a widescreen TV!)>>

I can't say that I appreciate the arm twisting that Universal has done in
order to get people re-purchase Hitchcock movies. Anamorphic versions of
_Vertigo_ and _Psycho_ should be made available separately.

<<I'm jazzed about the original soundtrack being included as an option! The
gunshots in the 5.1 version sounded more like cannon shots to me, and the
shoe sound effects were awfully loud in just about every scene
where walking was involved. The problem with the newer soundtrack was that
it didn't sound natural (as you've pointed out); it kept reminding me of the
filmmaking process and dragged me out of the story.>>

In the commentary track, the participants talk about using separate
dialogue, sound effect and music tracks. Apparently, in order to create a
stereo soundtrack from Bernard Herrmann's _Vertigo_ score (part of which was
originally recorded in stereo), the original sound effects would need to be
recreated. As if this weren't bad enough, I have noticed that some sound
effects have been added to the 5.1 mix, where none existed before in the
original mono mix.

In a night scene outside of Scotty's apartment, the 5.1 version adds cricket
chirping to the mix and it appears that chirping birds have been added to
the sequoia forest scene. The most annoying part of the 5.1 soundtrack is
its boosted low bass, which keeps the subwoofer throbbing annoyingly. Often,
the 5.1 soundtrack amplifies effects which are best left as they originally
were. When the directional queues are added to the stereo mix, such as the
psycho acoustic effect of passing cars being panned across the screen, the
5.1 soundtrack becomes a distraction, rather than an enhancement.

<<As you sound like a fan of the film, I wanted to recommend a book, if you
don't already know about it. It's called 'Vertigo- the Making of a
Hitchcock Classic' and it's written by Dan Auiler.>>

Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered this book and _Footsteps in
the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock's San Francisco_. Maybe by the time these books
arrive, the earthquake retrofitting will be completed and getting into the
city by way of the Bay Bridge will be a lot easier.

<<Thanks for your response!>>

_Vertigo_ is one of my all time favorite movies and I enjoy discussing it.

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