Customer Reviews

Vertigo

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Of the "Vertigo" CD's available, I like this one best, even though I know there are some problems with it. Some tracks are mono, because they were originally recorded that way. There are some flaws in the playing, including more bowing from the strings than composer Bernard Herrmann might have liked. And the years have not been entirely kind to the recordings themselves. I say, "So What?" This is the version that has the one thing all others lack- the power to put you back into the strange world of "Vertigo".

It's a very complete version; the only thing I believe is missing is the little bit of stock music used when Scotty and Judy dance at the Fairmont.

But the wonderful thing about this soundtrack is that power to return you to San Francisco, circa 1958, when a decent detective got gulled into playing an unwitting witness to a scam, and lost his soul thereby.

I can testify to that power; I played the CD in the car one day, and found myself driving on one of Atlanta's hillier streets, just as the music for Scottie's following of Madeleine was played. For just a second, I was IN the movie, it seemed; I had to take a moment to bring myself back to here and now- reminding myself that I was on my way to a meeting, not tailing a green Jaguar. If I had been in San Francisco when this happened, I think I might have ended up in San Juan Bautista before the spell broke...

Again, I've heard the other versions, and they're fine. They're well-played and state-of-the-art technically; they try to correct every flaw in the actual soundtrack, and on that score they succeed. They just don't have the ability to evoke the movie the way this one does. Madeleine and Scottie are on this CD, and no other. Play the others, and hear beautiful music. Put this CD in, and be transported. I was.

When I first saw "Vertigo" in its original release, I was 14, too young to understand this masterful film's emotional complexities but sucked in by the powerful undetow of the Bernard Herrmann's brilliant score, the finest of all his work for Hitchcock. I pestered by mother until she gave me $3.98 to buy the Mercury soundtrack recording. Over the years it served me well (and skyrocketed in value as a sought-out collectible) and was played until the grooves wore thin. The Mercury CD reissue of 1990 was a fine stereo replica but the Mercury original, but this disc (produced to accompany the film's glorious 1996 restoration) surpasses it with better sound and additional tracks. There are some minor flaws: not all of the new tracks are in stereo and the recordings show their 40-plus-year age. Owing to a strike in Hollywood, the majority of the "Vertigo" score was recorded in London but some cues were done in Vienna, and only the London session were made in stereo. However, considering the age and lamentable deterioration of the master tapes, what's here sounds remarkably good. The recent digital re-recording of the score has flashier audio (and cue or two missing from this disc), but this is the REAL thing and, for my money, the better of the two discs. An absolute must in any film score collection ... or serious contemporary music collection, for that matter.

Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann worked together for nine extraordinary years beginning in 1954 with "The Trouble With Harry" and on through "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956),
"The Wrong Man" (1957), "North By Northwest" (1959), "Psycho" (1960), and "The Birds" (1963) along with their masterpiece, "Vertigo" in 1958. It was in 1966 that Hitchcock rejected Hermann's score for "Torn Curtain" and the two men not only never worked together again, they also never spoke to each other again.

"Vertigo" has one of the most lush and romantic scores ever written for a film, purely tonal most of the time and then something goes horribly wrong: the music seems to turn in on itself, spirals downward, becomes hypnotic, mesmerizing, almost minimalistic. Themes are repeated and variations of these themes become haunting and then nightmarish.

If you have ever seen "Vertigo" listen just to the "Prelude" on this CD and you will remember Saul Bass's brilliant main title sequence....one of the finest in all of cinema. Herrmann has written a great, great film score, postively married to this breathtaking movie. The score can be enjoyed while watching "Vertigo" or simply by listening to this remarkable CD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Yeah, that's THE MOVIE and THE SOUNDTRACK, I love Star Wars, Bond movies, but this Hitchcock gem will be always my favorite of all time. It's the cinema in its purest formula, and only Bernard Herrmann could create a soundtrack that had love, sadness, mystery, loss and above all reincarnation. Yes, the Star Wars scores present great originality, but this one is a very personal CD of mine, like I said it has all we want to in beautiful music.
There is this CD, which has the original orchestration, and the 1998 Re-recording by Joel McNeely, which I firstly bought cause there wasn't this one yet.
Contrary to some reviewers I won't elect my fave themes since I think the soundtrack "lives" with the calm cues as much as the more strong ones. I love each of them!

"Prelude" can transport us to the story that we're going to see and those hipnotic chords creates a feel of attraction and diziness like in the Saul Bass titles."Rooftop" is exciting revealing Scottie's achrophobia.
"Scottie Tails Madeleine" includes some passionate notes when Kim Novak's character is introduced and some slowpaced notes of her being followed. This track ends with the "Mission Organ" which doesn't appear in the Re-recording. Yet it's not included the graveyard scene like in the new one.
"Carlotta's Portrait" is one of the most distinguished, since it's associated with the spanish woman, and it's used habanera rhytm later to be used in more terrific tones- quite eerie.

"The Bay" is a nice variation Madeleine's theme again, and the music changes from mysterious to urgent when Madeleine throws herself to the water.
"By the fireside" features Madeleine's theme again used to show sensuality.
"The Streets" is a theme that doesn't appear in the Re-recording, it's again Scottie and Madeleine in the cars variation.
"The Forest" is a real spooky cue, using organs. "The Beach" is the the conclusion of the walk of the recent lovers- it ends with strong, romantic notes as they kiss.
In "The Dream", we have the return of Carlotta's piece as Scottie tries to understand Madeleine's mind.
"Farewell" and "The Tower" is certainly one the best tracks- it's where Scottie can't give a solution to Madeleine's suicide atempts. The romantic notes return again in a doomed way, because there's no way of stop the posessed woman. The Fall variations of the first track return matching perfectly with the Vertigo of Scottie. We truly sense his feel of shock as the music seems not to forgive the poor detective.
The soundtrack seems to be even more better in "The Nightmare"- we hear frightening Carlotta's variation, and "The Dawn" is the part Scottie is release from the institution. Like the movie, the soundtrack seems to had reach the end.
"The Past" has excellent variations of Madeleine's theme in a more supernatural touch as Scottie mistakes some women for his lost love. This is finished with a familiar "The Girl". This two parts of the track don't appear in the Re-recording.
"The Letter" has some darker tones as Judy's secret in the murder complot is reveaveled.
"Goodnight" and "The Park" have more romantic touches, as Judy and Scottie develop their love but there's no way of avoiding---
"Scene D'Amour ", probably the most famous and most important track, since it's the part Judy agrees to attend to Scottie's desires and be Madeleine. The music is more romantic and yet more tragic than ever as they passionate kiss, after being so much time seperated by death. After the explosion the scene and the music fades, leaving the lovers. Happy ending?
Not quite, because we knew who was Judy and Scottie has to know too("The Necklace"), and orchestration gets darker and darker as he takes her back to the Mission("The Return"), and the romantic cue is more tragic and bizarre as they climb the stairs, without we even know that this will lead to "The Finale"--They love each other but they must not be together again. As Judy's fall the music explodes one last time as James Stewart looks down and--THE END.

Wow, what can I say, after all this? The score is certainly a must for Herrmann fans (like me), altough I know people who love it without knowing too much abot the director or the conductor.
This one covers very well each scene of the mov, every people will revive Scottie's emotions- I did!
Well, I also tend to say that this one should be heard by the younger people who rather prefer Hans Zimmer or Howard Shore. A warning for them- You'll only find gems like this in some John Williams or Danny Elfmans soundtracks so-- BUY THIS CD NOW!!!

The soundtrack of Bernard Herrmann's "Vertigo" is an experience that you will never forget. This excelent edition conducted by Muir Mathieson presents the most complete collection of the "Vertigo" score ever, and a booklet full of detailed information about each piece of music. During the listening of the album you will be hooked in a musical web of mistery, hypnosis and murder. Herrmann captured all the essence of Hitchcock's macabre masterpiece and translated into musical motifs the feelings of the characters, not only commenting the action of the film, but also giving life and soul to the music. And it is quite ironic to talk about life and soul on this soundtrack, but this was exactly what Herrmann did, literally. The soundtrack is a long and deep sigh, an anguish between reality and fantasy, love and hate, life and death. It is art, in the most powerful sense of the word.

This is only to share my opinion that if you like Hitchcock, if you value richly, romantically evocative weavings of sound, or if you know and have loved Bernard Herrmann, you should have this CD in your collection. This CD version is the real deal, not a modern recreation, so faithful to its source that its compilers have included a few tracks they thought of questionable technical quality. (There was nothing here to offend my ear.)

If you like this, do yourself a favor and keyword Bernard Herrmann. Through his work for Hitchcock, for Orson Welles and for The Twilight Zone TV series, he set a standard and profound influence which all film composers working since Herrmann, including the likes of John Williams and Danny Elfman, have felt.

A beautiful soundtrack CD that evokes a great film every time you put it on.

Many consider Herrmann's musical contribution to the classic Hitchcock film to be the third "star" behind leads Stewart and Novak. Who am I to dispute that?

Almost every scene is filled with the lush strings and ominous chord arrangements of which Herrmann is noted. Of course, the central theme is repeated or restructured but that only serves to support its importance.

Herrmann knew how to musically tell a story. His passages reflect the on-screen action; they alternate from extremely subdued to blaringly threatening. Very few film composers had (or have) his knack for adding "color" to the filmed images.

"Vertigo" is one of Sir Alfred's most personal films, and the Herrmmann scores remains one of that musician's most dynamic undertakings.

Beware Hermann fans, for once you listen to this, you will be hooked. All of his tracks are excellent and all have been digitally remastered in stereo. What more could you want. On a sour note, one track was too badly damaged to be included, but it can be found on the re recorded CD. Buy this now!!!

The first time I saw this movie, I didn't actually see it. I heard it. It was playing so late at night, I was dozing on my bed when it finally came on the TV (which tended to be on, much of the time, in my bedroom). The music roused me from deeper sleep, and managed to keep me in an in-between state for the entire movie. Occasionally I would pry one eye open and see Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, talking, running, kissing. I knew some heavy-duty stuff was going on. And even though I didn't hear the dialog, the music told me everything I needed to know about the movie and its themes of love, obsession, deception, and ultimate loss.

This was the most grown-up movie I had encountered up to that point. It's so grown-up, I'm not sure you can truly comprehend it if you're under 40. But that's okay - the music is a road map. If you've heard it, you'll never forget it. It will tell you exactly how Jimmy Stewart's character was feeling. You'll be swimming in deep water. And that's an experience everyone should have at least once.

Vertigo is not only the finest of Bernard Herrmann's scores written for the films of Alfred Hitchcock, but also one of the most memorable and captivating movie scores of all time.

Muir Matheson's original recording is tatty in places, but it belongs uniquely to the world of the original film, and as such I wouldn't wish it to be altered one iota. The film's atmosphere is contained brilliantly therein, from the suspenseful and brooding ambience of the early scenes to the sweeping passion of the latter half of the film. This remastered recording will allow the listener to relive the exhilarating experience of Hitchcock's masterpiece.