ADDITION: Universal 4K UHD (September 2020): Universal transferred Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo to 4K UHD as part of their The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection which includes Psycho, Rear Window, Vertigo and The Birds - all on separate 4K UHD discs. Four Blu-rays are included. These 4K UHD transfers feature HDR described as "4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience."

Vertigo, which I have seen over a dozen times - probably closer to 20 times - looks magnificent via 4K UHD. Midge's apartment, the flower shop, Novak's sweaters, the cars, Scottie's suits, facial detail, the animation in the nightmare sequence, and the film's wonderful pastels and hues look better than I have ever seen. I found it stunningly beautiful. The gem of the The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection 4K UHD set. The image is authentically a bit darker and colors gain an impressive richness (greens are notable.) All I can say is 'Wow'. 

These are all triple-layered (100 Gig) discs and the Vertigo 4K UHD is approaching triple the bitrate of the last Blu-ray.  

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 86 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE.

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Spartacus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Jaws (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Invisible Man, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucio Fulci's 1979 Zombie  (software uniformly simulated HDR),, 2004's Van Helsining (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Shallows (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bridge on the River Kwai (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Deer Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Elephant Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Quiet Place (software uniformly simulated HDR), Easy Rider (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspiria (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pan's Labyrinth (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot  (software uniformly simulated HDR),,  Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

Universal's 4K UHD offers a robust 7.1 DTS-HD Master track (24-bit) as the default and a second option is a standard DTS dual-mono track similar to the 2012 Blu-ray (as well as including two foreign language DUBs). I can't speak to the authenticity for the original mono as opposed to downmix of the remix (as in Psycho.). I can say that the Foley gunshots in the opening sounds better (deeper - like an echo-ey canon) in the mono than the surround. The 7.1 is kinda cool for many spots of the film but fans have always wanted the original, unfettered, mono. The iconic score is by the incomparable Bernard Herrmann (Blue Denim, Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, Cape Fear, The Magnificent Ambersons, Taxi Driver, The Wrong Man, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Mysterious Island, Jason and the Argonauts, Obsession, Hangover Square, etc. etc.) sounding magnificent in the lossless. There are subtitle options including English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin American Spanish and, as with all 4K UHD discs, this Universal package is Region 'Free' (included Blu-rays too!) playable worldwide. 

Universal's 4K UHD disc has the same supplements as seen on most of the past digital discs and the last Blu-ray (see our review HERE.) The Blu-ray carries over all the extras from the 2012 edition. In the set, the included Blu-rays for Rear Window, Vertigo and The Birds are the exact same discs as the 2012 edition - and actually have those VoB / M2TS file dates - see HERE. So no new extras, but there is a ton here anyway from the Friedkin commentary to the excellent Obsessed with Vertigo documentary, and other video pieces as well as the Hitchcock / Truffaut interview excerpts and much more. The 4K UHD includes a leaflet for digital downloads.  

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is an unequivocal masterpiece and seeing it in 4K UHD seems essential for serious cinephiles. The major theme of obsession unfolds in one of the most visually beautiful films ever made.

It's a must-own and will make it's way to our Desert Island selection in the next update. WE will cover the other three films in the 4K UHD set very soon. Stay tuned. 

Gary Tooze