Enter Our Giveaway
CLICK ON THE COVER TO
ENTER!
Site programming by Cory Webb
|
North By Northwest
|
|
Reviews DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by Staff Writer
|
|
Monday, 24 January 2005 |
|
Favored by 0 users
(Register to add this entry to your favorites)
Grade Content Grade:
A
Sound Grade:
B+
Picture Grade:
A
Specs Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Warner Home Video/MSRP-$24.95 Widescreen(2.35.1) /-Subtitles in English, French Dolby Digital Sound 5.1 (remixed), 2.0, French Mono 136 minutes-Color-1958
Review
This DVD, eagerly anticipated by Hitch's fans, was given special treatment by Warner Home Video and it shows. Loaded with extras, the picture and sound have been reworked by the digital masters at Warner, and the result is one of the best Hitchcock films ever to be a great DVD.
Cary Grant plays an advertising executive, Roger Thornhill, who is mistaken to be George Caplin, a character who is being sought out by assassins led by James Mason. It's the tried and true wrong man film for Hitch. The film is filled with distinct and famous Hitchcock trademarks; Grant being chased by stupid policemen ( Hitch hated police and always portrayed them in bad light in his films), a train sequence where Grant meets the mysterious blonde Eva Marie Saint ( another Hitch trademark), spectacular sets such as the UN building ( spectacular shot from the roof looking straight down as Grant flees the scene) and MT Rushmore, and the very famous scene of Grant being chased by a crop duster plane. Other Hitchcock films have a lot of these elements but this one seems to have them all. It's a true masterpiece of movie making. Picture and Sound
Picture- Warner Home Video went to great lengths to clean up the film and not a speck f dust or scratches are visible in the more than two hour presentation. Colors were restored as well and no fade outs were noticed. The Technicolor print is crisp and sharp with rich colors and detail. Sound-The film was remastered for DVD for 5.1 Dolby and while Warner Home Video made an effort to include some surround sound material-the crop duster flies through all five speakers as it stalks Cary, most of the dialog and powerful soundtrack music by Bernard Herrmann is through the center stage three speakers. A bit disappointing but hey-it was done back in 1958 and the efforts to enhance the sound are appreciated.
Extras
If any film deserved extras, this one does and Warner Home Video does not disappoint. A half hour feature, hosted by a stunning Eva Marie Saint presents Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North By Northwest, which also includes interviews with Patricia Hitchcock , Martin Landau, and Ernest Lehman who wrote the film for Hitch. This documentary reveals a lot about how Hitch worked, his methods for production, and how some of the most elaborate sets were designed and filmed, including the Mt. Rushmore set. There is also full length commentary for the film from Ernest Lehman, a fantastic stills gallery, the humorous Hitchcock trailers for theater and television, and another bonus-an audio only track showcasing the soundtrack of Bernard Herrmann's music, who is almost as famous for this score as he is for his next Hitch film, Psycho.
Summary
Couldn't get much better then this with an excellent transfer of the film, a remastered soundtrack, widescreen picture, and a ton of extras. Warner Home Video does it again! It is right up there with all the great Universal DVD titles of Hitch's. If you are a Hitch fan, and who isn't, this is an excellent addition to your library. Now if we could just do something about that snapper case!
User reviews
There are no user reviews for this item.
To write a review please register or login.
|
Featured Review
 Don Johnson is Nash Bridges, a San Francisco detective juggling work, raising his teenaged daughter and keeping track of all his ex-wives. Teaming up with his former partner turned private investigator, played by Cheech Marin, Mr. Bridges looks to put the bad guys behind bars while tearing up the streets of San Francisco. Annette O’Toole and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe have supporting roles.
Movie Quotes
Get your stinking paws off me, you damned
dirty ape! Charleton Heston Planet Of The Apes
|
|
January 6, 2009 releases
Absolute Best of Ghost Hunters Alphabet Killer American Girl: Girl of the Year 2009 Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 3 Babylon A.D. Bangkok Dangerous Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia Blind Mountain Cyrano de Bergerac Disaster Movie Doctor Who: Four to Doomsday Doctor Who: War Machines (Episode 27) Dogtown: New Beginnings Duckman: Seasons Three and Four Eden Lake The FBI Files Season - As Seen on Discovery Channel Frisky Dingo - Season 2 Inheritance The King and I Vol. 3 Laredo: Season 2, Part 2 The Lizard Mannix: The Second Season Michael Powell Double Feature (Age of Consent, Stairway to Heaven) Midnight Movie The Pack Pineapple Express The Plot to Kill Hitler Postal Righteous Kill Rona Barrett's Hollywood: Nothing But the Truth Tripping the Rift: The Complete Third Season The Tudors - Season 2 The Waltons - The Complete Eighth Season
|
