I've been sampling the new releases in Warner's new Hitchcock Signature Collection, and while a few of the films are showing their age, I've come away very pleased.
Dial "M" for Murder was always a problematic film as far as color was concerned. Photographed on early Eastman stock and processed by the Warner lab, it didn't fare terribly well over the years.
The new DVD in some ways actually looks superior to some older dye transfer prints, with astonishing reds and blacks. Contrast is apparent, but the overall look is far superior to anything that we've seen in the past 40 years, so this one's a winner.
The Wrong Man looks fine in its anamorphic widescreen format, with rich blacks and superb grays.
Suspicion and Mr. and Mrs. Smith look nice for their age, and with fine gray scales retained even from dupes.
Foreign Correspondent looks much better than I would have thought, as it was produced independently and was not a part of a studio preservation program.
I Confess looks much as it has over the years, apparently designed with a more contrasty feel.
Stage Fright is also a fine representation.
This set is a major release for anyone who love the work of The Master of Suspense.
With the release of the set, we are lacking a single Hitchcock film, Fox's Lifeboat, which hopefully is being looked after for a release as part of their Classics series.
The deal of the year is, of course, on the box set. Nine films for an online price of about $75, works out to about $8 per title, inclusive of the new two disc release of Strangers on a Train and the old North by Northwest in new packaging. The old one makes a nice gift for a needy friend.
All of these films come highly recommended, especially at the price point.
My only gripe about the set are the generic, "cookie-cutter" documentaries by Laurent Bouzereau.
While he uses many of the proper (and wonderful) ingredients such as Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, Richard Schickel and others, and although interesting information is shared, they appear to have been produced on a tiny budget.
Each interviewee was obviously quizzed about all of the films in a single session in the same clothing with the same setup. Each documentary follows the same path, with hardly a bit of creativity thrown in. You can actually sense some of the on-camera talent growing weary from an apparent long day.
The documentaries are basically a free add-on, but they could be so much more with a bit more budget or in different hands.
Its almost as if the DVD documentary has gone the way of the Ford assembly line. One color and one style fits every film, and that's a pity. Some new ideas and new talent could go a long way.
Imagine a set of documentaries on the Hitchcock films created by someone like Kevin Brownlow. That would be nirvana.
RAH
Dial "M" for Murder was always a problematic film as far as color was concerned. Photographed on early Eastman stock and processed by the Warner lab, it didn't fare terribly well over the years.
The new DVD in some ways actually looks superior to some older dye transfer prints, with astonishing reds and blacks. Contrast is apparent, but the overall look is far superior to anything that we've seen in the past 40 years, so this one's a winner.
The Wrong Man looks fine in its anamorphic widescreen format, with rich blacks and superb grays.
Suspicion and Mr. and Mrs. Smith look nice for their age, and with fine gray scales retained even from dupes.
Foreign Correspondent looks much better than I would have thought, as it was produced independently and was not a part of a studio preservation program.
I Confess looks much as it has over the years, apparently designed with a more contrasty feel.
Stage Fright is also a fine representation.
This set is a major release for anyone who love the work of The Master of Suspense.
With the release of the set, we are lacking a single Hitchcock film, Fox's Lifeboat, which hopefully is being looked after for a release as part of their Classics series.
The deal of the year is, of course, on the box set. Nine films for an online price of about $75, works out to about $8 per title, inclusive of the new two disc release of Strangers on a Train and the old North by Northwest in new packaging. The old one makes a nice gift for a needy friend.
All of these films come highly recommended, especially at the price point.
My only gripe about the set are the generic, "cookie-cutter" documentaries by Laurent Bouzereau.
While he uses many of the proper (and wonderful) ingredients such as Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, Richard Schickel and others, and although interesting information is shared, they appear to have been produced on a tiny budget.
Each interviewee was obviously quizzed about all of the films in a single session in the same clothing with the same setup. Each documentary follows the same path, with hardly a bit of creativity thrown in. You can actually sense some of the on-camera talent growing weary from an apparent long day.
The documentaries are basically a free add-on, but they could be so much more with a bit more budget or in different hands.
Its almost as if the DVD documentary has gone the way of the Ford assembly line. One color and one style fits every film, and that's a pity. Some new ideas and new talent could go a long way.
Imagine a set of documentaries on the Hitchcock films created by someone like Kevin Brownlow. That would be nirvana.
RAH
