Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › WHV Press Release: North By Northwest 50th Anniversary Editions (DVD/Blu-ray)
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

WHV Press Release: North By Northwest 50th Anniversary Editions (DVD/Blu-ray)

post #1 of 68
7/20/09 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 
 



“Quintessential Hitchcock. One of the All-Time Great Entertainments.”

                                                                             - Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide

 NORTH BY NORTHWEST 
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

Warner Home Video Gives Legendary 
Hitchcock Thriller

Million Dollar Restoration for Blu-ray Book 
and Special Edition DVD Debuts November 3

 

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Co-starring Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau

 

Featuring Two New Documentaries

 

Burbank, Calif., July 20, 2009 – On November 3, Warner Home Video celebrates the 50th anniversary of North by Northwest, Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock's sleek masterwork, with spectacularly restored 50th Anniversary Editions on Blu-ray and DVD, newly remastered in 1080p from original VistaVision film elements.  

 

The arrival of North by Northwest on Blu-ray is a landmark event in home video history, as it marks the very first of the famed director’s films to become available on this state-of-the-art format.  Accordingly, the film has received a meticulous restoration and remastering especially for this occasion with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging scanning the original VistaVision production elements in 8K resolution.  The resulting presentation reveals a depth of field and clarity never before possible, only serving to heighten every thrill-packed moment of this beloved classic.

 

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, co-starring Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau, the stylish, action-packed espionage caper was written by Ernest Lehman, with music by Bernard Herrmann.  Nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Writing, Film Editing and Art Direction, the film was lauded as #4 on AFI's ”100 Years…100 Thrills” and selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

 

North by Northwest will be available for the first time in premium Blu-ray Book packaging, selling for $34.99 SRP and as a Special Edition DVD, retailing for $24.98 SRP.  Both versions boast two new documentaries. The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style consists of interviews, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage to reveal what defines the unmistakable Hitchcock style. In North by Northwest: One for the Ages today’s top directors Guillermo del Toro, William Friedkin, Curtis Hanson, and Francis Lawrence share their interpretations on the film’s importance and its influence on their own work. The Blu-ray Book also contains 44 pages full of photos, film facts and ‘insider information.’ 

 

Also on November 3, Hitchcock fans will be able to add to their collections with TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Hitchcock Thrillers, containing four of the director’s finest movies on two discs. The films in this collection are: I Confess, Strangers on a Train, Suspicion and The Wrong Man. The four-title set will sell for $27.92 SRP.

 

About the film

Cary Grant (as the ultimate man-on-the-run in his fourth Hitchcock teaming) gives a superlative performance while Eva Marie Saint (perfect Hitchcock heroine Eve Kendall) is at her sultry and sexy best in this heart-pounding thriller.  Grant plays Manhattan adman Roger Thornhill, who is at once plunged into the world of spies and counterspies, abducted, framed for murder, chased, and (in the signature set-piece) crop-dusted. At the films’ end, he hangs on for dear life from the facial features of Mount Rushmore’s Presidents where he ultimately rescues Miss Saint.

 

New Special Features:

  • Documentary: The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style
  • Documentary: North by Northwest: One for the Ages

 

Additional Special Features:

  • Screenwriter commentary
  • Music only track
  • Cary Grant: A Class Apart [2003 TCM Documentary]
  • Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest hosted by Eva Marie Saint
  • Photo gallery
  • Trailer gallery

 

NORTH BY NORTHWEST 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

Street Date: November 3, 2009

 

NORTH BY NORTHWEST BD BOOK

$34.99 SRP

 

NORTH BY NORTHWEST SPECIAL EDITION DVD

$24.98 SRP

 

Feature Running Time: 136 Minutes; Not Rated:

16x9 Widescreen, Technicolor

Audio: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

 


Edited by Ronald Epstein - 7/20/2009 at 02:01 pm GMT
Edited by Ronald Epstein - 7/21/2009 at 01:56 pm GMT
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]
post #2 of 68
7/20/09 at 8:09am
No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!
Reply
post #3 of 68
7/20/09 at 8:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Preischl View Post

No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!

I second that!
Reply
post #4 of 68
7/20/09 at 8:18am
Yippee! Hope this is the start of Hitchcock on BD.
Reply
post #5 of 68
7/20/09 at 10:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Preischl View Post

No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!

I was going to say the same thing. Thanks, Warner Brothers!
Reply
post #6 of 68
7/20/09 at 2:53pm
Aweswome!  And great to hear that this is coming out w/out the high priced boxed stuff.

I expect to get this soon after release then...

_Man_
Reply
post #7 of 68
7/20/09 at 4:37pm
 Outstanding. No waiting for a sale price on this one. It's enough to make me anxious for cold weather.
Reply
post #8 of 68
7/20/09 at 6:02pm
Hitchcock probably made better films, or more important films, but this is surely his most fun film! I can watch this one over and over.

Can't wait!

Doug
Reply
post #9 of 68
7/20/09 at 7:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Preischl View Post

No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!

Ditto, but i am not a fan of the "book" either. It should be easy enough to replace the art for a regular Blu-ray case. Great movie, and i am on it DAY 1.
Reply
post #10 of 68
7/20/09 at 7:09pm
Awesome! I will be picking this up the moment it comes out.  Bring on the HD Hitchcock.
Reply
post #11 of 68
7/21/09 at 8:15am
Mine! An old favorite.

Now Where are the Universal Hitchcocks?

Rear Window
Psycho
Trouble With Harry
The Birds
etc
Reply
post #12 of 68
7/21/09 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Hitchcock probably made better films, or more important films, but this is surely his most fun film! I can watch this one over and over.

Can't wait!


My feelings exactly. I don't know that I'd say it's Hitch's best either, but it's like a favorite amusement park ride one wants to ride time and again.
Reply
post #13 of 68
7/21/09 at 1:02pm
I want this, and FWIW, I have no problem with the BD Books, as long as what's included provides a historical context.
Reply
post #14 of 68
7/21/09 at 1:11pm
Looking forward to this. 8K transfer should still look amazing even downsampled to 1080P. Cary Grant was such an incredible looking & charismatic actor. Throw in James Mason in his prime, Martin Landau & Eve M Saint with Hitch's direction & subtle black humour then Herrmanns amazing score (which I always consider to be a character in most of his Hitchcock collaborations makes this an unbeatable & timeless classic.

I still rate both Marnie & Vertigo slightly higher though but would give and say all 3 overall are about equal in the entertainment stakes for vastly different reasons!!

In fact Marnie is my slight favorite Hitch movie. Sean & Tippi in their prime & Hitch on fire with his slick direction & camerwork is unbeatable. That would look amazing if given the full 8K treatment as well.
Reply
post #15 of 68
7/21/09 at 1:37pm
I will pick up the BD even if they send me an SD DVD to review.  The cover art is kind of funny the way they blend the iconography from different parts of the film in such a way that Cary Grant is being chased down a path clearly marked in the style of the Saul Bass titles by a cropduster which is apparently originating from Mount Rushmore.

Regards,
Reply
post #16 of 68
7/21/09 at 1:43pm
 This is mine along with Heat, Oz, etc. Going to be an expensive pre-Christmas for me!!
Reply
post #17 of 68
7/21/09 at 2:49pm
I must admit I've never seen North By Northwest. I always wanted to buy the dvd boxset the movie was in (what was it, the Signature Collection?) but it just never happened. When I heard Warner was going to restore it and would give it a Blu-ray release, I decided to wait for it. I really hoped Universal would release the other Hitchcock movies, but that's probably going to take a while. Anyway, in the meantime, we'll have this one. An 8K transfer off a VistaVision film, must be good.
Reply
post #18 of 68
7/21/09 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Borst View Post

I must admit I've never seen North By Northwest.
You're in for a real treat. Not only is it suspenseful and exciting, but it is also hilarious, it contains some of the funniest dialogue in any Hitchcock film, some of which is completely nonsensical.
Reply
post #19 of 68
7/22/09 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 
 
Reply
post #20 of 68
7/23/09 at 3:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Preischl View Post

No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!

Thanks Warner! At least you didn't throw in a Digital Copy. Sold! Another Grant film I'd buy on Blu-ray if given a full restoration, possibly already has one, is CHARADE. Even Gunga Din.
Another Hitchcock title I'd buy on Blu-ray? Rear Window, Psycho, The Lady Vanishes, Suspicion, Notorious and many other titles. Wait, the last two are even Cary Grant films!
Reply
post #21 of 68
7/23/09 at 6:17am
This looks like a perfect package.  (Hitchcock + New Restoration + Digibook) - (Needless Junk + Inflated retail)? Provided some horrible X-factor doesn't spoil the party, its SOLDSOLDSOLD!!!
Reply
post #22 of 68
7/23/09 at 6:38am
November can't come soon enough!
Reply
post #23 of 68
7/23/09 at 6:48am
Did I read it wrong? In the poster it said 3 NEW DOCUMENTARIES but the press release only listed two.
Reply
post #24 of 68
7/23/09 at 7:54am
This release is the one that will get me to finally "go blu." It should be stunning.
Reply
post #25 of 68
7/24/09 at 1:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Preischl View Post

No box of junk on this one? Thanks, Warner!! Sold!

And I was looking forward to the miniature Mt. Rushmore.

When the film was last released on SD, Warner said it was a digital restoration because the film elements were in poor shape.

Is this new restoration the result of better film material being found or better techniques developed to restore film digitally? What I wonder is will this new restoration result in better prints of the film being able to be shown in movie theaters.
The blu-ray is currently $22.36 at the WB shop.
http://www.wbshop.com/North-By-Northwest-+Blu-Ray-Book/1000092477,default,pd.html?cgid=





 

Edited by Garysb - 7/24/2009 at 08:49 am GMT
Edited by Garysb - 7/24/2009 at 08:50 am GMT
Edited by Garysb - 7/24/2009 at 08:58 am GMT
Reply
post #26 of 68
7/24/09 at 5:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garysb View Post




And I was looking forward to the miniature Mt. Rushmore.

When the film was last released on SD, Warner said it was a digital restoration because the film elements were in poor shape.

Is this new restoration the result of better film material being found or better techniques developed to restore film digitally? What I wonder is will this new restoration result in better prints of the film being able to be shown in movie theaters.
The blu-ray is currently $22.36 at the WB shop.
http://www.wbshop.com/North-By-Northwest-+Blu-Ray-Book/1000092477,default,pd.html?cgid=





 

The original DVD release is 10 years old next week. Digital restoration technologies have improved dramatically since then. There was an American Cinematographer article in I think March concerning the restoration of The Robe where Schawn Belston from Fox said restoration techniques that took all of last year to complete could this year be accomplished in a few months thanks to better software and faster computers. So, in ten years an enormous amount has happened.

My recollection is that Lowry digital did the first DVD restoration, but Warner said in the last HTF chat that it was only mastered to 1080 interlaced. I am not sure if it was from VistaVision (8 perf horizontal) elements, whereas we are told in the publicity that this new one is from VistaVision elements of some sort, perhaps a combination of the negative and separations? It was also one of the earlier Lowry restorations like Citizen Kane that have a very sharp and degrained look that I think is a bit too video, but it was a massive improvement over the VHS version I had.

Another thing to consider is that Warner now has the experience of The Searchers restoration. With that film they digitally recombined the VistaVision separation masters as if it was a 3 strip Technicolor film. Perhaps that is what they have done for North By Northwest, because the similar vintage negative would probably have a lot of fading (not that this can't be fixed now digitally).

So I don't know exactly what elements they mean, but the fact it is the VistaVision elements of some sort makes me very excited that the film will be presented in its best quality ever, which of course is exactly what we should expect given the capacity of the Blu-ray format.

North By Northwest is currently screening in some parts of the U.K., but I have no idea if these are old prints, or prints made from the new restoration.:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/film-23332759-details/North+By+Northwest/filmReview.do?reviewId=23709783

For anyone interested, I have added the Blu-ray to DVD Profiler, the UPC is: 883929064953
Reply
post #27 of 68
7/28/09 at 12:50pm
Going to pre-order this right now!
Just want to add my two cents, that I'm glad this is a junkless Blu-ray!!

Now just release Rear Window. (My favorite Hitchcock)
Reply
post #28 of 68
7/28/09 at 4:42pm
 Definitely agree!
Reply
post #29 of 68
7/29/09 at 5:31pm
What no miniature menus from the 20th Century Limited? 

Congrats to WHV for giving us a release without the nonsense. 

This could be the release of the year (fingers crossed that they don't muck up the colors).  

 
Reply
post #30 of 68
7/29/09 at 6:57pm
 Wonderful news that North By Northwest is coming to blu ray. I will be picking it up in November. 

I caught the end of Rope on TCM the other night. Hopefully Universal will start releasing some of the films on blu ray now too. 
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Blu-ray

Gear mentioned in this thread:

North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book) [Blu-ray]
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › WHV Press Release: North By Northwest 50th Anniversary Editions (DVD/Blu-ray)