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A few words about...™ Spellbound -- in Blu-ray

post #1 of 30
2/2/12 at 5:06am
Thread Starter 

The number three Hitchcock film recently released via MGM and Fox is one that I would rate as B level Hitchcock.

 

Which in the case of anything Hitchcock is not too shabby.  Every film cannot be a North by Northwest or Rear Window.

 

Out of fifty-some films, inclusive of war product, there are a solid forty that would be welcome on Blu-ray.  This would not be an easy statement for most other filmmakers.

 

Like the other two films in this release pattern, Notorious and Rebecca, Spellbound looks very nice, with no glaring problems.  A bit of rub during the opening title sequence, for which I'm surprised an alternate was not used, but aside from that the film is generally trouble free.

 

Black & white cinematography by George Barnes is exemplary, as would be expected.  The film has comfortable levels of black, and shadow detail looks proper.  The image appears to have been taken from an original fine grain master.  There are many dupe fine grain masters out there, not necessarily on this title, but you want to stay original.  Some people don't bother to check, innocently looking at a fine grain and thinking something like...

 

"Oh, a fine grain..."

 

Audio is well purposed, clear, and comes in as uncompressed.

 

Also, much like Rebecca and Notorious, a quality selection of extras is offered, which is unusual for a budget-priced Blu-ray.

 

The dozen pre-WB American produced Hitchcock films are controlled by a number of entities.  Rebecca, Spellbound, Notorious and Paradine Case by ABC/Disney -- one more title to go on this list, and the original long version would be the go-to.

 

Foreign Correspondent and Under Capricorn are non-studio holdings.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Suspicion are RKO product, controlled by WB via Turner.

 

Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt and Rope are with Universal.

 

Lifeboat is Fox.

 

If we can get these out on Blu, we can then begin to fret over the UK productions.

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

During the penultimate scene in the film, Leo G. Carroll turns a revolver on himself and fires.

 
The hand and firearm were large, and created to enable proper perspective.  The shot, albeit relatively short, looks like what it is, probably a wooden or clay prop.
 
The interesting addition were two frames of orange-red hand tinted as the gun fires.  A very nice "Hitchcock" touch.

 

 

 

Recommended.

 

RAH

 

 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Spellbound [Blu-ray]
post #2 of 30
2/2/12 at 11:53am
Lifeboat is getting a Blu-ray release as part of Eureka Video's Masters of Cinema series, though it will likely be region B.
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post #3 of 30
2/2/12 at 12:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris View Post

 

Foreign Correspondent and Under Capricorn are non-studio holdings.

 

 

Mr. Harris, was Foreign Correspondent just licensed to WB for the DVD release?  What made them license that particular title?  The DVD looked very good so it's nice to know the elements are in good shape.

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post #4 of 30
2/2/12 at 12:57pm
Will, WB had licensed FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, along with a number of other titles, including STAGECOACH, from The Caidin Trust and when the deal expired they didn't renew it. So, Criterion stepped up and got them. (FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is currently available on Criterion's Hulu + channel.)
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post #5 of 30
2/3/12 at 4:27am
Let's hope all those titles get eventual blu-ray releases (Although I'm not particularly fond of The Paradine Case or Under Capricorn).
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post #6 of 30
2/3/12 at 5:05am

I like The Paradine Case though I'll admit its slow pace makes it a Hitchcock that not many people tend to like. I think Under Capricorn is his weakest film of the post war period.

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post #7 of 30
2/3/12 at 6:22am
The main problem with The Paradine Case is the miscasting of the leading roles, especially Gregory Peck. David Selznick originally bought the property around 1934 with idea of starring Greta Garbo and Ronald Colman. Now *that's* the movie I'd like to see!
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post #8 of 30
2/3/12 at 11:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattH. View Post

I like The Paradine Case though I'll admit its slow pace makes it a Hitchcock that not many people tend to like. I think Under Capricorn is his weakest film of the post war period.

Agreed there. I felt Under Capricorn was just.....dull. Ingrid Bergman and Joe Cotten yet the picture isn't terribly exciting. If I recall, the picture sank Hitch's production company at the time.
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post #9 of 30
2/3/12 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior View Post


Agreed there. I felt Under Capricorn was just.....dull. Ingrid Bergman and Joe Cotten yet the picture isn't terribly exciting. If I recall, the picture sank Hitch's production company at the time.


Properly presented, UC is gorgeous Technicolor, and the cinematographic experimentation from Rope a lead in.

 

RAH

 

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post #10 of 30
2/3/12 at 12:00pm

Not to bring up other Hitchcock films, but I really would love to see ROPE in HD and The Trouble With Harry! (of course Vertigo that is a given)

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post #11 of 30
2/3/12 at 12:12pm
Oddly enough, I watched a HD broadcast of The Trouble With Harry last night; it was a true VistaVision delight...
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post #12 of 30
2/3/12 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris View Post



Properly presented, UC is gorgeous Technicolor, and the cinematographic experimentation led up to the takes in Rope.

RAH

Wasn't Cardiff responsible for UC camera work? It's slow, but beautifully shot.

They are slow films, and seriously flawed, but I think Paradine and Capricorn both deserve the blu-ray treatment....
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post #13 of 30
2/3/12 at 12:50pm
Robert, in reference to your remark about the artificial nature of the climactic scene: even as 15 year-old, I could see it. However, it didn't prevent it from giving me the willies, it was still effective.
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post #14 of 30
2/3/12 at 12:55pm

Foreign Correspondent is coming from Criterion as mentioned above. The question is simply when.

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post #15 of 30
2/3/12 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris View Post


Properly presented, UC is gorgeous Technicolor, and the cinematographic experimentation led up to the takes in Rope.

 

RAH

 


I think Rope preceded Under Capricorn. It was the long takes in Rope that Hitchcock experimented with again in Under Capricorn much to Bergman's dismay and disapproval.
 

 

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post #16 of 30
2/3/12 at 6:22pm
For other region possibilities:

Lifeboat is getting a dual DVD/BD release from Masters of CInema in June, Region B only.

Under Capricorn (which I love) is owned by Universal in Continental Europe which is probably the only chance it has of seeing BD light of day.
I bought a French DVD of it years ago in Pais for under 10 USD. Far superior to the old Image LD and DVDs - the color print used for transfer is nice but looks nothing like 40s Technicolor. It appears to me to be from a good Eastman reissue print. It certainly does justice to Cardiff's four and eight minute cranes and long takes. Hitch's use of long takes is really more expressive than Rope as here the takes seem to be designed to travel around the house revealing its and its inhabitant's secret lives. So the takes carry a narratively expressive power, rather than Rope's "real time" experiment. (Which is still pretty groundbreaking.)

Paradine Case in the long version would be a gift - does a complete print even exist?
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post #17 of 30
2/3/12 at 7:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flixyflox View Post

For other region possibilities:
Lifeboat is getting a dual DVD/BD release from Masters of CInema in June, Region B only.
Under Capricorn (which I love) is owned by Universal in Continental Europe which is probably the only chance it has of seeing BD light of day.
I bought a French DVD of it years ago in Pais for under 10 USD. Far superior to the old Image LD and DVDs - the color print used for transfer is nice but looks nothing like 40s Technicolor. It appears to me to be from a good Eastman reissue print. It certainly does justice to Cardiff's four and eight minute cranes and long takes. Hitch's use of long takes is really more expressive than Rope as here the takes seem to be designed to travel around the house revealing its and its inhabitant's secret lives. So the takes carry a narratively expressive power, rather than Rope's "real time" experiment. (Which is still pretty groundbreaking.)
Paradine Case in the long version would be a gift - does a complete print even exist?

I wonder if the full three strip negative of UC survived the changes of ownership after Hitch's company went belly up...
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post #18 of 30
2/3/12 at 8:37pm
Playing the Astor on Times Square.

395
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post #19 of 30
2/3/12 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway View Post

Foreign Correspondent is coming from Criterion as mentioned above. The question is simply when.

What? How did I miss this? Where would I find info on this?
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post #20 of 30
2/4/12 at 2:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJ View Post


What? How did I miss this? Where would I find info on this?


It's been known since the Stagecoach release was revealed that Criterion got a few other titles from the same Caidin Trust deal, namely:

 

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

History is Made at Night (1937)

I Married a Witch (1942)

The Long Voyage Home (1940)

To Be or Not to Be (1942)

 

These are all currently on Criterion's Hulu channel. When they make it out on DVD/BD is anyone's guess, but one would presume that Foreign Correspondent is the most prominent of the 5 titles above because of its director.

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post #21 of 30
2/4/12 at 4:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Furmanek View Post

Playing the Astor on Times Square.
395

Wow. What a great picture. Love it. Thanks.
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post #22 of 30
2/4/12 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris View Post



Properly presented, UC is gorgeous Technicolor, and the cinematographic experimentation from Rope a lead in.

RAH

I'd be interested in seeing it properly presented. I had seen it on DVD several years back and I don't recall who was responsible for the disc. I know the librarian had to dig it out of their storage.
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post #23 of 30
2/4/12 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by benbess View Post

Wow. What a great picture. Love it. Thanks.

Yes, wonderful picture.
Thanks for posting it.

Here are the half-sheets:

464

465

The 24-sheet banner:

270

And the one-sheet:

700

Re-release and foreign posters were all very interesting for this film.

I'm fond of Hitchcock's psychological melodramas, and of Spellbound in particular.
It's suspenseful and entertaining.

Just when I complete my collection of Hitchcock DVDs, it looks like I'll be buying all his films all over again on Blu-ray.
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post #24 of 30
2/4/12 at 4:06pm

Just did the same, in getting these three beauties on BD last week and by finally acquiring Jamaica Inn and Under Capricorn on DVD.  For a lifelong Hitchcock aficionado, it sure took me a while.  I promise to do better in the Blu-ray generation....

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post #25 of 30
2/4/12 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris View Post



Properly presented, UC is gorgeous Technicolor, and the cinematographic experimentation from Rope a lead in.

RAH

I was able to see UC at the Silver Theatre in Silver Spring MD last year. I wanted to grab the opportunity, because it was one of the few HItch films I'd never seen. Although the movie overall was awkward, Cardiff's cinematography was gorgeous. So was, of course, Ingrid Bergman, although she seemed to drift in and out of her Irish accent. Unfortunately, the print was very rough, with a lot of scratches and marks.

Doug
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post #26 of 30
2/4/12 at 8:32pm

I'd seen UC only once, at LACMA in the 1970s, and remembered very little of it.  Popped in the Image DVD just to get the flavor, and there is obviously much Cardiff and Technicolor beauty to be savored.  I'll be watching straight through soon, but will look forward to a truly great release one of these days.

 

The fact that it's not typical Hitchcock doesn't bother me.  It looks like a really nice period piece, and I know my man's in charge, so no worries.

 

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post #27 of 30
2/4/12 at 8:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway View Post



It's been known since the Stagecoach release was revealed that Criterion got a few other titles from the same Caidin Trust deal, namely:

Foreign Correspondent (1940)
History is Made at Night (1937)
I Married a Witch (1942)
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)

These are all currently on Criterion's Hulu channel. When they make it out on DVD/BD is anyone's guess, but one would presume that Foreign Correspondent is the most prominent of the 5 titles above because of its director.

Thanks Brandon. I'd love To Be or Not to Be on Blu-ray as well.
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post #28 of 30
2/5/12 at 9:35am
It may be a lesser Hitchcock, but it features one of the most gorgeous scores ever written...
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post #29 of 30
2/5/12 at 10:43am
RAH: Just wached the Blu-Ray last night...loved it. I had never seen this Hitchcock movie before. Interesting that they had an "Overture" and "Exit Music" for this movie. I did catch the "color shot" near the end! (no pun intended!!). Your review is right on. I also bought the other 2 releases by Hitchcock.
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post #30 of 30
3/9/12 at 9:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway View Post



It's been known since the Stagecoach release was revealed that Criterion got a few other titles from the same Caidin Trust deal, namely:

Foreign Correspondent (1940)
History is Made at Night (1937)
I Married a Witch (1942)
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)

These are all currently on Criterion's Hulu channel. When they make it out on DVD/BD is anyone's guess, but one would presume that Foreign Correspondent is the most prominent of the 5 titles above because of its director.

OMG Criterion owns "History is made at night"!!!! Oh please, release it soon.

I knew about FC, but not the others, and I'm especially shocked by HIMaN, hence my exclamation above. But I would (and hopefully will) buy all 5 of those titles, without hesitation.

Get on it already Criterion!
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Spellbound [Blu-ray]