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A Few Words About A few words about...™ North by Northwest -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Brandon Conway

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Fox and MGM have released some quality Blu-ray catalog titles, so the future isn't completely bleak there. Look at the upcoming Mel Brooks set, for example.
 

benbess

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Originally Posted by ahollis

Notorious
The Paradine Case
Rebecca

Spellbound

The above films were made by Selznick International which are owned by ABC (Disney) and licensed to MGM who has a DVD distribution agreement with Fox. I don't think we will ever see the light of day on Blu-ray for these films. Disney, MGM, & Fox are running away from catalog films as fast as they can.

Can't wait to pick up North By Northwest on Blu-ray. I was not going too, but I felt sorry for those nuns working so hard on the this, that I will have to break down to offer some support, maybe they start working on Mad Mad Mad Mad World now.


Well, if this is true, why don't they let Criterion do them (minus Paradine, which is not very good)....?

PS And thanks Brandon for this excellent list...
 

ahollis

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Criterion did release these titles in standard DVD then MGM/Fox put them out again as standard. I think one of the most frustrating aspects about MGM/Fox titles is that neither company licenses there material to another company as Universal and Paramount does. The MGM problems have been discussed over and over on other threads. Fox is has just given up catalog titles. I doubt the Hitchcock films will see the light of Blu-ray. Even when they revert back to ABC/Disney, Disney has not released many Blu-ray catalog titles except for the Classic animation.

The Mel Brooks Collectionn this year along with The Robe and Diary of Anne Frank does not tell me that Fox is working hard on Blu-ray catalog titles. South Pacific arrived this year also, but there is no hint of Sound Of Music or The King and I which would both be stunning in Blu-ray. There is a rumor for The Agony and The Ecstasy and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines to be Blu-ray by the end of the year, but there is no announcement. If you think Lifeboat is on Fox's radar for Blu-ray then I think you are mistaken. The same can be said for the Selznick films that are controlled by MGM, after all there are still a dozen Bond films to be released along with the Clint Eastwood westerns and there is no movement on any of those titles.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Okay, time to put myself out there again....

People often make fun of me when asked what my all-time
favorite films are. My top 10 list contains strictly films from
the 70s - 90s.

You see, as a kid, I was often found at my local movie
theater. Thing was, I was watching films of my generation.
You would never catch me in front of the TV watching anything
remotely classic unless it involved The Marx Brothers, The
Bowery Boys or The Wizard of Oz.

In my 20s, when VHS was the reigning format, I really tried
to remedy the problem by immersing myself in classic titles.
That didn't work. I just couldn't sit through dirty B&W films
that were presented in pan and scan -- although I didn't realize
at the time that was the problem.

By my mid 30s, DVD was king and studios were
starting to release huge waves of classics to the format.
Thanks to this new high resolution format the studios were
finally giving these classics the respect they deserve. Titles
were meticulously cleaned and presented in their proper aspect
ratio. It was during that time I was one of the primary reviewers
of this forum so I was getting handfuls of big classic titles
every week to review. You can imagine the brand new world
which had just been opened up to me. Finally, I found myself
enjoying classic film through wonderful restorations.

And, yes, there is a point to all of this. Hang on.

I never liked Alfred Hitchcock. He was a big bore. Thought
the same of his films. Could never finish one without falling
asleep. It literally took me years until his works appeared on
DVD that I even attempted to look at them again. And you
know what? I became a fan.

This evening, as I watched NORTH BY NORTHWEST on
Blu-ray, I was awestruck on several levels. Firstly, the sheer
scope of this film for its time and the brilliance of its Director,
Alfred Hitchock. To be able to translate the film's complex
storytelling with all its twists through intelligently angled camera
shots and editing is just incredible. For its day, the film's finale
upon Mount Rushmore had to be as thrilling for those audiences
as the best action sequences we watch today.

Just as amazing is the Blu-ray transfer this film has received.
I sat through the film's 136 minutes mesmerized by the quality
of the print. Narely a scratch or piece of dirt to be seen anywhere --
nothing to hide the beauty of Technicolor that really shines here.

All the colors in this film look very natural. Nothing is overdone.
There is a scene about 3/4 of the film that takes place in Eve
Kendall's (Eva Marie Saint) hotel room after Roger Thornhill
(Cary Grant) returns from his cornfield debacle. She is wearing
a dark dress covered with red roses with a matching red necklace.
Watching that scene you can't take your eyes off of her ensemble.
For me, it was the perfect example of how this high definition format
enables colors to beautifully permeate the scene.

Now 50 years later, that final sequence atop Mount Rushmore
is still a sight to behold. I don't need to go into the extras to find
out that it was a staged mockup, but it's startling to watch and
think that it's not the real monument. The effects work on that
film is so damn impressive that I lost consciousness of the
film-making process and was on the edge of my seat.

The only problem this Blu-ray presents for the film itself is
that you can better see the effects work done on the film --
particularly the backscreen material and its rough outer
edge. Even as good as the Mount Rushmore stuff looks
you can point out little things that were superimposed in
post production. A lot of this you would never have noticed
on a VHS or DVD print, but it's a testament to the clarity of
this transfer.

Warner has given us a lot of superb Blu-ray releases this
fourth quarter. GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD

OF OZ may be the headliners for certain, but this is the
transfer that most people will be talking about for a long time.
 

Steve Tannehill

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NxNW is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. The DVD looked stunning in its day. Now I can't wait to see it in high definition.

- Steve
 

esl88

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I'm not sure if the story behind this Blu-ray is that dramatic (though I guess it could be). What I heard is that Warner scanned the original elements at 8K and carried out the digital restoration work in 4K; basically what they did for Wizard of Oz. Except here it should probably make more of a difference.
 

Simon Howson

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Personally I hope other Hitchcock films are released on Blu-ray slowly after careful work to ensure they are presented in the best possible way.

I remember that the first lot of Universal Hitchcock DVDs released in Australia were very poorly presented. In fact some of the 1960s films, The Birds, Topaz, Torn Curtain, Marnie were presented in pan and scan! Even the original R1 DVD of Vertigo was non-anamorphic.

Obviously Universal were just desperate to get the films out on DVD ASAP because they knew they would sell. I hope the same doesn't happen for Blu-ray. I wouldn't mind if they were released at a much slower schedule rather than rushing them all out into a Blu-ray box for the sake of it.
 

Brandon Conway

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Originally Posted by ahollis

I think one of the most frustrating aspects about MGM/Fox titles is that neither company licenses there material to another company as Universal and Paramount does.
That's just not true. Fox has licensed several titles to Criterion (including Kagemusha on DVD and BD), and MGM is in talks with Criterion (with rumors of The Killing, Paths of Glory, and The Sweet Smell of Success being quite abundant).
 

Reagan

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Watched the first 40 minutes last night. Looked great. I can't imagine a better looking version of it on BD. Nuns and monks aside, did WB untra-rez the separation masters for this?


On another note, it was nice to see someone in the encoding department take the time to make a pop-up menu graphic that fits the visual design of the film. I know it's trivial, but it's nice.

-Reagan
 

Paul_Warren

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Cannot wait to see this but have to as here in the UK its not released until 16th Nov.

I just hope that Universal sit up and take notice of this release as they hold IMHO many of the other Hitchcock crown jewels (Marnie (my favorite Hitchcock movie), Vertigo & The Birds). Those 3 titles need the exact same loving treatment for Bluray ASAP!!!!
 

Felix Martinez

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Beautiful Blu-ray. Simply glorious.

However, I'm seeing something different and strange re: the color on the Blu-ray in one sequence, compared to the DVD. I've yet to check my venerable letterboxed MGM laserdisc, but...

...at the end of the Glen Cove car chase scene, after the police are on Roger's tail, Cary Grant appears "colorized." In fact, at the end of the sequence, the sides of his face - and particularly his ears - are devoid of color altogether. This is *not* present on the DVD. What happened here? Were B&W separations colorized digitally in this sequence? Color correction gone awry?
 

Bob_L

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Now that Robert has revealed the truth about the Catholic Church's secret role in digital restoration, I'd suggest that he start looking over his shoulder to make sure he isn't being followed by a large, imposing albino.
 

Robert Harris

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Originally Posted by Bob_L ">[/url]

Now that Robert has revealed the truth about the Catholic Church's secret role in digital restoration, I'd suggest that he start looking over his shoulder to make sure he isn't being followed by a large, imposing albino.[/QUOTE]That "large, imposing albino" works out of Culver City, not Burbank.
 

Flemming.K

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I watched this masterpiece twice this week. And I am absolutely stunned also. Magnificent visual quality that gives new life to the cinematography of mr. Hitchcock.

I just wonders about one segment. During the scene in the woods, where Grant meets and talks to Eve Marie Saint, it's like heat is coming up in front of the camera and it makes the picture wooble/bounce for a few moments. Someone who has an explanation for this?

Also during the cropduster scene, two circular spots appears in the blue sky, just slightly more dark in appearance. Anyone else noticed this?
 

Jim_K

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I watched this last night and I noticed those darker spots also. They're pretty large and close to the center of the shot so it stood out like a sore thumb.

Other than that anomaly it looked excellent.
 

Matt Hough

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I watched the film last night and noticed them, too, but haven't they always been there? I just assumed it was something on the lens when those shots were originally filmed. I don't think the transfer is to blame. I don't have my old DVD any more to check, but I believe they were there, too.
 

Vincent_P

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Originally Posted by Flemming.K
... during the cropduster scene, two circular spots appears in the blue sky, just slightly more dark in appearance. Anyone else noticed this?
UFOs.

Vincent
 

BillyFeldman

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This sort of frame by frame nitpicking is so tiresome, really. Matt is right - it's spots on the lens - just as there are spots on the lens in the opening shots of How The West Was Won - let's blame that on the transfer, too. I'm wondering in this age of Blu-Ray (and DVD to a lesser extent) if it's even possible to just watch a movie anymore. I've never seen anything like this in all my days of being a movie fan. I understand that people think they know what they're talking about, and that it's just a discussion board, but my word it gets awfully thick sometimes. :)
 

dbailey100

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I finally watched this film for the first time. It was more interesting than some of the James Bond flicks I've seen. I'm not a Hitch fan, but I'll be keeping my eye on future releases of his films.

The restoration for this 50th Anniv. edition is fantastic! WB did a wonderful job with this release.
 

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