Any news on Dial M For Murder? (1 Viewer)

Quite a while ago, it was rumored on thedigitalbits.com that Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder was being prepped for a 2003 release.

Has anything been announced or any update to the rumors? Any idea on what kind of special features are planned? Thanks!

Me too.

Yes I too remember reading about a dvd restoration around the time they remastered To Catch A Thief. Dial M For Murder is a great Hitchcock film that deserves the treatment North By Northwest got.

I, of course, am very much interested in this film's potential release.

I doubt if it will be in 3-D though. I saw it at the New York Film Forum. Dual projection 3-D with excellent color and sharp 3-D.

I don't mind if it's not 3D... in fact, if they do manage some sort of 3D release, I hope they also include a non-3D version. The first time I saw it, I didn't even know it was supposed to be 3D and I loved it. I think the gimmick could be distracting (though I would love to have a 3D version if they could figure out a way).

I am curious as well

Not Hitch's best, but eminently watchable. I got a chance to see it in 3D back in the 70's at a neighborhood revival house, and although Hitch didn't milk the gimmick, there were several effective 3D shots....

Cheers

I watched a minute of the film on TV and it looked hideous. If it takes until 2004 to get a watchable DVD, fine with me. Robert Burks was an excellent cinematographer (Vertigo, Psycho, North By Northwest, The Trouble With Harry, etc... beautiful stuff!) and his photography needs to be seen well.

Brandon, who are you interested in seeing the most in this film?

I'm guessing Ray Milland.

yes, as Patrick has stated; do the release right and with respect and care and we'll buy this gem and be proud of it. I'm in the camp that feels Dial M is one of Hitchcocks best. The detective who I can't remember the name?! was also cast in To Catch A Thief, and nearly steals the show in DMFM. Terrific cast, screenplay, and direction.

Well I'm off to a conference so I don't have time to really answer right now, but off the top of my head

1975 - Jaws

1977 - Star Wars

1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark

1995 - Toy Story

Since Warner just announced a flat HOUSE OF WAX DVD even though thousands of people have signed on line petitions stating 3-D was important to them, I am sure any DIAL M DVD will be flat only. Perhaps no one reads them?

I guess they would rather the bootleggers continue to sell illegal copies of the field sequential 3-D version they released a decade ago on VHD disc in Japan. Those bootleggers are selling a LOT of copies, too.

A dual flat and 3-D release on DVD is not difficult at all.

It's really a matter of economics I think. Buying the necessary equipment to see the film in 3D on your television is not inexpensive. A couple of hundred bucks?

Peter, the "equipment" for 3-D is not anywhere near that expensive! The systems (box and 2 pairs of glasses) can be purchased for under $50.00!

The cheapest way is to buy one of the box sets of 3-D DVDs; these contain 3 3-D DVDs plus the 3-D box and 2 pairs of glasses. Retails at $99.99, but can easily be found for under $70.00. Since the discs themselves sell for $19.99 each seperately, it's the best way to go. Just avoid the ones that have flat movies in them!

Yes, KISS ME KATE is another 3-D movie being released in flat form only. It has been shown in the original 3-D at revival theatres in recent years however. The film used the process quite well, and not just for gimmicks, though there are quite a few of them. At least KATE still has something to offer when modified to flat form; unlike stuff like JAWS 3-D or TREASURE OF THE FOUR CROWNS in which the stereoscopic aspect was the sole reason for the films to exist.

Anyway, I think when true HD DVD comes in, some of the studios may be more open to the idea of 3-D. I think the reason they are holding off is that they feel the field sequential technnology isn't quite good enough with NTSC, and to an extent they are correct.

If they are content to let the bootleggers make money selling illegal copies of their 3-D movies in the meantime, then I guess there isn't much anyone can do.

Something else that could give 3-D DVD another kick in the pants is some fairly high-profile 3-D films coming out - Spy Kids 3-D and Cameron's Ghosts Of The Abyss will likely have video releases by the end of the year, and if Disney opts to release those with 3-D versions on DVD, that could move a lot of glasses/boxes, making 3-D versions of other films a better proposition for other studios.