Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ Stage Fright -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Before anyone brings it up, the fact is that with the release of Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1949), there will be but one more Hitchcock title to be released from Warner Bros. - the delightful dark comedy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

As to Stage Fright, it's a film that we'll consider as B Hitchcock. A great deal of fun, a bit of comedy, but nothing really substantial.

One of my favorite parts is the main title sequence. And while you view it, take a good look at the writer's credits, as they seem a generation away, even though part of the original. Seems that something odd may have occurred some 70 years ago.

As a Blu-ray, it's up to Warner Archive standards.

Beautiful black & white imagery, with terrific blacks, nice shadow detail and a crisp grain structure. The image is a harvest derived from the OCN, which (as probably every original print was struck from it) was in quite poor condition.

You'd never know it, as MPI has done a superb job.

For those with sharp eyes, you'll note that the film has a 1949 copyright, as that's when it was completed, even though the packaging makes note of the release date of 1950.


Image - 5

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 5

Upgrade from DVD - Absolutely

Pass / Fail - Pass

Highly Recommended

RAH

 

[Robin9]

Many thanks for your assessment.

"As a Blu-ray, it's up to Warner Archive standards." That's good enough for me!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thank you as I patiently await the arrival of my Blu-ray on Monday.

 

[Osato]

Thanks Robert!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thank you as I patiently await the arrival of my Blu-ray on Monday.

Shockingly, USPS is delivering my Blu-ray on Saturday so I'll have it today.

 

[Nelson Au]

Lucky Robert, my order has not even shipped yet. You must have ordered straight from Warner?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Lucky Robert, my order has not even shipped yet. You must have ordered straight from Warner?

Best Buy!

 

[Nelson Au]

Ha, ha! I didn’t think about them! They seem to take a week to ship things. That’s good to know.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Ha, ha! I didn’t think about them! They seem to take a week to ship things. That’s good to know.

Hell, all retailers have been "hit and miss" because of logistics issues with USPS and other carriers.

 

[Anthonydasher]

Great information thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[david hare]

I would not normally post this kind of “spot the glitch”moment, but I feel I must, given I cannot recall any similar instance in any other Archive Blu Ray in living memory.
In Stage Fright at 15m; 33seconds, there is what looks like a printing error in a lap dissolve in which the “B” shot seems to show a couple of frames before the ”A” shot has fully faded. So you get a brief flash of the more brightly lit shot, before that shot is fully exposed. I assume it is burnt in as a printing error but I wondered if anything can be done to correct it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I would not normally post this kind of “spot the glitch”moment, but I feel I must, given I cannot recall any similar instance in any other Archive Blu Ray in living memory.
In Stage Fright at 15m; 33seconds, there is what looks like a printing error in a lap dissolve in which the “B” shot seems to show a couple of frames before the ”A” shot has fully faded. So you get a brief flash of the more brightly lit shot, before that shot is fully exposed. I assume it is burnt in as a printing error but I wondered if anything can be done to correct it.

I believe that's inherent to the OCN element that this Blu-ray was derived from and has always been there. Also, that same glitch is on the 2004 DVD and the HD digital on streaming platforms. I noticed some missing frames/jump cut with "Edge of Darkness" Blu-ray that's always been there including the previously released DVD and HD digital.

I think it illustrates that mistakes were made with film editing and processing back before the home video era.

 

[lark144]

I would not normally post this kind of “spot the glitch”moment, but I feel I must, given I cannot recall any similar instance in any other Archive Blu Ray in living memory.
In Stage Fright at 15m; 33seconds, there is what looks like a printing error in a lap dissolve in which the “B” shot seems to show a couple of frames before the ”A” shot has fully faded. So you get a brief flash of the more brightly lit shot, before that shot is fully exposed. I assume it is burnt in as a printing error but I wondered if anything can be done to correct it.

I think it was there when I saw it in 35mm way back when, and it's always been there, as far as I can remember.

 

[david hare]

Thanks guys. I assumed as much but I ditched the old DVD when I received the new BluRay (Space is a major issue in my life.) I wondered, as you do, f you could fix it by removing the three or four (or however many) and back print replacement frames from the darker "A" shot while keeping the audio intact. But maybe not! The though of meddling with the O-Neg of a HItchcock has me in a tizz!

 

[SFMike]

I agree with everything Robert stated but would never consider this B Hitchcock. It's always been a film favorite to me.

 

[Trancas]

Wouldn't it have been nice if Warners had massaged away the hard-edged matte lines around Marlene. I'm sure Hitchcock would have preferred the audience concentrate on the drama, not the artificial effect. They could have softened the harsh contrast on Richard Todd at the same time.

 

[Paul Penna]

Oy.

 

[Trancas]

Oy.

-live Oyl. Dis ain't huh film.