Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is in big trouble with some mysterious men when a case of mistaken identity leads to his kidnapping, arrest, and a murder charge for a crime he didn't commit. With the help of a beautiful blonde (Eva Marie Saint) and a little luck, he'll be able to return to his cushy job as a Madison Avenue advertising executive.

I've always enjoyed Hitchcock films, but until sitting down to watch this Blu-ray, I had never seen North by Northwest. It certainly is very different than Psycho or The Birds, the two films that followed it, but it's considered one of Hitchcock's best. It delivers suspense, romance, and drama with its far-fetched story, and it holds up well after 50 years.

I'm not sure if this is a compliment or not, but most of Warner's older titles look better than their day-and-date releases. From the opening credits, you know some TLC went into the restoration of the print. Colors are richly saturated, as one would expect from the Technicolor VistaVision process, and the detail in the textures of clothing and facial features is mesmerizing. Granted, certain scenes are softer than others, but given this is a 50th anniversary release, I'm willing to overlook this minor blemish in an otherwise fantastic 1080p encode.

Unfortunately, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 remastered soundtrack doesn't impress as much as the video, but it has its moments. When Thornhill makes his initial escape from the crop-duster, the surround envelopment is decent considering the mono source, but the LFE is sorely lacking when needed. Dialog is easily intelligible, and the score from Bernard Hermann ratchets up the tension.

Befitting the movie's 50th anniversary, Warner includes some newly minted documentaries in the supplements. The first, "The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style," talks about his influence on mystery/suspense films, while the second, "North By Northwest: One for the Ages," is a modern take on the making of this historic picture. Other bonus features include an audio commentary from screenwriter Ernest Lehman, a feature on Cary Grant, and an older "making-of" featurette hosted by Eva Marie Saint. Rounding things out is a still gallery, a music-only audio track, trailers, and Warner's digibook packaging that includes 44 pages of insightful information about the movie and its stars.

Even with the occasional scene bordering on campiness, the innocence of the era is effectively captured by Hitchcock. Whether it's the interplay between Grant and Saint or the closing shot of the train entering the tunnel (showing Hitchcock's mischievous humor), he certainly knew how to entertain an audience. Highly recommended.

Release Date: November 3, 2009
Studio: Warner

Movie: 8/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics