North by Northwest [4K Ultra HD] [1959]

During a span of 51 years, Alfred Hitchcock made 57 feature films, from "The Pleasure Garden (1925)" to "Family Plot (1976)". I've watched nearly one-third of them and should say that "North by Northwest" is the fastest, funniest and most beautiful of his caper/thrillers. Actually, the premise for "North by Northwest" is nothing new: a case of mistaken identity. An "ordinary man" accused of a murder he did not commit, and he must clear his name by assuming different identities. "The 39 Steps", "Young and Innocent", "The Wrong Man" and "Saboteur" were based on a similar theme. But what makes "North by Northwest" so special is its rarity in combining a twisted plot with a dazzling cast, great action, ingenious direction to create a yummy blend of suspense, adventure, deceit and Hitchcockian style of wry humor. If any movie shall be called "true cult classic", it is "North by Northwest". Along with lots of deadly one-liners, the film hosts a bunch of the most memorable scenes in motion picture history: the murder in the lobby of the UN building, Thornhill's witty escape in the auction house, the attack of mysterious crop-duster in the middle of nowhere, all scenes on the train, and the climatic chase atop Mt. Rushmore. Hitchcock proves here again he was master of substitution of the language of the camera for words. Take the crop-duster scene. Without any music or special effects, no other director can afford to create such a claustrophobia on an open space in broad daylight just using natural sounds and complex suspense elements in the rhythm of events and cutting. The film has a strong subtextual ideologic base too. Far ahead of its time in that it captures the political zeitgeist of late 1950s perfectly: moral relativism dominating the Cold War era. Very good epitome of how the State sacrifices the "ordinary man" for secretive causes involving the national interests. Last word: pure, plain and vibrant. Despite 50 years have passed since its making, it is still fresh and highly watchable.

First, let me confess a little anti-North By Northwest prejudice as I settled down to watch this 1959 classic. My memory was that it had great comic moments, and some real suspense (the latter presented as much for laughs as for gasps)... but that it was a bit too much of a big-studio production to be a “real” Hitchcock on the lines of Strangers on a Train (1951) or the ultra-low budget Psycho (1960), which immediately followed it. Indeed there is strong evidence that the very experience of working on NNW’s then-stellar budget of $3.5 million (about $100 million in today's terms), prompted Hitchcock to make Psycho, with minimal crew, on his own dime. This, he thought, would be a way of getting back to the old days, in the tiny English film studios where his career began in the 1920s. He would work directly with a dedicated crew, and have control over production values, art direction, and so on. Furthermore, the quirky shots and gritty noir feel of the best 1940s and 50s work would once again come into their own. My memory — false, as it turned out — was that NNW was too glamorous, colourful and expensive to allow for any of these noir moments, or any of those hints of the perverse and twisted that is visible in so many Hitch works, even from the very beginning (The Lodger, 1927; Blackmail, 1929); becoming a trademark of mid to late career: Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and The Wrong Man (1957). Well, there are certain no shabby rooming houses, dodgy motels or dirty back streets. But that, in part, is the point: in the classic crop-dusting sequence, Hitchcock invented an entirely new cinematic idea: sundrenched noir. That notion — that menace and evil did not need the concealment of dark alleyways — is both literally and metaphorically true in NNW. Every act of wickedness, every hint of evil, takes place amongst people, and in settings, that could decorously feature in the society pages of a respectable newspaper. Villains like Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) and his sidekick Leonard (Martin “Marty” Landau) are soft-spoken, well-dressed and impeccably polite as they gracefully go about the business of murder and mayhem; they do so in settings ranging from elegant country piles to Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces. This is homicide in the best possible taste. The film looks good, and what I mis-remembered as lavishness turns out to be Robert Boyle’s elegance, always with a hint of the decadent; and Robert Burks’ stunning cinematography. (VistaVision, a relatively new format, was perfect for the many outdoor locations). Bernard Herrmann provides the score: his percussive opening is much celebrated, but undeservedly neglected are his contrasting love themes, best heard in the forest scene near the end. Saul Bass, as witty as ever in his opening titles, adds icing to this wonderful film: in Hitchcock’s own words, not a slice of life but a slice of cake. Buy it, watch it. You’re in for a treat.

There's not much point in commenting on this 50 year old classic except to say that it may be Cary Grant's finest hour (what! no Oscar again?), is certainly one of Alfred Hitchcock's finest efforts, and obviously cinematic perfection from the moment Saul Bass's superb title sequence hits the screen right through to the thrilling Mount Rushmore finale. What's more important is how good a job Warner Brothers have done in bringing Hitchcock to Blu-Ray for the first time, and I can happily report that this first of hopefully many Hitchcock releases is very satisfying indeed. There's a stack of new docs and features for a start off. The full length Cary Grant Biography is the best I've ever seen, and this alone makes the disk essential for any fan. There's also two other new (and again quite lengthy) docs discussing the film's influence and Hitchcock's career, with a fair bit of input from some current directors (although apart from William Friedkin and Guillermo del Toro they're a little "B" list). For completion, the disk also includes the Eva Marie Saint hosted "making of" from the original DVD release (actually the second best of the docs after the Cary Grant Bio). That was enough to keep me occupied for a whole afternoon (I've not heard the commentaries yet). There appears to be a lot of enthusiasm for the image quality in the other reviews here, and rightly so, but I believe it to be merely excellent rather than perfect. Although it is generally beautifully rendered, with plenty of detail, gorgeous colour and a pleasing level of grain, I think it may be a little too dark, and often appears inconsistent; check out the shooting at the Mount Rushmore restaurant, where the film cuts to Martin Landau peering over the shoulders of some bystanders to confirm Thornhill is dead - there is a very obvious drop in quality, as if another, less pristine film element had been used. It also suffers a little from Hitchcock's use of soft-focus (normally for Grant's close-ups). This is nit-picking, but I just want to make it clear that in my opinion, North by Northwest doesn't quite attain the highest standards of image quality enjoyed by other classic BRD releases such as Dr No, Zulu or The Italian Job. Sound quality is also very high, although I could not discern that much of an improvement over the excellent DVD version. It's a little quiet though, and I found myself pumping the volume up rather higher than I would normally expect. There's not that much going on in the rears for most of the film (apart from the crop-sprayer scene), but that's fine - it was originally shot in mono of course. In conclusion, this disk is well worth full marks, and if you love the film (or Gary Grant), you are going to want to upgrade from the DVD. Roll on Vertigo...

This review is for the 50th Anniversary Blu Ray. I make no apology for starting on a somewhat negative note...Yes...Subtitles. They are here, but boy did I find them hard to access. First of all no Menu comes up. Straight into the opening titles. So I use my Pop Up Menu on the remote and "languages comes up. So far so good. Click on that and it goes a bit chaotic. Try as I might to click on English subs my cursor (?) wouldn't move. At one point I got German dialogue with English subs. Long story mercifully...You can get subs and they are good. (Meanwhile the titles are still running on - not good enough, but what can I do?) Maybe I am just not very clever!. The BLURAY is superb. Gorgeous colour, crystal clear picture and sound, and those good elusive Subs. Plenty of extras - Commentaries, documentaries, stills and trailers. So Value for money. On a personal note I consider this to be one of Hitchcock's best films, and every 3-4 years I watch it again and it still seems fresh. One of my pleasures is noting how Hitch casts so many excellent character actors in small parts. Among those I recognised...Phillip Ober,Ed Platt, Les Tremayne, Ed Binns,Ken Lynch, Stanley Adams, Malcolm Atterbury, Walter Coy and more, and in a real cameo, our own Patricia Cutts. Part of the fun with this movie is also Grant at his peak, and his rel;ationship with his Mother (Jessie Royce Landis (great, but an odd bit of casting). The action and plot are first rate (Ernest Lehman), and the Vistavision transfer is spot on. Whether you have the DVD or not it is worth investing in this BluRay. Highly recomended

Always a favourite this one, from Bernard Herrmann's propulsive score to Cary Grant's effortless charisma as the man in the wrong place at the wrong time. I had this on VHS, then DVD, then Blu Ray and now....4K! Is it worth the £19.99 paid? It sure is! The one grumble is that this was shot at the time with VistaVision (the IMAX of the 50's) and so, as with Paramount's recent 'White Christmas' and 'To Catch A Thief' 4K Vistavision releases, it would have been nice for Warner's to apply Dolby Vision to this - they haven't - and so its a missed opportunity. That said, this is the best quality that you will ever see this film in and I loved the exit from the UN building vertigo inducing shot and of course the crop duster setpiece. Detail is as sharp as Grant's long suffering suit and exterior shots look like they were filmed yesterday. It's 4 out 5 because of the Dolby Vision absence but don't let that put you off, it's still an essential purchase.

The film goes without saying a classic, okay I cannot comment on the 4K as I don't have a player, but the Blu-ray transfer is excellent. The physical contents are well worth the asking price of £44.95 and very good quality, an excellent slip case to boot as well. And what I really love and well done Warner Brothers Home Entertainment, the Collector's Edition arrived in a double wall box to protect it, in addition to the Amazon packaging! And that should virtually eliminate any damage in transport, well thought out! First class product that is only going to worth a great in years to come.

North By Northwest is without doubt the finest action/adventure film ever made. Typical of Hitchcock, the tension never lets up and the suspense grows as the plot grows thick. It is effectively what the James Bond films should be, its all here. The action, suspense, cool main character, exotic locations, hot girl, intellegent villian. The story is that of Roger Thornhill who is mistaken for being a top secret agent by a mysterious organisation. Cue him going on the run from enemy spies and the police, all while he tries to find out the truth. The plot twists and turns, while the film is always exciting. There are some brilliant set-pieces like the plane pursuit and the wonderful finale, while despite its age the film still looks great. The cast is superb. Cary Grant is charismatic as Thornhill while sustaining a hard edge. James Mason is equally as good as the sophisticated villian, while Eve Marie Saint is excellent as the girl who appears to be on both sides. An edge of the seat thrill ride, this is a classic.

A substantial upgrade over the Standard Bluray edition from a few years ago, and that version was itself a very fine version. Quality visuals and a particularly great 5.1 / Atmos soundtrack plus the option for original mono if required. I had feared that the extra definition of 4k would highlight the limitations of the back projection, matte paintings and studio based segments of the film, particularly the Mount Rushmore finale. But happy to confirm these elements are handled superbly and can be watched with a knowing eye and an appreciation of the movie technology utilised in 1959 to such awesome effect. Highly recommended.

Film archi connu, un chef d'oeuvre. Cinéma, VHS, DVD, Blu-ray : OK. Quid du 4K ? Il ne m'a pas déçu, car Eva Marie Saint supporte la précision apportée par cette technologie ; et ailleurs, des détails surgissent, comme s'ils étaient nouveaux ! Son, c'est positif aussi. Ne pas s'en priver, car dès que c'est relancé, la magie opère.

An absolute classic --- one of Cary Grant's best performances bolstered by a great supporting cast. Eva Marie Saint is great fun and James Mason is at his sinister best. A Hitchcock masterpiece

Esta edición británica del 50 aniversario de Con la muerte en los talones corresponde a la que se puede comprar en España, sólo que a un precio mucho más bajo. Dejando de lado comentarios sobre la maestría de Hitchcock o el significado de la película en su filmografía o en la de Cary Grant, se puede afirmar que la calidad de imagen y sonido de la versión en Blu Ray es magnífica. Desde los títulos de crédito ya destacan los colores bien definidos y una música potente, aunque haya que subirla un poco de volúmen en la VO. Sin duda estamos otra vez delante de una restauración muy agradable de un clásico. Para los puristas amantes del "grano" original, el BluRay tiene escenas donde pueden observarse, sin suponer ello una escasez o un exceso de celo en la restauración. Respecto a los extras, el disco incluye 2 reportajes con opiniones de Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese y William Friedkin relacionados con el análisis de la técnica cinematográfica de Hitchcock en Con la muerte en los talones, y con la influencia del director británico en sus cinematografías respectivas. Además, Eva Marie Saint recuerda la realización de la película y su relación con Cary Grant y Hitchcock. Por último tenemos una hora y media de la vida de Cary Grant, con entrevistas a sus esposas, compañeros de reparto e imágenes de sus películas. Trailers, fotos y el audiocomentario del guionista completan la lista de extras. Para resumir, esta edición en Blu-Ray bien merece un lugar en nuestra estantería por sus cualidades técnicas, la cantidad de extras y la posibilidad de volver a ver un clásico como nunca antes pudimos disfrutar.

Suspenseful film, great picture and bygone era of the great actors

one of the all time best Hitchcock film noirs!!