Plot: What’s it about?
One of the great advents of DVD is the restoration of classic movies. While a majority of the titles get a new picture and possibly enhanced sound, they don’t really get the treatment that they deserve. Alfred Hitchcock, quite possibly the greatest director that ever lived, has had his share of movies (most all of which are considered “classics”) come to the new format, and thankfully most are getting the treatment that they deserve. Somewhere between his films “Vertigo” and “Psycho” (both available on DVD in Special Edition format) was a story of mistaken identity called “North By Northwest”. While it has withstood the test of time, it’s still Psycho that is recognized as Hitchcock’s “Benchmark” achievement. However, North By Northwest is recognized as one of the AFI’s (American Film Institute) “Top 100” movies of all time, and for good reason.
While serious overtones dominate the movie, Hitchcock takes a very “tongue and cheek” approach to different points of this movie. The whole movie is a case of mistaken identity in which Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) summons a waiter at the exact same moment in which a page is broadcast for a man by the name of Steve Kaplan (a name which Thornhill will wish he never heard). Instantly taken by two “goons” to a lavish estate, he is interrogated and insists he has no idea what is going on. Forced to drink an entire bottle of bourbon, one of the film’s “lighter” moments features a drunk Cary Grant swerving down a winding road barely escaping death literally at every turn. After he’s arrested, he returns to the mansion in which he was taken the night before, only to be made a fool of (not even his own mother believes him). Not convinced that all is entirely well, he decides to do some investigating under the guise of Steve Kaplan…It’s not long until the men locate Thornhill again, and in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, he goes to the United Nations (again under Steve Kaplan’s name) to meet with the owner of the mansion. This sets up the downfall of the character, as the U.N. represenative is killed and the act perfectly frames Thornhill (Kaplan) for the murder with a picture on every newspaper in the land.
About this time, the pace quickens and Thornhill hops aboard a train fleeing the authorities. It’s also then that he meets Eva (Eva Marie Saint), a self-described “woman of 26 and unmarried…”. After ducking the police, and sharing a night of passion, Thornhill is told by Eva to meet Kaplan which sets up one of the most reconizable scenes in all the movies…Who can forget the shot of Cary Grant running down a dirt road as a cropduster follows behind shooting?! As the movie approaches the end, the action sequences become more and more intense, as is the case with most Hitchcock movies and it all leads to a finale on Mt. Rushmore!
North By Northwest is a movie that I’ve never seen all the way through before, so I was very anxious to view this new Special Edition. Like most of Hitchcock’s other films, the soundtrack plays a very important part in it, and the casting is near perfect. Cary Grant’s Thornhill is just a suave as the rest of his other characters, but he has the natural charm and charisma to pull it off. Eva Marie Saint is perfect as the lovely leading lady and James Mason is perfectly cast as the “icy bad guy”. All in all, North By Northwest is one of the better movies..ever. This new DVD is the definitive edition and I’m sorry…but if you already own a previous version, you’ll have to buy it again.
Video: How does it look?
I can remember the day, and I guess it was about ten years ago, that I received “North by Northwest” on DVD. I’d never seen the film in its entirety before, but imagine my surprise when I popped the disc and saw the resulting picture. It was phenomenal! I’d never seen a movie so old look so good. As it turned out, this was done by Lowry Digital Images who ended up helming a few other high profile Warner titles (“Citizen Kane” comes to mind). Well it’s been a decade and now that we’ve become so utterly spoiled by anything and everything HD, how would this movie stack up? As it turns out, “North by Northwest” looks every bit as good as its standard DVD counterpart and it’s gotten a nice new HD transfer. The 1.66:1 image fills the screen with just the smallest amount of cropping, but the transfer is smooth as silk. I saw no imperfections in the print at all. Night shots don’t have any hint of artifacting, the detail is amazing (but no so artificially amazing that it looks fake) and I’m hard-pressed to find anything wrong with this picture. Then again, I was expecting this as the previous version looked so darn good too. If you’re expecting this to look good on your HDTV, you’ll be quite happy as this film has lost nothing in regards to picture quality.
Audio: How does it sound?
I do remember being a bit disappointed that there was no original mono soundtrack for this on standard DVD. I’d hoped that maybe a decade of reviewers complaining might have caught Warner’s ear. Evidently not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the new Dolby TrueHD soundtrack included on this Blu-ray disc. It sounds natural, clean and robust – everything a movie should sound like. But I know that some folks out there are purists and for that reason alone, I was a bit let down. Still, Bernard Hermann’s amazing score hits you from the opening scene and really doesn’t let go until the credits roll. I’d put this up there with some of the best movie scores out there. For those that have never experienced “North by Northwest” in all its HD glory (both audio and video), this is truly (pardon the pun) the way to see and hear it.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner has taken the supplements from the standard DVD and added a few of their own for this 50th Anniversary edition. The feature-length commentary with the screenwriter Ernest Lehman is still intact and it as very interesting to begin with (obviously Hitchcock is no longer with us, as is Grant). Another nice touch is the addition of the music only soundtrack, while comepletely quiet at times, this showcases one of the nicer effects from Hitchcock’s movies and as mentioned above, Hermann’s score is one for the ages. The same 2000 Documentary “Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest” is included, but the real gems are the two new documentaries. First up is “The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style” in which we get a look at a handful of Hitchcock’s films (the Warner films like “The Wrong Man”, “Strangers on a Train” and Stage Fright” and none of the Universal films are included) with some insight by noted directors like Curtis Hanson, William Friedken and Martin Scorsese. Another new documenatry entitled “North by Northwest: One for the Ages” contains many of the same contributors and looks a little more closely at the film itself. Individual shots are looked at as well as some camera angles and set design. Clearly Hitchcock was ahead of his time. Lastly a career profile of actor, and long-time Hitchcock collaborator, is included. Cary Grant fans should love this one. The same TV spots and trailers are included as is a stills gallery.
