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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Alfred Hitchcock is
unquestionably one of the masters of cinema. After
a lucrative tenure in Britain (which yielded "The
39 Steps" and "The Lady Vanishes" among other
stellar achievements) producer, David O. Selznick
signed Hitchcock to his first American contract.
Though all of Hitchcock's Selznick Universal and
Paramount features have been readily available on
DVD for some time now there was an entire body of
work, which has been absent from the director's
canon. "Alfred Hitchcock: The Signature
Collection" is a revelation of sorts in that it
allows audience at long last to examine and judge
the critical merit of a string of classic films
that, for the most part, haven't been given a lot
of play time. Many of the films represent rarities
and experimentation in the Hitchcock formula.
"The Wrong Man" (1936) is unique in its
semi-documentary/film noir approach to a real life
New York case. Henry Fonda is Manny Balestrero, a
struggling musician who is wrongfully accused of
being a robber when he attempts to cash in his
wife, Rose's (Vera Miles) insurance policy. The
trail of accusations leads to a meticulous
examination of police procedure in which the
pressure of labeling the victim and hunting down
the accused eventually culminate in desperation
and a complete -- if coerced -- confession.
Hitchcock's own ingrained fear of authority and
the law is the real star of this rather mundane
and not terribly prepossessing melodrama.
Warner's DVD transfer is fairly accurate. A very
nicely balanced grayscale with deep, solid blacks
and reasonably clean whites is impressively
mastered. Dirt, scratches and other age-related
artifacts are present but do not terribly
distract. There's a hint of edge enhancement, some
pixelization and a bit of shimmering in fine
details but none of these terribly distract. The
audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
For some reason Hitchcock's first WWII thriller,
"Foreign Correspondence" (1940), never quite
achieved the critical accolades or fame of say,
"Notorious." This, despite the film's harrowing
representations of murder and spine-tingling
cloak-and-dagger war games. It stars matinee idol
Joel McCrea as Johnny Jones, a New York reporter
dispatched to Europe who inadvertently stumbles
upon a troupe of fascists preparing to take over
the world. After witnessing an assassination,
Jones becomes embroiled in the harrowing plot of
secret government codes falling into the wrong
hands. Along the way he encounters Carol Fisher
(Laraine Day) whose father, Stephan (Herbert
Marshall) may or may not be the lynchpin in all
the espionage. Both the mood and charm of many of
the film's set pieces speaks to Hitchcock's flair
for European cinema. In fact, in viewing "Foreign
Correspondence" today there is a decided lack of
Hollywood glitz about it.
The DVD transfer exhibits a balanced grayscale
with deep, solid blacks and reasonably clean
whites. Dirt, scratches and other age-related
artifacts are present but do not terribly
distract. There's a complete lack of edge
enhancement, pixelization and shimmering of fine
details for a picture that is overall smooth and
easy on the eyes. The audio is mono but very
nicely cleaned up.
Following quickly on the heals of her success in
"Rebecca" Joan Fontaine scored the coveted Best
Actress Oscar for her role as Lina McLaidlaw in
"Suspicion" (1941), a bizarrely disturbing
romantic mystery. Lina's a repressed soul. But her
traditional reservations are merely a façade for
lusty home fires that seem to be sparked to
satisfaction with her encounter of handsome
playboy Jonnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant). The two soon
marry. However, as the romance progresses Jonnie
seems to be more than just an elegant rogue. Could
it be? Is he a murderer? Brimming with Hitch's
corrosive ambiguities that slowly begin to erode
Lina's trust in her new husband, "Suspicion" plays
tricks on both Lina and the audience's collective
understanding of where Jonnie intends to take us
with his brooding thoughts and sinister glass of
glow-in-the-dark milk. This is a deeply
unsettling, wickedly concocted puzzle; a film that
plays more for enigma than plot and tease rather
than substance, but it works on every level to
tantalize like a car wreck that one is not
involved in yet is strangely compelled to watch.
The DVD transfer exhibits a balanced grayscale
with deep, solid blacks and reasonably clean
whites. Dirt, scratches and other age-related
artifacts are present but do not terribly
distract. There's a complete lack of edge
enhancement, pixelization and shimmering of fine
details for a picture that is overall smooth and
easy on the eyes. The audio is mono but very
nicely cleaned up.
"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1941) is the most
uncharacteristic film in Hitchcock's opus and,
indeed, in this box set: a featherweight romantic
comedy with shifting undercurrents; all about a
feuding husband David (Robert Montgomery) and wife
Ann (Carol Lombard) who, after living together for
three years, suddenly discover that they're not
legally married. When David hesitates in
legitimizing their union Ann bolts for the nearest
quick fix -- a stoic romance with her business
partner Jeff Custer (Gene Raymond). In keeping
with the formulaic conventions of classic
screwball comedies, this one employs a series of
hopelessly inept, though nevertheless hilarious
bits of complicated mischief in which David plots
to win Ann back. In exploring his comedic side,
Hitchcock hints at diversity in his greatness.
There are moments in this film that make one pine
for more such examples from the director that,
sadly, never materialized.
The DVD transfer exhibits a balanced grayscale
with deep, solid blacks and reasonably clean
whites. Dirt, scratches and other age-related
artifacts are present but do not terribly
distract. There's a complete lack of edge
enhancement, pixelization and shimmering of fine
details for a picture that is overall smooth and
easy on the eyes. The audio is mono but very
nicely cleaned up.
"Stage Fright" (1950) is a convoluted charmer.
Rarely has Hitchcock's attention to comedy and
suspense been more seamlessly blended than on this
occasion. Jane Wyman stars as Eve Gill, a novice
sleuth determined to solve a whodunit in a
theatrical setting. Together with her flighty
father, Commodore Gill (Alastair Simms), the two
play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the
likes of Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) the
conspicuously aloof and greedy stage diva. One of
only two films Hitch' made in England after
becoming an American director ("Frenzy" is the
other), "Stage Fright" was largely dismissed as a
footnote to his career. Rarely seen on either
television or home video the film nevertheless
abounds with trademark Hitchcockian suspense,
including a garden party that has more than its
share of suspicious looking umbrellas and an
incredible amount of innovative and refreshing
camera work.
Warner's DVD transfer exhibits a balanced
grayscale with deep, solid blacks and reasonably
clean whites. Dirt, scratches and other
age-related artifacts are present but do not
terribly distract. There's a complete lack of edge
enhancement, pixelization and shimmering of fine
details for a picture that is overall smooth and
easy on the eyes. The audio is mono but very
nicely cleaned up.
"Strangers on a Train" (1951) is often credited as
beginning Hitchcock's second renaissance in
Hollywood. It's a diabolical struggle of wills
between the seemingly congenial tennis pro Guy
Haines (Farley Granger) and sycophantic admirer
Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). When the two
accidentally meet on a westbound train they
exchange intriguing ideas on how to commit the
perfect murder. Just one problem: Bruno takes the
game seriously, murdering Guy's pregnant wife
Miriam (Kasey Rogers) in what is perhaps
Hitchcock's most terrifying cinematic example of
strangulation. After flirting with Miriam (a woman
of easy virtue) Bruno lures her to a secluded
island at an amusement park. The reflection of
Miriam's silent demise is captured in a reflection
inside her horn-rimmed glasses. As payback, Bruno
instructs Guy to kill his father. The suggestion
does not go over well. However, trapped by the
fact that Guy's new girlfriend, Anne Morton (Ruth
Roman) and her family have met Bruno and believe
him to be a close friend, the plot slowly spirals
into a delicate web of deception, wherein both
Anne and her sister Barbara (Patricia Hitchcock)
slowly begin to suspect that perhaps Guy is not
nearly as innocent as he pretends to be. This is
decidedly a high-water mark in Hitchcock's tenure,
capped off by a visceral climax aboard a careening
carousel.
Previously this film was made available as a
flipper disc containing both the U.S. and British
versions. Warner's new 2-disc edition contains
both versions, both digitally remastered for
improved picture quality, plus a host of extra
features. The grayscale is impeccably balanced
with deep, rich and solid blacks and very clean
whites. While the previously issued disc contained
moments where the image appeared to suffer from an
overly soft characteristic, this newly minted DVD
exhibits a very sharp image throughout. Fine
detail is fully realized. There's a complete lack
of age-related artifacts or digital anomalies for
a picture that will surely not disappoint! The
audio is mono but equally impressive and very
nicely restored.
"I, Confess" (1953) is Hitchcock's masterful
examination of a priest's inner struggle between
remaining true to his religious vows and doing
what is right. Montgomery Clift stars as Father
Michael William Logan, a Catholic priest who
listens to a murderer's confession but is unable
to relay that confession to police detective
Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden). Torn between the
truth and his commitment to the church, Father
Logan's suffering is somewhat alleviated by his
former girlfriend, Ruth Grandfort (Ann Baxter).
Both the elegance and class with which Hitchcock
takes great pains to explore Father Logan's
struggle with faith are uncharacteristically
compassionate. The film is deeply moving on
various levels and culminates in a trial that is
quite likely one of the best examples of how to
stage court room suspense.
The transfer exhibits a balanced grayscale with
deep, solid blacks and reasonably clean whites.
Dirt, scratches and other age-related artifacts
are present but do not terribly distract. There's
a complete lack of edge enhancement, pixelization
and shimmering of fine details for a picture that
is overall smooth and easy on the eyes. The audio
is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
It seems Hitch had a yen for tennis players. In
"Dial M for Murder" (1954) tennis pro, Tony
Wendice (Ray Milland) plots the perfect murder of
his wealthy wife Margot (Grace Kelly) after he
discovers she is having an affair with prominent
writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings). But things
backfire when Margot accidentally kills her
attacker with a pair of scissors, thus opening up
Tony's chances at improvisation. Like Hitchcock's
"Rope," this film pretty much sticks to one set --
a claustrophobic apartment -- slowly drawing all
the plot elements more tightly around Tony's newly
revised plan -- he'll pin the attempted murder on
Halliday instead.
Shot during the briefly trendy period of 3-D,
Hitch' chose to eschew the usual (let's throw
things at the screen) gimmicky approach and
instead shot "Dial M for Murder" with a distinct
foreground, middle ground, background perspective
that really places the audience in the center of
the goings on. Only once, when Margot is being
strangled by her attacker, does Hitch' succumb to
the gimmick by having Margot reach behind her back
(out into the audience) to grasp her lethal pair
of shears; it's quite effective! Unfortunately,
"Dial M for Murder" is presented in its usual flat
format on DVD. Though colors can be rich and
vibrant, there is a decidedly pasty look to the
overall palette that is rather unbecoming and very
unnatural looking. Blacks are deep but not very
solid. Fine detail is generally lost in a picture
that is generally softly focused. All of these
shortcomings are the product of 3-D's cumbersome
process. Edge enhancement is present but does not
terribly distract. Some pixelization and
shimmering of fine details is detected also. The
audio is mono but nicely cleaned up.
"North by Northwest" (1959) is Hitchcock's slick
and polished cross-country adventure meets "the
wrong man" scenario. When advertising executive
Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for an
American CIA agent by the mysterious Mr. Van Damme
(James Mason), Roger finds himself the victim of
multiple attempted assassinations and a harried
chase to unravel the mystery behind the girl with
whom he's suddenly fallen in love, Eve Kendall
(Eva Marie Saint). Fueled by an unmitigated desire
to make "the" Hitchcock picture to top all others,
screenwriter Ernest Lehman creates two of the most
memorable set pieces in film history: Roger's
frantic escape on foot from a marauding bi-plane,
and, the magnificent climax, fleeing across the
presidential faces of Mt. Rushmore. Naturally,
park officials would not permit this latter
scenario to be played out hence MGM recreated the
famed landmark on a soundstage using full scale
sets combined with matte paintings and rear
projection. The results are flawless and
thrilling. The film also contains one of the all
time blooper shots in cinema: seconds before Eve
shoots Roger with a fake gun in the commissary a
small child can be seen in the background
clutching his eardrums in anticipation of the
bang.
Note that this is the same transfer as was made
previously available on the single disc of "North
by Northwest." Through a meticulous frame-by-frame
restoration effort, "North by Northwest" looks
better than it ever has on home video. Colors are
rich, bold and vibrant. Contrast levels are bang
on. Blacks are deep and solid. Whites are
remarkably clean. There are no age-related
artifacts and no digital anomalies for an image
that is positively stunning from start to finish.
Truly, this is one of the best examples of a
classic restored to its original brilliance for
the digital format. Certainly it is the finest
example of a Vista-Vision film restoration out on
the home video market to date! The audio has been
remixed to stereo with a spatial spread that is
engaging and does not betray its 50-year plus
vintage. |
