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Movie:		5.0
Picture:		10.0
Sound:		9.0
Extras:		10.0
Score:		9.0

Director(s):	Alfred Hitchcock
Writer(s):	Ernest Lehman
Starring:	Cary Grant • James Mason • Martin Landau • Eva Marie Saint
Genre:	Drama • Thriller
Release Date:	November 03, 2009

List Price:	Blu-ray - $19.99
Amazon:

I’m gonna explain my real feelings on North by Northwest as carefully and explicitly as I can. Of course, my opinions are for you to take or leave. If you’re as understandably attached to the film as so many people still are, please have at it, I encourage you to enjoy it as many times as you can before the next 5 or 10-year anniversary comes along to celebrate with a new release. Though honestly, despite my feelings on the film itself, I sincerely doubt a more impressive release will be seen on this format.

North by Northwest is a relic of a bygone age of cinema to me. More than most of Hitchcock’s works, North by Northwest feels far too much like a movie to work as an effective thriller for me. Antiquated effects sequences, bizarrely cut sequences which are distracting to the modern cinematic eye and would be harshly criticized in any release nowadays—all of this just takes away from that suspense Hitch prided himself on maintaining.

The worst offense North by Northwest perpetrates (and a huge problem of mine in regards to Psycho and several other Hitch efforts) is the expositional dialogue. In Psycho, in order to make everything clear-cut with a nice ribbon on top, the penultimate scene is simply an in-depth explanation of everything that’s wrong with Norman Bates. North by Northwest goes a step further by having sporadic 3-minute dialogue sequences every half hour or so to make it clear to the Hitch’s undiscerning 1959 audience just what the hell is going on. The real tragedy of all this is that I know Hitch was every bit the master of visual storytelling he’s made out to be, but these scenes that are scattered about all over his supposed masterpiece (of which he has dozens), just rob the film of its timelessness, much more so than even some of the horrible cinematic special effects. For the record, I’m not counting the rear projection in that bunch, 'cause I dig it.

As classic as its few memorable set pieces are, the film is at its best in the few moments when it attempts actual character drama, most notably when Cary Grant chides Eva Marie Saint in the fashion she absolutely deserves to be, and a single tear glides down her cheek. Both of them give great performances when they’re given the chance, but far too often they’re simply running from various cronies. For a film well over 2 hours, the lack of constant plot progression (and, honestly, the relative lack of intrigue for the second half) can grate on the nerves.

North by Northwest has without question served as one of the most influential thrillers of the last century, but at its golden anniversary, it simply stands as far too dated to consistently thrill. There are 5-minute sections where I was completely riveted, but it wasn’t a constant. Nor was it enough to recommend the film to anyone who hasn’t grown over the years to love it passionately and inexorably. If you fall under that heading, please stop reading and order the disc, because from here on out I have absolutely nothing remotely negative to say about it.

Blu-ray Audio/Video

Wow. This movie is, legitimately, fifty years old, and while there’s no way it could’ve been “Shot This Year,” simply because of its production design, it certainly looks as vivid and clear as any current release. Colors fly off the screen, foreground action is beautifully separated from the back, and film grain appears natural and beautiful. In terms of sound, the 5.1 mix is immersive and virtually flawless. I never found myself wondering where the rear channels were hiding, and dialogue came out about as clear as anyone could ever hope for a half-century-old master. I truly hope this is indicative of a greater consistency in catalogue releases. Honestly.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

First, special note has to be made of the Warner’s Digibook packaging. I now have three of these releases. They’ve typically got a few interesting notes among the 30-40 pages of material, and are worth looking at once or twice. But gosh, this one is so much more beautiful than anything I’ve seen in the series. Every page is great. Every time you turn to the next section you’re greeted with more pleasurable art and gorgeous design, as well as an actual substantial amount of information, unlike my rather disappointing Digibook release of Poltergeist.

Once you actually get the disc in the player, there’s a commentary by screenwriter Michael Lehman, several hour-plus documentaries focusing on the film’s cinematic influence, and on leading man Cary Grant. Among the rest of the trove you’ll find pretty much everything you could realistically expect on the subject on North by Northwest. This being the first US release of a Hitch flick on Blu-ray, it also stands as the most fully loaded Hitchcock release on any digital format. As overblown as I believe the film to be, Warner has to be commended on every aspect of this release. It’s a masterstroke, even if the film may not be.