Three sets of Alfred Hitchcock’s Universal movies are now on 4K UHD. From Warner Home Video’s MGM license, North by Northwest now joins the Hitch club and it looks even better. Warner Bros. gave it the Casablanca treatment, but it’s in color.
So you see the ‘50s fashion, cars and setting in modern clarity. You can tell the projected backdrops but they work better than modern video or green screens because they’re alive. The car chase is all closeups in the driver’s seat but he’s trying to stay awake. That’s suspense.
I hope Warners does this for Dial M and Strangers on a Train too.
One new bonus feature speaks to historians about the making of the film. It’s nice to see this is well balanced with female scholars.
Among the archival features is screenwriter Ernest Lehman’s commentary. He’s a treasure, but like many elder commentators, he’s sporadic and can end up watching the movie. But he tells Hitchcock stories.
Other bonus features from past Hitchcock DVDs speak to other filmmakers about his influence, including Guillermo del Toro and Francis Lawrence, who were in the WB stable at the time. Hitch himself appears in a three minute promotional piece with his classic showmanship.