{"id":29227,"date":"2024-11-30T10:46:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T18:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=29227"},"modified":"2024-11-30T10:48:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T18:48:56","slug":"review-north-by-northwest-4kuhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2024\/11\/review-north-by-northwest-4kuhd\/","title":{"rendered":"North by Northwest 4K Ultra HD Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong> is classic Hitchcock and one film I\u2019ve seen many times over the years and it\u2019s as an exhilarating espionage thriller as they come with great performances from Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

North by Northwest<\/span>
\n(1959)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Suspense\/Thriller, Mystery, Drama<\/span>
\nWarner Bros. | NR \u2013 106 min. \u2013 $33.99 | November 19, 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 11\/30\/2024 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\n<\/strong>I may earn a commission when purchasing through the links below and appreciate your support!<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Alfred Hitchcock
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Ernest Lehman (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Featurettes
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K Ultra HD
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>1<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), German (Dolby Digital 1.0), Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
\nVideo: <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.35
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Korean, Italian, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

THE MOVIE \u2014 4\u00be\/5<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1959 adventure-mystery North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong> is yet another marvelous entry into the master of suspense\u2019s repertoire and although I\u2019m a bigger fan of James Stewart than Cary Grant, I still found the film to be incredible. Amazingly, this is only my second viewing and while some movies, perhaps incredible at the time, can lose that gleam, but as with most of Hitchcock\u2019s pictures, they are timeless.<\/p>\n

Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill \u2013 an everyday advertising executive \u2013 who, during a lunch meeting and odd coincidence, is mistaken for a CIA agent named George Kaplan and is kidnapped by two thugs. Taken to a mansion, he pleads with his captor Mr. Townsend (JAMES MASON), that he is not Kaplan but Townsend refuses believing it is another ruse by a sly agent out to bring him down for stealing government secrets.<\/p>\n

After refusing to tell them information he has no knowledge of, Townsend\u2019s right-hand man (MARTIN LANDAU), forces bourdon down Thornhill\u2019s throat with the idea to stage a tragic crash that would be blamed on the alcohol. But Thornhill manages to be able to escape and into the arms of law enforcement who do not believe his absurd story. And why not? Not only was the mansion he was at owned by a U.N. assemblyman, named Mr. Townsend, who was not the man Thornhill met, but we learn that this Agent Kaplan… doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

What follows is a mystery trek from Chicago to the middle of nowhere and finally to North Dakota and Mount Rushmore all the while meeting the seductive Eve Kendall (EVA MARIE SAINT) who has her own part in the whole scheme.<\/p>\n

North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong>, although not my favorite of Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s suspense mysteries, is still a fantastic ride from beginning to end. Much like other Hitchcock movies, they are dependent in big part to the lead actors. Rear Window and Vertigo wouldn\u2019t have worked without Jimmy Stewart. At the same time, and Stewart was tapped to play Thornhill, I cannot imagine anyone else but Carey Grant in the role. Grant portrays the dull man thrown into an outrageous situation masterfully.<\/p>\n

And no Hitchcock film would be complete without the blonde bombshell. Dial M for Murder<\/em> and Rear Window<\/em> had Grace Kelly, Pyscho<\/em> and Janet Leigh and in North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong>, we got Eva Marie Saint. Saint portrays the character taking her from a sensual lover to femme fatale to potential damsel in distress.<\/p>\n

Overall, this film is a masterpiece, a classic Hitchcock if ever there was one that could be picked. I loved the seamlessness of suspense (as only the master could do), comedy, subliminal sensuality and intense thrills and anyone who has not seen North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong> is missing out on so much. I might prefer other of Hitchcock\u2019s works, but for my money suspense does not get better.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 4\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

This release comes with a matted slip cover<\/strong> and includes a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The writer provides a slow and low-key track and he basically gives a play-by-play account of the plot intertwined with where it was shot and his recollection of the filming. Personally, I wish there was a new track provided with maybe modern filmmakers.<\/p>\n

North by Northwest<\/u><\/em><\/strong>: Cinematography, Score and the Art of the Edit (23:06)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 This featurette delves into the more technical elements by Hitchcock.<\/p>\n

Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest<\/em> (39:27)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This interesting featurette made back in 2000 (I believe for Turner Classic Movies, but I could be wrong) is hosted by Eva Marie Saint. It features archival footage of Hitchcock as well as interviews with actors or crewmembers that had worked with him and covers how the film came to be.<\/p>\n

The Master\u2019s Touch: Hitchcock\u2019s Signature Style (57:32)<\/u><\/strong> is another brilliant documentary this time taking a look at the Master of Suspense\u2019s life and features interviews with various directors including Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro, John Carpenter, William Friedkin, Curtis Hanson and many more including his ex-wife and others who knew him.<\/p>\n

North by Northwest<\/u><\/em><\/strong>: One for the Ages (25:29)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 A more personal look at the film featuring more interview footage with Guillermo Del Toro, William Friedkin, Marc Lawrence, Curtis Hanson and Christopher McQuarrie talking about what made North by Northwest<\/em> one of Hitchcock\u2019s greatest films. This is another great featurette that, albeit the shortest, is still fascinating for any fan of cinema to watch.<\/p>\n

A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock (3:16)<\/u><\/strong> is a short and old feature where the legendary filmmaker discusses the movie.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

VIDEO \u2013 5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Warner Bros. releases North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong> onto 4K Ultra HD presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer. There\u2019s no mention of any type of restoration so I can only assume the original film elements were provided by the rights\u2019 holder, MGM. That being said, this is an excellent looking 4K transfer, detail is amazingly sharp and well balanced as are the colors and the natural film grain gives this some nice texture. Without comparing it to previous Blu-ray releases, I don\u2019t know how this stacks up, but the 4K here looks absolutely fantastic.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

AUDIO \u2013 4\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Previous Blu-ray releases (by both Warner and Universal) had Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks so the Atmos track provided here is a bit of an upgrade. Dialogue comes across with good clarity but where this track comes to life with Bernard Hermann\u2019s amazing score.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

OVERALL \u2014 4\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

North by Northwest<\/em><\/strong> is classic Hitchcock and one film I\u2019ve seen many times over the years and it\u2019s as an exhilarating espionage thriller as they come with great performances from Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North by Northwest is classic Hitchcock and one film I\u2019ve seen many times over the years and it\u2019s as an exhilarating espionage thriller as they come with great performances from Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4581],"tags":[4436,429,3097,6038,1852],"class_list":["post-29227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4k-uhd-reviews","tag-alfred-hitchcock","tag-cary-grant","tag-eva-marie-saint","tag-james-mason","tag-martin-landau"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29227"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29230,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29227\/revisions\/29230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}