North by Northwest : Blu Ray Edition

Review by David Woodward

North by Northwest is regarded by many as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s "Top 5 Movies Of All Time".  This fact, coupled with the attraction of watching Cary Grant at his very best, makes this film a joy to watch.

A 50th Anniversary Edition of this famous feature has been released which includes a dazzling restoration from original VistaVision elements plus an impressive and extensive range of featurettes and other special features.

North by Northwest is about a Manhattan businessman (Grant) who plunges into a world of spies (Eva Marie Saint and James Mason).  He is abducted, framed for murder, chased and (in a now classic sequence) crop-dusted as he is caught up in the smuggling of microfilm containing government secrets. The storyline features a climactic scene on the top of Mount Rushmore.

Watch for Alfred Hitchcock’s signature cameo when he is seen missing a bus at the end of the opening credits.

Hitchcock made this film in 1959 prior to making his next masterpiece Psycho. It has a colourful and riveting style that immediately attracts and retains your interest. The film techniques and the set-pieces used help visualise a story of mistaken identity and murder – a trait of many of Hitchcock’s movies.

At 136 minutes, however, North by Northwest is a long movie but there is very little extraneous footage that does not impress.

Cary Grant appears here in his fourth Hitchcock film and has some classic comical and serious scenes which are quintessential examples of his best work. Eva Marie Saint is suitably cool and sexy (looking surprisingly like Grace Kelly in some scenes). Other well-known faces include James Mason, Martin Landau and Leo G. Carroll.

Watching the restored version of North by Northwest is a real treat, particularly if you view it on the Blu-Ray Disc with extreme clarity of image and colour. Restored versions of classics such as this are a welcome addition to any movie buff’s video library!

Blu Ray Special Features

Besides the obligatory audio commentary, there are over 3� hours of great featurettes.

Firstly, there is a 1� hour exhaustive documentary on Cary Grant which examines almost every movie he made, including some previously obscure interview clips and photos.

Then, there are two very recent featurettes on Alfred Hitchcock.  “The Master’s Touch” is a 2009 one hour piece on his career in which we learn about (often from an archival narrative by Hitchcock himself) the structure of his films and his use of editing, visual and sequencing techniques. “One for the Ages” is a half hour piece, produced at the same time as an obvious sub-set of “The Master’s Touch”, that concentrates on North by Northwest itself.

For me, the best featurette is a vintage 39-minute documentary “The Making of North by Northwest” made in 2000.  Eva Marie Saint narrates this very detailed explanation of the genesis, casting, costuming and filming of the movie. It is particularly interesting to see how individual scenes were shot and even the advertising campaign and premiere.

The remaining special features include a music-only audio track (an innovative and interesting way to view the movie), a still gallery and a number of trailers.

Conclusion: Episodes 99% Extras: 99%