There is nothing more magical in the entire world than being able to see a film, regardless of quality, on a 35 mm/70 mm print. Nothing comes close to seeing that celluloid run at 24 fps in a magical setting. It is a transformative experience that is fully immersive. Unless you live in L.A. and can see *everything* exclusively at The New Beverly or are someone like Tarantino themselves, odds are you’re not watching every form of content on a 70 mm projection and you’re seeing it on some form of digital platform whether that be streaming or disk, but not a real-life print. There are very few movies part of the thousand-plus existence of 4K disks that can be referred to as “reference quality” disks, and Warner Brothers’s newest release of North by Northwest from Alfred Hitchcock gets to join that incredibly elite company as it is the closest in comparison to that magical world of seeing it on print that a movie seen at home can be.

The movie focuses on Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), a New York advertising man who’s the victim of mistaken identity, being mistaken for George Caplan, which puts his life in jeopardy and sets off the events and motions of the film. He is being targeted by Philip Vandamm (James Mason) and is lured in by his femme fatale Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), setting up a game of cat and mouse with deadly consequences. While Thornhill isn’t exactly sure who he’s suspected of being at first, he eventually finds out who Vandamm and associates believes he is and this spirals into the climatic ending of the film that continues to amaze audiences to this day. North by Northwest features an iconic moment between a plane and the leading man, Cary Grant, that is one of the most recognized scenes, arguably, in cinema history. Truly, North by Northwest is a one-of-its-kind movie which helped cement Alfred Hitchcock as one of the greatest directors to ever do it, living or deceased.

Of course, no Hitchcock movie is complete without its cast and North by Northwest is no different. The cast brings together their absolute best and create a story and world for the audience to get entirely lost in. Everyone, from Grant (Notorious; Charade) to Mason (A Star is Born) to Saint (On the Waterfront) and Philip Ober (From Here to Eternity) and Martin Landau (Ed Wood) (and so forth), create a masterclass in acting. The 4K helps keep the legacy of the brilliance not only intact, but does it so masterfully and respectfully that this is the closest to experiencing this on a first run back in 1959 possible, truly a testament to what can be done with the right level of attention and care.

Diving into the history of previous releases, this new 4K presents the film in its full 1.85:1 aspect ratio, compared to the previous release which was cropped, and is presented on a BD100 disk (the highest quality physical media disk on the market currently), allowing every aspect of this Hitchcockian thriller to be appreciated and watched in the way it was always meant to be, and it stuns beautifully. It is an exceptional transfer, and anything shy of this meticulous transfer would be a disservice to the absolute brilliance of the movie that is presented. This sets a bar for what should be standard for home video but unfortunately isn’t. For the pickiest of collectors who want only the best, top-of-the-line transfers and will not accept anything shy of that, North by Northwest delivers that; there is no rhyme or reason to not own one of the greatest movies of the 20th century, a brilliant piece of art restored to imitate the experience of being able to watch this on a 35 mm/70 mm print. Warner Brothers delivers, arguably, the best physical media release of 2024 in North by Northwest.

As far of features go, there are a lot of legacy features with only one new feature being added in the form of a conversation discussing the film itself amongst industry heavyweights. While considering the age of the film, the director being Hitchcock, and the everlasting legacy that this film has brought to the world, a new feature is a welcomed addition, but, overall, the transfer and presentation of North by Northwest is more than enough to convince even the deepest cynics of 4K to convert.

North by Northwest Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with screenwriter Ernest Lehman
• North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit
• Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest
• The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style
• North by Northwest: One for the Ages
• A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock
• Digital Code (US Only)

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital November 19^th, 2024.

For more information, head to the official Warner Bros. Pictures North by Northwest webpage.

Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, drama, Ernest Lehman, Eva Marie Saint, home release, home video, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Josephine Hutchinson, Leo G. Carroll, Martin Landau, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM Studios, North by Northwest, Philip Ober, remaster, suspense, thriller, Warner Bros. Pictures