Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliantly entertaining chase movie still proves as effective as ever, thanks to an astonishingly crisp new high definition print from Warner Bros. If you’re going to revisit this classic masterpiece, or try it out for the first time, I strongly advise you get hold of Warner Bros’ Blu-ray edition. HD mastering doesn’t come more sublime than this, with every shot beautifully realised, with superior sound settings as the icing on the cake.
From cheeky innuendos to thrilling action (most memorably the aircraft chase scene), this story of an innocent man being pursued by ruthless villains has yet to be beaten by any modern day films of the genre. Some aspects may strike today’s audiences as a little uncomfortable – the dated homophobia, perhaps, and the special effects that don’t really convince – but generally this is a delightful treat of a film.
One could never call it a comedy, but there are some really funny lines, as well as the famous naughty final shot of a train going into a tunnel; a clear, unashamed visual sexual metaphor.
North by Northwest (1959), is released on blu-ray and DVD in the UK by Warner Bros, Certificate 12.
