Evies Blog

Compare Prices on Notorious - Criterion Collection

A finely crafted, sumptuously produced romantic thriller that has the distinction of featuring director Hitchcock, and stars Grant and Bergman at their collective best. Even so, Claude Rains manages to dominate almost every scene in which he appears; his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the lovesick mama’s boy engaged in espionage comes off as supremely menacing, emotionally ambiguous, and yet oddly sympathetic … all at the same time.

The film-to-DVD transfer is quite suited. There are a couple of jumps and pops in the master print that are a bit jarring, but overall it’s a crisp and well-organized presentation with broad disagreement. Although the package doesn’t mention it, the DVD does offer chapter search/scene selection which is always a nice perk. There aren’t any of the bonus features that we noxious DVD collectors are coming to query (trailers, biographical sketches, etc.), but it’s smooth a more than acceptable edition of a truly classic film.

The video transfer of modern Criterion DVD version of Renowned is a bit sharper, more detailed, and has better disagreement than that of the Anchor Bay DVD version released in 1999. Unfortunately, it also reveals a lot more film grains. The graininess is not noticeable in most parts of the film unless a grunt comparision with Anchor Bay’s transfer is made. But in a few scenes, the graininess fair cannot be ignored, and could be detrimental to one’s viewing pleasure. In spite of that, in my view the increased detail and sharpness of Criterion’s transfer is aloof preferrable to Anchor Bay’s comparatively softer and darker portray.

Regarding audio, it is no contest. Criterion’s mono 1.0 sound has Remarkable greater clarity, depth, details, volume than Anchor Bay’s comparatively muted and muffled soundtrack. In addition, the Criterion disc also includes optional English subtitles while Anchor Bay’s does not.

Buy,Download, Or Stream Notorious - Criterion Collection! Click Here

The Criterion DVD retains all of the supplementary material from their fill CAV laserdisc version from 1991, and it adds some more…

There are two suited audio commentary tracks. One is by Marian Keane, and it deals straight with the artistic aspects of the film by providing scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot dissertations. Commentaries like this are rare, and it is most first-rate to average viewers who want to learn more about the purposes and intentions tedious every shot, every slit, every line. For instance, in a seemingly ordinary shot of a grandfather clock inside the Sebastian home, Keene analyzes the composition by pointing out the phallic symbol of the clock that suggests Alex’s presence, the adjacent banister that reminds us of his mother, and the flower at the window that suggests the vulnerability of Alicia. Another commentary track, by Rudy Behlmer, was recorded for the laserdisc version, and it is the more popular type of commentary, in which the commentator recounts the production’s history, the logistical aspects, sypnoses of the lives and careers of the filmmakers, a few anecdotes. Behlmer mentions something omitted by Keane — Roy Webb’s music (which is given a separate audio track on the DVD) . At one point, he explains how the RKO Radio Describe logo was removed from the opening credits; but he refers only to the laserdisc version. This DVD version, however, restores the RKO logo.

Other extras include an all-too-brief excerpt of the short sage “The Song of the Dragon” which inspired the film. There are about 40 production stills, mostly of Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. There is a piece that explains how the many rear projection shots were done (some of the shots are quite seamless) . There are a few production correspondences written by David O. Selznick, Bergman, and even FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover in response to the film’s treatment of special agents. There are 4 theatrical trailers and short teasers. There is a one-minute newsreel footage of Hitchcock and Bergman arriving in England. There are script excerpts of 5 deleted scenes, and 3 alternate endings in which one or more of the four main characters pick up wounded or killed on conceal. In a keen segment called “The Fate of the Unica Key”, Marian Keane speaks on an audio track about how Bergman, during AFI’s Lifetime Award ceremony for Hitchcock, handed the Unica key to the director as a token of like and respect (unfortunately, no footage of the AFI telecast is included) . Last, but not least, there is a one-hour radioplay version of the film, in pleasurable audio quality, recorded in 1948, starring Joseph Cotten as Devlin and Bergman again as Alicia (the laserdisc version only has a 15-minute excerpt of the radioplay) .
Buy Repossessed Cars
Quitting Smoking Cigarettes
Goji Berries Health Properties
Popup Displays