North By Northwest 4K Ultra HD

In "North By Northwest," Roger Thornhill, a New York City advertising executive (Cary Grant), goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies at New York's Plaza Hotel in a nonstop game of cat and mouse as he is pursued across North America by the espionage agents trying to kill him –– and by police who suspect him of murder. During the chase he falls for a woman (Eva Marie Saint) whose loyalties he begins to doubt. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman; the featurettes "Cinematography, Score, And The Art Of The Edit (HD 23:06), "Destination Hitchcock: The Making Of North By Norhwes" (HD 39:26), "The Master Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style" (SD 57:31), "North By Northwest: One For The Ages" (SD 25:30) and "A Guided Tour With Alfred Hitchcock" (SD 03:16); and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed on 35 mm film stock in VistaVision using the Mitchell VistaVision camera system and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format remastered from the original negative. The film was scanned at an 8k resolution using the film's original VistaVision production elements. Film grain is virtually absent, which leads to assumption that some noise reduction was performed before encoding. The picture exhibits a saturated Technicolor color palette with rich and warm hue, and strong primaries. The imagery appears generally natural though it can be overly dense in appearance. Flesh tones are naturally hued and healthy, and Cary Grant looks tan throughout. HDR contrast is excellent with natural black levels, revealing shadows and natural white levels. Night scenes are terrific. The picture is clear but lacking in significant sharpness, with resolution generally good overall, though there is a general softness in appearance. Complexions and facial features reveal detail in lines, makeup and hair. The production design is realistic. Costume fabrics are revealing as well as object textures. This is a very filmic visual experience. (Gary Reber)

The repurposed Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack was created from the film's original monaural presentation.

Atmospherics sound realistic throughout. Sound effects also sound realistic such as the train movement and crop-duster plane flyover. The most outstanding aspect is Bernard Hermmann's classic orchestral score, which has been bled into the surround and height layer channels, creating a tense and immersive experience. In the crop-duster scene, the plane makes several passes, from front to back and side to side, with the engine sounding convincing as it moves through the channels. The orchestral score is wonderful and envelops the soundfield with a wide and deep soundstage. Instrumentation is wonderfully articulated and very dimensional. At times bass response is deep and strong. Foley sound effects are realistic and perfectly synced with picture, though generally a bit weak. Dialogue is intelligible but often ADR produced and forward sounding with wanting integration.

The Immersive Sound element is comprised of an aggressive extension of the orchestral music to the height layer. room chatter, , atmospheric din, train movement, train station ambiance, car and truck passings, crop-duster flyovers and explosion, art auction dialogue, airport ambiance, gun shot, small plane engine noise and a scream. The new sound design embraces filling the height layer with supportive sonics, which significantly enhance the dimensionality of the soundfield.

Though dialogue is generally wanting in spatial integration, the other sound elements are effectively supported and result is a satisfying holosonic® spherical surround experience. Fans of this classic film will be fully engaged. (Gary Reber)