No one can definitely say 1959's North By Northwest is Alfred Hitchcock's best movie -- how to choose? -- but from first frame to last, it may well be his most entertaining. The first of Hitchcock's pictures to appear on the Blu-ray format (Warner Home Video, $35), the film has been given a $1 million restoration, and to say it looks utterly fantastic on high-definition -- one of the most astounding Blu-ray transfers to date -- is probably an understatement.

Packaged in Warner's ``Digibook'' casing, which houses the disk in a hardcover 43-page book filled with fun trivia, North By Northwest is accompanied by a suite of outstanding supplements. All the extras found on the film's previous DVD release have been ported over (including a commentary by the late screenwriter Ernest Lehman and a feature-length documentary on the career of star Cary Grant).

But the Blu-ray also contains two fantastic exclusives.

The hour-long featurette The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style explores the stylistic trademarks that Hitchcock used to change the language of movies, with plentiful clips that will leave you itching to program a Hitchcock mini-festival in your living room.

There is also the 30-minute North by Northwest: One for the Ages, in which directors Curtis Hanson, Guillermo del Toro, William Friedkin and other big shots analyze the film and explore the way it encapsulates practically every theme that permeated Hitchcock's canon. They also spend some time discussing the movie's signature setpiece, the crop-dusting chase, one of the most famous in all of cinema. For his Blu-ray debut, Hitchcock has definitely received the Rolls Royce treatment he deserves. More, please.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@