Alfred Hitchcock's - Rear Window - DVD Review - James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly Alfred Hitchcock Rear Window DVD Review James Stewart Grace Kelly

(aka "Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window" )

USA 1954

Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest movie, Rear Window, is as fresh as it was when it came out, in part, paradoxically, because of how profoundly it belongs to its own period. It’s set in Greenwich Village during a sweltering summer of open windows, and it reeks of 1954.

Peter Bogdanovich notes in Who the Devil Made It that Hitchcock “didn’t use a score” in the movie, “only source music and local sounds,” which isn’t exactly true. In fact, we get quite traditional theme music from Franz Waxman behind the opening credits, and, more important, the film subtly integrates hit tunes of the mid-50s into the ambient sound track, most noticeably “Mona Lisa” and “That’s Amore,” which was introduced the previous year by Dean Martin in another Paramount picture, The Caddy. The only serious flaw in Rear Window is the hokey use of a song to resolve a couple of subplots—which audiences in 1954 didn’t find convincing either.

When this romantic comedy-thriller was made, TV hadn’t yet posed a serious threat to radio, much less to movies, and there’s nary a TV set or TV screen in sight. The movie’s overall narrative form of scanning past windows in a courtyard seems to anticipate channel surfing, but it reflects the way one turns a radio knob, tuning in and out of frequencies while the station indicator moves horizontally or vertically along the dial. The same pattern is apparent in the beautifully calibrated camera movements as well as the brilliantly mixed and nuanced sound recording.

Excerpt from Jonathan Rosenbaum's review at the Chicago Reader located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 1st, 1954

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DVD Comparison:

Universal (Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset) - Region 1- NTSC vs. Universal Pictures - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal Pictures - Region 2,4 - PAL

Big thanks to Mark Balson and Maarten de Haas for the Universal Pictures Screen Caps!

(Universal (Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset) - Region 1- NTSC - LEFT vs. Universal Pictures - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Universal Pictures - Region 2,4 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

Distribution	Universal Pictures Region 1 - NTSC	Universal Pictures Region 1 - NTSC	Universal Pictures Region 2,4 - PAL
Runtime	1:54:08	1:54:05	1:49:30 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5,77 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5,79 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5,22 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Universal Pictures - Masterpiece Collection
Bitrate: Universal Pictures
Bitrate: Universal Pictures
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono	English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono	English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles	English, Spanish and none	English, Spanish and none	English HoH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Norwegian and Swedish, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Rear Window Ethics: Remembering and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic" documentary (55 min) • Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes • Production Photographs • Re-release trailer narrated by James Stewart • Production notes • Cast and Filmmakers bios • Comes in the Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset reviewed HERE DVD Release Date: October 4th, 2005 See review HERE Chapters 19	Release Information: Studio: Universal Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Rear Window Ethics: Remembering and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic" documentary (55 min) • Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes • Production Photographs • Re-release trailer narrated by James Stewart • Production notes • Cast and Filmmakers bios • DVD-ROM features DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003 Keepcase Chapters 19	Release Information: Studio: Universal Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Rear Window Ethics: Remember and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic (55 min) • Screenwriter John Michael Hayes on Rear Window(13 min) • Art Gallery • Theatrical Trailer • Trailer Compilation for 5 Hitchcock films (narrated by James Stewart) DVD Release Date: April 21st, 2003 Keepcase Chapters 18

Comments

ADDITION: Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset edition - after some painstaking deliberation Beaver concludes that the new Masterpiece edition is the best - it has a color scheme similar to the PAL edition with better skin tones (less red- especially Grace) and it is as sharp (or slightly sharper) than its region 1 counterpart. I think the best overall comparison image is the third large one (L.B. sweating). The old NTSC release actually looks contrast boosted next to the new edition (see the Master's face in large capture # 5). I feel subtitles look much better on the new release. Essentially the new DVD maintains the best of both other releases plus has all the extras. We still feel that the Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset reviewed HERE is still the greatest deal in DVD history to date.

NOTE: Not ALL of the extras are carried over. The original R1 disc has the complete text of the screenplay as a ROM feature. If you have that disc, it's pretty easy to save that folder on your computer, if you want to get rid of the old one. (Thanks unclehulot)

*****

After scrutinizing quite closely I am leaning to the Region 1, although this is a tight race. Colors on the Region 1 are brighter and it is every so slightly sharper. Both edition show some film grain. I prefer the Region 2 subtitles and the Region 2 may have the better contrast. Both have some extras to offer, but again the Region 1 seems to be ahead by a neck. I don't suppose owners of either DVD edition will be too disappointed, but we feel the Region 1 is the definitive to own.

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

Universal (Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Boxset) - Region 1- NTSC

(Universal Pictures - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Universal Pictures - Region 2,4 - PAL - RIGHT)

Subtitle Samples