NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (November 2021): Kino have transferred Alfred Hitchcock's Number Seventeen to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K Restoration by Studio Canal". The 1080P image is excellent with minimal amounts of compromised elements. There are wonderfully thick and consistent textures, certain shots are remarkably tight - beyond the film's age - and the contrast is beautifully balanced showing shadows with detail. The transfer has the film in a pillar-boxed 1.2:1 aspect ratio, which is accurate and the source is 35mm. The resulting HD presentation is very strong.

NOTE: We have added 48 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. Number Seventeen has the sound limitations of the era with some loud effects (ex. Ann Casson falling through the ceiling) come through with reasonable depth. The, often dramatic, score was by Adolph Hallis (his only film composure credit with the year's previous East of Shanghai), sounding bombastic at times. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian and critic Peter Tonguette. He discusses how Hitchcock was more comfortable with more montage than long takes, uncharacteristic reliance on shadows in Number Seventeen, how different this is from more mature Hitchcock although still maintaining a level of Hitchcockian inventiveness in many respects. He talks about how he rarely tried to provoke terror from predictable horror-movie-esque settings (haunted house, cobweb, shadows) or obvious clichés - that may have had his intent leaning more to satire, how this was made in an unfamiliar period of The Master's filmmaking and that even as the 14th film made by the director it is a rather primitive and flawed project, the hammy Leon M. Lion's mugging for the camera, the narrative limitations of Number Seventeen, the dexterous editing, sped-up sequences and small models as effects references as a positive attribute, and much more including evocations of Bob Hope's The Cat and the Canary. It is, as usual for Peter, an excellent and thorough analysis. There is also a short introduction by Noël Simsolo, in French with English subtitles, 5-minutes of an except of the Hitchcock / Truffaut interviews where Hitch dismisses the film outright, and lastly the 55-minute documentary Hitchcock: The Early Years (Films de Juenesse) by Noël Simsolo in French with English subtitles having input from Clause Chabrol, Bernard Eisneschitz and others. There are trailers but none for Number Seventeen. 

Alfred Hitchcock's Number Seventeen is certainly no where near the director's best work that would come later in his career. On the positive, it is certainly atmospheric in a rudimentary way with some keen quick edits. I think it is possible that the parody aspects were not fulfilled to its greatest intent - perhaps too subtle - appearing like ineffectual humor, but can still work as a scattered mystery with the adventurous chase-scenes in the final half. There are things I do like about Number Seventeen; the spooky house, the murder mystery and the under-exposed character Rose Ackroyd played by Ann Casson. I wish that first section was more fleshed-out and longer. Still the Kino Blu-ray has a Hitchcock film looking marvelous and the supplements - notably the Tonguette commentary and long documentary - have immense value. I think this package's range should extend beyond completists of the director's work and include fans of vintage era mysterious as well.

Gary Tooze