Murder! Blu-ray - Alfred Hitchcock

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

UK 1930

From the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director of Blackmail, Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window and The Birds. Hitchcock’s third sound film was a return to the crime genre, adapted by Hitchcock and Walter Mycroft (Champagne) from the play Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane (A Bill of Divorcement) and Helen Simpson (Sabotage). Actress Diana Baring (Norah Baring, A Cottage on Dartmoor) is convicted of the murder of another actress in the same touring company. But the distinguished actor Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall, The Letter), who served on the jury at her trial, becomes convinced of her innocence and decides to solve the case. Beautifully shot by Jack E. Cox (The Lady Vanishes). This special edition also includes Mary, the 1931 German version of the film, directed by Hitchcock and starring Alfred Abel as Sir John Menier and Olga Tschechowa as Mary Baring.

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Alfred Hitchcock's second all-talkie thriller, Murder! (1930) stars Herbert Marshall as pompous actor-manager Sir John Menier, a send-up of George DuMaurier. Summoned for jury duty, Sir John is one of 12 people who must decide the fate of Diana Baring (Norah Baring), a young actress on trial for murder. Though the girl is found guilty, Sir John believes that she's innocent and sets about to prove it on his own, exercising his actor's prerogative of adopting clever disguises in the course of his investigation. Along the way, he is obliged to entertain a pair of lower-class clods, Ted and Dulcie Markham (Edward Chapman and Phyllis Konstam), who help him stage an elaborate re-enactment of the crime. Based on Enter Sir John, a novel and play by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson, Murder was simultaneously filmed in a German version, with Alfred Abel replacing Herbert Marshall.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

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Hitchcock uses sound imaginatively in one of his earliest talkies, making the most of Marshall's mellifluous voice. Marshall plays an actor-playwright on a jury who undertakes an investigation on his own when he believes the girl on trial to be innocent of murder. At one point we hear Marshall's thoughts as he looks in the mirror while Wagner's Liebestod plays in the background. However, the denouement of the intriguing plot is pretty distasteful by today's standards. Percy, a transvestite trapeze artist, is obviously gay, but he murders before it is revealed that he is a half-caste.

Excerpt from Channel4 located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 31st, 1930

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Comparison:

Studio Canal (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Studio Canal (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:37:56 (4% PAL Speedup)	1:42:18.048
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.75 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,770,825,114 bytes Feature: 20,805,869,568 bytes 'Mary': Video Bitrate: 23.81 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	French (non-removable but player generated)	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Studio Canal Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • An introduction (in French - no subtitles) by Noel Solo • Alternate ending (9:40) • Featurette on Hitchcock's early films (52:02) • Picture Gallery (11 stills) DVD Release Date: October 3rd, 2005 Thick dual-holding cardboard book-style case Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Kino 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 37,471,315,571 bytes Feature: 30,857,963,520 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton • Hitchcock/Truffaut: Icon interviews Icon (Audio) (14:19) • MARY: 1931 German version of 'Murder!' also directed by Hitchcock (Up-res) • Introduction by Noël Simsolo (05:12) • Alternate Ending (10:06) • Trailer (01:12) • Other Trailers Blu-ray Release Date: December 4th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case inside cardboard sleeve Chapters 8 / 8

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (August 2019): Kino have transferred Alfred Hitchcock's 1930 film "Murder!" to Blu-ray. The Black & White film has a moderate bitrate throughout the running time. When compared to the previously released SD DVD version of the film, there is a slight bump in clarity, showing finer detail and grain. The framing is also opened up on all sides, though just a tad. There are the occasional instances of damage but for the most part, this is a pretty pristine print, rarely looking blurry or overly scratched.

NOTE: 20 more full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray captures for Patrons are available HERE.

Kino include a 16-bit 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio track. For a picture from 1930, this is a fairly decent audio track. Dialogue is mostly clear and intelligible, with the various courtroom/circus/theatrical sounds and sound effects being rather effective. The music in the climax at the circus is effective in creating dramatic tension, something Hitchcock certainly always had a keen ear for. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

Also included on this Blu-ray is "Mary", The German language version of the film.

This was shot simultaneously on the same set with German-speaking actors (Miles Mander reprised his role as Gordon Druce in Mary, though the character's name was changed to Gordon Moore). This German version of the film is a fascinating bonus feature, worth watching if not just to marvel at the similarities/differences on display. "Hitchcock/Truffaut: Icon interviews" is a 14-minute audio interview that I wish could go on for hours. There is an optional 5-minute introduction to the film by Noël Simsolo. Kino's Blu-ray includes an alternate ending. The film's trailer is also here, as are trailers for some other Kino releases.

Hitchcock's "Murder!" (and the German version, "Mary") showcases a director in total control of creating suspense while he plays the audience like a fiddle. This new Kino Blu-ray is a worthy upgrade over the already fine DVD release, though these extras are a real enticement (especially the inclusion of "Mary"). Highly recommended to Hitchcock fans.

Colin Zavitz

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ON THE DVD: Another solid transfer - fairly consistent with moments of great clarity - again, the French subtitles are player generated and mandatory on most DVD playback units, but easily removable on all computers with DVD burners (see HERE). Audio has a few weak moments but is otherwise excellent - with quite clear and consistently audible dialogue. It occasionally seems slightly out of sync. There is a Photo Gallery of 11 high quality images as an extra along with the French language introduction. We strongly recommend, but the DVD loses a half point for the mandatory French subtitles.