- Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 102 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: MGM
- Blu-ray Release Date: January 24, 2012
- List Price: $24.99
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Purchase Notorious on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1946 film Notorious combined two of his favorite topics, romance and spy thrillers, making it no surprise then, with very little interference from producer David O. Selznick that it would become one of “Hitch’s” greatest efforts. It unfolds with a sleekness, glamour, and easy sensuality like hardly any of his films films while incorporating a believable and suspenseful post-war spy story that contains one of his most legendary MacGuffins — wine bottles filled with uranium ore. The amazing camerawork, including a crane shot during a dinner party that leads to a zoom-in on Ingrid Bergman’s hand clutching the very key that will unveil the unranium ore-filled bottles, and an angular tracking shot of Cary Grant as Bergman awakes from a hangover to follow him, spinning 180-degrees, are among the most memorable and inventive in his career.
A story of love, lust, and secrets, Notorious begins with the trial of Alicia Huberman’s (Bergman) German-born father, where he is found guilty for being a Nazi sympathizer. Two years later, Alicia has fallen off the wagon. A heavy drinker and licentious young woman pestered by the police, she is enlisted by the secret agent Devlin (Grant) to seduce Alexander Sebastien (Claude Rains) the head of a neo-Nazi group organized in Brazil. A torrid love affair between Devlin and Alicia quickly picks up, yet Devlin is unable to admit to himself or Alicia that he loves her, pushing her into this unwanted and dangerous assignment of seduction that heats up and reaches a frenzied conclusion when her life becomes threatened and Devlin must rush in to rescue her.
A brilliant cast that, it goes without saying, is superbly directed, Notorious set a high standard for film noir and dark romances. It pushed the boundaries of the Production Code guidelines with its heated lovemaking scenes and racy references to “playmates.” It is genius from beginning to end and thoroughly enjoyable.
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
From the shots provided in the restoration comparison on this disc, one would think that Notorious wasn’t really in such bad condition, minus the usual issues wit dirt and scratches, minor flicker and so on. However, the film still looks rather rough and inconsistent in this transfer, with many soft scenes, especially distance shots, and some apparent source damage that varies from barely noticeable to fairly distracting. The grain structure is a lot coarser than what we saw in Spellbound‘s AVC encodement.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The audio track is a simple DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz/24-bit) mix that is relatively clean with reserved amounts of hiss, little in the way of pops and no evident sibilant distortions or crackle.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
There are two audio commentaries and a good bit of standard definition featurettes on Hitchcock included here, plus the addition of two audio interviews with “Hitch” and the 1948 radio play featuring Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten.
The supplements:
- Commentary with film Professor Rick Jewel
- Commentary with Film Professor Drew Casper
- Isolated Music and Effects Track
- The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious (1.78:1; SD; 00:28:22)
- Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster (00:13:10)
- The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock (1.78:1; SD; 00:03:20)
- 1948 Radio Play Starring Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman – Lux Theatre, Original Broadcast January 26, 1948 (00:59:35)
- Hitchcock Audio Interviews:
- Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Hitchcock (00:02:14)
- François Truffaut Interviews Hitchcock (00:16:22)
- Restoration Comparison
- Theatrical Trailer (1.37:1; SD)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Notorious is a must for fans of thrillers, romance, and Hitchcock. Although the transfer to high definition is just a bit disappointing it does not in anyway deter from the enjoyment of this marvelous film. Highly recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B0065N6K9Q[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com
Purchase Notorious on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for More Blu-ray Titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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