1959 Movies

‘North by Northwest’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

“North by Northwest” is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film of all time, which is no small feat and it’s not hyperbole.  It is my favorite film from the director because it is his most ambitious.  It has a running time of over two hours, and it is never boring, not even for a second.  It is wall-to-wall suspense, excitement and intrigue. The acting is also top-of-the-line.  Cary Grant has given a lot of great performances in his storied career, but he’s at his best in “North by Northwest” because he’s asked to juggle a lot and he’s also on screen for basically the entire movie. He goes from being cool, calm and calculated to being overwhelmed, frantic and verklempt.  He also has a terrific screen partner in Eva Marie Saint, who recently turned 100-years-old!  She’s a living legend.

Grant plays Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who is about to have his world turned upside down when he is mistaken for a man by the name of George Kaplan. A group of thugs grab him and throw him into the home of Lester Townsend, who is really Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), a foreign spy who is into importing and exporting government secrets. They set up an elaborate ploy to frame Roger by getting him drunk and putting him behind the wheel of a car, causing him to have a drunk-driving accident.  In this situation, his own mother doesn’t even believe him, as it sounds made up.  It’s all true, and it’s up to Roger to clear his good name and put the pieces back together in this intricate puzzle.

In his travels, he runs into a young woman by the name of Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), who takes a liking to Roger, even though his picture is all over the paper for a murder he didn’t commit.  Things have only gone from bad to worse for Roger at this point.  She is willing to help him out and they become romantically involved.  There’s more to her than meets the eye.  That is the beauty of “North by Northwest;” everyone is not who they appear to be upon first glance.  It keeps the audience guessing and it keeps the characters in the film guessing as well.  Hitchcock made a very smart film here which is occupied with very smart people.

Even though there is a lot going on in “North by Northwest,” it never feels complicated or overly convoluted. The film doesn’t need to explain every little thing to the audience, as it trusts that the audience is smart and able to keep up with everything happening on screen. It also doesn’t hurt when you have the legendary Cary Grant on screen, who is so effortlessly charming and fascinating.  He really rolls with the punches here, as Hitchcock puts him in all types of unique and challenging settings, including the crop-dusting scene and a near-death experience on Mount Rushmore.  Hitchcock, who was notoriously tough on actors, has said his favorite actor to work with was Grant.  It’s easy to see why as they made movie magic on screen together.

Saint is sizzling on screen with her sex appeal, confidence and charisma.  She more than holds her own in her scenes with Grant. They go tit for tat with one another, and she smolders on screen.  Whenever they are on-screen together, it’s impossible to ignore their charisma and chemistry. They play off each other so well. James Mason is a great bad guy with depth and complexity and he doesn’t overplay it and is never cheesy or silly.  Mason knows less is more, and he knows how to read his lines in a way where he’s cooler than the other side of the pillow.  He is too good of an actor to just play this role as a typical movie bad guy, and he gives this character sophistication and elegance.

“North by Northwest” is one of those rare movies where you never want it to end.  As soon as it starts, it grabs you and never lets you go.  I didn’t want to get up to use the bathroom during this movie, as I didn’t want to miss anything happening on screen. There is no wasted movement in this film.  Everything adds up to something and means something.  Every single character has a purpose, whether it is to enhance the story or the tension.  I don’t like to use the word “perfect” too often, but when it comes to a movie like this one, it is absolutely perfect from start to finish.  It’s one of my favorite films of all time.

* * * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “North by Northwest” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film as well. The film has a running time of 135 minutes and is unrated.  It comes with either a 4K slipcover or a 4K steelbook.

4K Video Info: This is not only one of my favorite films, but also one of my favorite 4K discs of 2024. The picture quality is stunning and breathtaking.  The HDR brings out all of the beautiful colors on display. Warner Brothers has done an incredible job of making this film look vivid and colorful.  Wow! It is all about the details here, and they left no stone unturned in making sure “North by Northwest” was brought to life.

4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos soundtrack also adds the right amount of suspense and excitement to the proceedings.  It’s a great audio track which really makes you feel like you are in the film.  Subtitles are included in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary featuring screenwriter Earnest Lehman

North By Northwest: Cinematography, Score and the Art of the Edit Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest

The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style

North By Northwest: One for the Ages

A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock

Should You Buy It?

HELL YES! This is a film that needs to be bought immediately and, lucky for you, there are two ways to own it—the standard 4K slipcover or the impressive looking 4K steelbook. Even though the special features have been ported over from the Blu-ray, these are lengthy and informative, and they add a lot of context and insight into the film.  If you loved this movie, you want to know as much about it as possible. As far as the audio and the visuals of the 4K, this is why I love 4K and why I champion this format so much as a movie lover.  My wife and I watched this together on a Friday night and we were transfixed by the film, the mesmerizing visuals and the incredible audio.  Warner Brothers knocked it out of the park with this release. This release gets my highest level of recommendation.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Rio Bravo’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

When you think of the western genre in cinema, it’s hard not to think of John Wayne.  Perhaps the only other actor who might be synonymous with westerns is Clint Eastwood, but he would frequently venture into other genres to expand his repertoire. For the most part, John Wayne lived and breathed westerns. When you think of his classic westerns, you think of films such as “The Searchers,” “Red River,” “Stagecoach,” and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” to name a few.  However, I believe his best film in this genre is none other than “Rio Bravo,” directed by the legendary Howard Hawks.  He brought out the humanity and vulnerability from the tough, no-nonsense Wayne persona.

“Rio Bravo” is a patient and detailed film that allows us to really get to know, understand and like our main characters.  There is Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) who is deliberate, fair and direct in his communication and his actions.  His former deputy is named Dude, played by legendary crooner Dean Martin in a fantastic performance.  Dude used to be a reliable deputy and partner to Chance until his drinking got the better of him.  Now, he’s trying to get himself together because he knows John needs him by his side in order to deal with the Burdette’s, Joe (Claude Akins) and Nathan (John Russell). Joe is behind bars after committing murder and is currently being watched closely by Stumpy (Walter Brennan), a trigger-happy deputy with a quirky personality.  While he might be up there in years and also have a limp, John trusts him to keep an eye on Joe and the rest of Nathan’s goons.

Nathan is a wealthy land tycoon with a lot of connections, and he will stop at nothing in order to get his brother out of prison.  However, with Chance, Dude and Stumpy working together, this is not going to be an easy task for Nathan.  Chance is out to prove there are consequences when it comes to murdering an unarmed man for no reason other than you have the money and power to do so and think you can get away with it. Chance is also developing feelings for a young woman in town named Feathers (Angie Dickinson), whose deceased husband was a shady gambler notorious for cheating.  Chance is not quite sure what to make of Feathers and wonders if he can trust her because of her past connections. However, it is clear there is a connection between the two of them.

At this point, they are waiting for the U.S. Marshal to come and handle things, but that could take up to a week before this comes to fruition.  It’s up to Chance, Dude, Stumpy and the rest of the town to band together and not give in to Nathan Burdette and his greed.  He’s willing to pay hired guns in order to make sure his brother gets out of jail.  This is something Chance is keenly aware of, so he’s on his toes at all times.  The same can be said for Stumpy, who will shoot anyone that dares to enter their jail without announcing themselves first.  Dude sees this as a second chance for himself.  He might be struggling with losing his confidence, but if he can stay away from the bottle and remain focused, people will start to take him seriously again.  Chance has never given up on Dude, even when others around him do not take him seriously.

I really loved the performances in “Rio Bravo” along with the beautiful western scenery.  There is also a sense of humor injected into the film, but it’s not forced and it doesn’t feel phony.  Sometimes when things get really serious and intense, you need to step back and throw a humorous moment in there to lighten things up.  Howard Hawks knows how to do that during just the right moments in the film. I’ve often found Wayne to be a one-note actor, but here he’s still the same badass we have seen in previous films, and he shows good comedic timing, a sense of vulnerability, and a more human side to the character of Chance. He doesn’t seem invincible. He is a real person with feelings, emotions and some depth to him. 

The same is also true of Dean Martin.  I haven’t seen Martin in a film before, but the way we see his inner struggle on screen is truly a work of art.  For my money, he gives the best and most impressive performance in “Rio Bravo.”  He shows tremendous depth here.  He’s not just the town drunk.  There are many layers to his character. Walter Brennan’s Stumpy might look like an old fool, but he still has some fight left in him as well.

There is also a tremendous supporting performance by Ricky Nelson here as Colorado. He becomes part of their little family, and he even gets them out of a few jams as well.  Ward Bond also appears in this film, which has a tremendous cast that works perfectly together. The film is two hours and twenty-one minutes long, but it doesn’t feature a moment on screen that isn’t meaningful to the purpose of the story in some way.  Hawks is one of the great filmmakers of all-time, and he shows that here.  He really brought out the best in everyone throughout this emotional, funny and action-packed film.  This is a movie that has just about everything in it without ever feeling like it’s bloated or too many genres thrown into one.  It’s a fantastic piece of cinema.

* * * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Rio Bravo” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  It has a running time of 141 minutes and is not-rated.  However, anyone can watch the film. It comes with a digital copy of it as well.

Video/Audio Info:  The HDR is beautiful here with so many beautiful shots coming to life as we get engrossed in the film. It’s truly eye-popping to watch on screen.  In addition to the great acting and terrific pacing of the story, this film looks stunningly gorgeous.  I couldn’t have asked for a better 4K release of it.  There is no Dolby Atmos track here, but I didn’t feel like it really hurt the sound quality as the film sounds great.  It comes with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

Commentary by John Carpenter and Richard Schickel

I’m truly loving just about every classic film being restored by Warner Brothers on 4K with this being their 100-year anniversary.  It is filled with films I’m watching for the first time along with others I’m viewing in a whole new light because with age comes wisdom, and also because of how much time and effort they are putting into these releases from an audio and visual perspective.  Classic cinema will always stand the test of time, and it is clearly on full-display here with “Rio Bravo.”  I loved the performances of John Wayne and Dean Martin in this film, if I’m going to single out two of the actors here.  Martin really showed tremendous range and emotional trauma with this performance.  The only special feature is a commentary track, but that’s okay considering the age of the film.  I’m just happy we are being treated to so many great films through the Warner Archives on 4K.  It seems like every month, there is a classic film on 4K, and I’m loving it.  This is one you need to buy on its release date along with “East of Eden.”  They are two totally different films, but they have one thing in common: they are timeless and immortal.  As far as the audio and visual aspects of this release, it truly takes your breath away on 4K with its range of colors.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.