It’s a new year and 2019 has come to a close. I always like to reflect on my favorite physical releases of year. Consumers seem to be moving more and more to streaming services with the launch this holiday season of Disney Plus being the latest. However, 2019 was also a banner year for physical media as well. Several companies really stepped up their game with incredible packaging, extras and in some cases sparkling new transfers of classic films. I will always make the case of physically owning a copy of a movie because it is permanently in your collection, it won’t be dropped or eventually removed from your shelf.
Being that it is 2019, I decided to list my favorite 19 releases of the year. So sit back relax and let’s watch some movies!
- Notorious (The Criterion Collection)
World War II has ended and after the conviction of her father for being a Nazi, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is asked by debonair spy Devlin (Cary Grant) to get close to another suspected Nazi Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains).
Alicia and Devlin soon fall for each other, but will Devlin’s mission get in the way of their happiness?
Notorious is the second film that Grant made with Alfred Hitchcock. The first being the thriller Suspicion. In Suspicion, Grant played a con-man who might be planning his wife’s murder. But at the end of the film the studio mandated that Cary Grant cannot be a killer so while the movie is good it lacks the punch of a satisfying conclusion.
In Notorious, Grant again pushes the audience’s expectations of him. He is mysterious and dangerous and loving all at the same time. Which makes it hard to trust him. Bergman however sells it. She is astonishing in this film. We love Devlin the way she does no matter how hard he makes it.
Notorious is a great film. Everyone is on the top of their game. Hitchcock is divine behind the camera. Giving the viewer enough intimacy before he pulls the rug out with possibly the most mundane object (in this instance a key) and adds a level of tension that I don’t believe any director can match. Rains is also great as a man who is sinister and constantly hounded by an overbearing mother, which of course Hitchcock would explore again in 1960’s Psycho.
Notorious makes its second appearance on blu-ray, this time with a sparkling new transfer by Criterion. I own both versions of the movie on blu-ray and I can say that Notorious on The Criterion Collection looks stunningly more beautiful. The black and white photography is never compressed on suffers any crushed blacks. The film is 74 years old but the painstaking process that The Criterion Collection (and Walt Disney Company according to the booklet that is included) went through to give this film a fresh look is second to none.
Notorious is no slouch when it comes to sound quality. Although the film is 74 years old, the soundtrack shows no signs of wear. I heard no pops, no scratching, nothing that would distract you from the crystal-clear dialogue and score.
This being a Criterion release, Notorious comes packed with outstanding features. There are several older features, from the Criterion release in 2001 is a commentary and also one from the 1990 laser disc(!) release of Notorious. Also included is a French documentary called “Once Upon a Time…Notorious” But that isn’t all as Criterion has included several great new documentaries. With the most fascinating one called “Powerful Patterns” where the ending of Notorious is discussed in great detail. All told the new documentaries total nearly 90 minutes. If that wasn’t enough there are 3 trailers included, and a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation that stars Ingrid Bergman.
Notorious makes an amazing blu-ray debut on Criterion. The movie is a classic, the new transfer is amazing and the bountiful extras make this a must own.
Film: A+
Video: A+
Audio: A+
Extras: A+
Overall: A+