American Cinematographer - October 2007 - (Page 12)

Hole recently made its much-anticipated debut as a two-disc special edition from The Criterion Collection. The high-definition picture transfer is generally excellent, offering great contrast and a solid, visible gray scale. With the exception of what appears to be a damaged shot in the source material (at the 42:22 mark), Lang’s stark images have been exceptionally well preserved for home screens. The audio is solid, with good monaural tonality when played through the center channel and a slight increase in surface noise when run through twochannel stereo. In addition to the feature presentation, disc one contains two of the package’s many supplements, the film’s original theatrical trailer and a dense audio commentary by scholar Neil Sinyard, who offers a close analysis of the film’s thematic elements. Disc two contains Annie Tresgot’s 58-minute documentary “Portrait of a 60% Perfect Man: Billy Wilder” (1980), which features interviews with the late director and some of his collaborators; a 24minute interview with Wilder conducted at the American Film Institute in 1986; a 14-minute interview with lead actor Douglas recorded in 1984; a 10-minute excerpt from a 1970 audio interview with co-screenwriter Newman; a small gallery of stills; and, finally, a slight but amusing anecdotal afterword by filmmaker Spike Lee. The supplements are impressive, but the DVD’s conceptual design and packaging are really outstanding. The package insert — a sharp, newspaperstyle pullout with essays by critic Molly Haskell and filmmaker Guy Maddin, chapter lists, and credits peppered with stills and fun advertisements that reference the film — is clever and unique. This terrific treatment of one of Wilder’s most cynical dramas will easily please longtime fans and is likely to win scores of new ones. This American classic is a welcome addition to any DVD library, and certainly a high note on this year’s release calendar. — Kenneth Sweeney To Catch a Thief (1955) Special Collector’s Edition 1.85:1 (16x9 Enhanced) Dolby Digital 2.0, Monaural Paramount Home Entertainment, $14.99 “It’s one of his rare films where so many of the popular themes from his other movies are all brought into one,” says Mary Stone, Alfred Hitchcock’s granddaughter, about the enduring appeal of his film To Catch a Thief. “You have Grace Kelly as the cool blonde; you have Cary Grant as the innocent man who is wronged; you have the conversations over food; you have the subtleties; you have the glamour; and you have the mother.” Indeed, many of Hitchcock’s most recognizable cinematic devices appear in this lush, romantic thriller, memorably set in the south of France. Once-notorious jewel thief John Robie (Cary Grant), a.k.a. The Cat, has retired and is living quietly in the hills above Cannes. After several wealthy matrons vacationing at nearby hotels wake to find their priceless jewels missing, Robie is immediately considered a suspect in the crimes, and reluctantly agrees to help the local authorities with their investigation; working undercover at the hotels, he socializes with other potential victims, intending to snare the sly thief who’s trying to frame him. When Robie pegs a garrulous American widow, Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis), as the thief‘s next victim, he is not quite ready to be pegged as The Cat by her beautiful daughter, Francine (Grace Kelly). Having studied Robie’s background, Francine knows who he is and believes he’s the current thief. She wants in on his game, hoping he’ll show her the tricks of his trade by making her a partner in crime. Robie does his best to convince her that he’s innocent, but he can’t resist the attention, and the two fall in love amid the raised eyebrows of the authorities and the wealthy jet set. When Hitchcock chose this project, he called upon many of his frequent collaborators, including Grant, Kelly, screenwriter John Michael Hayes, and cinematographer Robert Burks, ASC. Hitchcock first teamed with Burks on Strangers on a Train (1951), and the cinematographer shot 11 subsequent pictures for him. For To Catch a Thief, the filmmakers decided to use a new motion-picture process, VistaVision. The expensive, high-clarity process proved to be the perfect choice for photographing the French Riviera, where all exteriors were shot. Balancing the glowing light of the sunny locale on Edith Head’s stylish costumes and art directors Joseph MacMillan Johnson and Hal Pereira’s lavish sets allowed Burks to use one of his most accomplished and sophisticated color schemes. The softer hues of blue, yellow and coral pink are offset by the vivid natural color of the location. Burks’ work on the film deservedly won an Academy Award. To Catch a Thief was recently reissued by Paramount Home Entertainment in a special collector’s edition, and although the studio’s 2002 DVD of the film was strong, this edition is a more concentrated effort. The picture transfer has been upgraded significantly; the 2002 version was anamorphically enhanced with solid color, but this new transfer is superior, looking more “filmlike.” The image is smoother and free of some of the surface dirt that was visible on the 2002 pressing. This transfer also sports slightly better contrast and is even richer in color and detail. The 2002 DVD provided a good monaural mix that has been replicated on this release, and the studio has added the option of a Dolby 2.0 stereo mix, which gives the score and sound effects a richer tone without ever feeling artificial, like many such upgrades of monaural soundtracks do. ¢ 12 October 2007

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American Cinematographer - October 2007

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