Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho 50th AE Coming To Blu-Ray!!!!!!!

[Mickeyfan1990]

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is coming to Blu-Ray as a 50th AE! Blu-Ray has the report!:

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=4590

"Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho for release on Blu-ray on October 19, in a "meticulously restored" 50th Anniversary Edition, with a new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack (the original mono audio track will be included as well). It will be presented in a single-sided BD50. Psycho will also be honored during its landmark anniversary by the upcoming 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Special features include:
-Feature-length audio commentary with Stephen Rebello (Author of Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho)
-The Making of Psycho: A feature-length documentary on Hitchcock's most shocking film
-In the Master's Shadow – Hitchcock's Legacy: Some of Hollywood's top filmmakers discuss Hitchcock's influence and why his movies continue to thrill audiences.
-Hitchcock/Truffaut Interviews: Excerpts from a 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock.
-Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho: Vintage newsreel on the unique policy Alfred Hitchcock insisted upon for the release of the film.
-The Shower Scene: A look at the impact of music on the infamous "shower scene."
-The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass: Original storyboard design.
-Production Notes: Read an essay on the making of the film.
-The Psycho Archives: See the gallery of on-set photo stills from the film's production.
-Posters and Psycho Ads: See a gallery of original posters and ads from the theatrical campaign.
-Lobby Cards: View a gallery of promotional lobby cards from the film's theatrical campaign.
-Behind-The-Scenes Photographs: View rare photos showing the cast and crew at work.
-Psycho Sound: A never-before-seen piece that looks at the re-mastering process required to create a 5.1 mix from the original mono elements using Audionamix technology.
-Theatrical Trailer: Watch the original promotional trailer from the film's theatrical campaign.
-Re-Release Trailers: Watch the promotional trailer created for the re-release of the film.

The sound remastering process was started by Universal's in-house post production sound facility started the re-mastering process with the film's previously preserved and restored soundtrack to create a new 5.1 mix. BluWave then contracted Audionamix, a Paris-based audio technology company, to split the original mono music source into quasi-orchestral tracks. Audionamix, a leader in soundtrack separation, then applied their breakthrough proprietary technology enabling BluWave to create a discrete 5.1 split music mix. BluWave's creative talent gathered the original sound effects from the Studios' extensive effects library and, using these source materials, created a 5.1 up-mix to bring Psycho's soundtrack up to the expectations of contemporary audiences while maintaining the original integrity of the filmmaker's vision.

The mono audio track will also be available for viewers who want to experience the film in its original form."


Now that's what I'm talking about!

[jpanimation]

I think I'm going to wait for the reviews before I pounce on this one. Universal's catalog titles have been a big mess lately (as far as PQ is concerned) and Robert Harris advises against pre-ordering any of their catalog titles until they get their act together.

I also heard there is a debate as to how this film should be presented. It was originally filmed in open matte 1.33:1. The 35 mm prints were released with the open matte format and were cropped on screen in the cinemas, most cinemas opting for the standard 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is said the cans were marked 1.75:1 as the preferred aspect ratio. The DVD was matted to 1.85:1, while the recent HDNet Movies presentation was 1.75:1. I'm hoping they'll give us the compromise television standard aspect ratio of 1.78:1, so it will fill up our widescreen TVs while delivering the presentation Hitch wanted.

When looking at the comparisons, the DVD aspect ratio looks cramped and claustrophobic. Here's hoping they give this the proper aspect ratio, a brand new restoration on the same level of North by Northwest's, and here's hoping they add Bernard Herrmann's isolated score as a feature (I loved it on the Blu-rays for both North by Northwest and The Day the Eath Stood Still, as his score's never sounded so robust).

[PixarFan2006]

I agree with jpanimation. I will wait until I hear some good reviews about the picture quality (If it's in it's proper ratio, etc) before I buy it.

This is good news though.

[jpanimation]

More discussion on the intended aspect ratio for Psycho:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/06/ ... orge_1.php

Hitch filmed it in 1:37:1 with television in mind, used his television crew to shoot the whole movie, and it's obvious by example that it was definitely framed in the 1:37:1 (it looks better, less heads cut off, and breaths more). While many films of this time were filmed open matte, those filmmakers intended it to be viewed in theatrical 1:85:1, while I think Hitch intentionally filmed it in 1:37:1 (with the theatrical showings being an after thought). He really didn't believe this movie was even good enough for theaters at first and using his television crew, I can see why it was framed that way.

With that in mind, we have some evidence as to how Hitch wanted it cropped for theaters. It it has been mentioned that the paperwork from the processing lab specifies 1.85:1. The 1.85:1 hard mattes used in the shower scene are also presented as evidence. Then there is Gus Van Sant, who claims that the original cans were labelled 1.75:1. People who have seen it in the European aspect ratio of 1:66:1 claim that it feels just right (which it's possible that Hitch would film it with his home country's theatrical aspect ratio in mind).

If anything, like I said before, the 1:78:1 compromise aspect ration that I saw during the HD broadcast on HDNet would be great (1:66:1 even better). I just feel the current aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is too claustrophobic and crops off too much (I doubt it was intentional cropping by Hitch).

[KubrickFan]

More discussion on the intended aspect ratio for Psycho:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/06/ ... orge_1.php

Hitch filmed it in 1:37:1 with television in mind, used his television crew to shoot the whole movie, and it's obvious by example that it was definitely framed in the 1:37:1 (it looks better, less heads cut off, and breaths more). While many films of this time were filmed open matte, those filmmakers intended it to be viewed in theatrical 1:85:1, while I think Hitch intentionally filmed it in 1:37:1 (with the theatrical showings being an after thought). He really didn't believe this movie was even good enough for theaters at first and using his television crew, I can see why it was framed that way.

With that in mind, we have some evidence as to how Hitch wanted it cropped for theaters. It it has been mentioned that the paperwork from the processing lab specifies 1.85:1. The 1.85:1 hard mattes used in the shower scene are also presented as evidence. Then there is Gus Van Sant, who claims that the original cans were labelled 1.75:1. People who have seen it in the European aspect ratio of 1:66:1 claim that it feels just right (which it's possible that Hitch would film it with his home country's theatrical aspect ratio in mind).

If anything, like I said before, the 1:78:1 compromise aspect ration that I saw during the HD broadcast on HDNet would be great (1:66:1 even better). I just feel the current aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is too claustrophobic and crops off too much (I doubt it was intentional cropping by Hitch).

The difference between 1.78:1 and 1.85:1 isn't that much, so I don't think it would matter. I do believe it's supposed to be in 1.85:1. Looks far better than the fullscreen version.

[jpanimation]

I just picked this up for $10. Definitely get it if you haven't already. The PQ upgrade over DVD is far greater then I ever could have imagined. I couldn't believe the level of detail and sharpness of the image, truly remarkable. My only complaint was the scratches, dust/dirt and other debris on the print, which seemed to be on almost every frame. With an image looking THIS good, the CONSISTENT artifacts were all the more noticeable. It's just not the pristine transfer that I'm used to from Warner (see North by Northwest) but considering how often Universal releases catalogs, it's probably the best we'll get for a long time; so I recommend it whole heartedly.

[PeterPanfan]

Where did you get it for $10?

[PeterPanfan]

Where did you get it for $10?

[jpanimation]

Sorry I took so long to get back to you but I got it at Borders. They sent all members a 50% off coupon and I combined that with another discount I had. The total was around $10.

Anyways, I thought of more things that bothered me about this set. The image galleries still aren't HD galleries but SD movies ported over from the laserdisc. If they ever re-release this set, hopefully along with a cleaner image, we will get an actual gallery (you know, with selectable HD images). Also, I wanted Bernard Herrmann's score separately, like on The Day the Earth Stood Still and North by Northwest Blu-Rays (although, I already have the soundtracks but they are only Joel McNeely's re-recordings). Finally, they're using some weird stock music on the Blu-Ray menu, instead of music from the film (this really bothers me for some reason). I also don't like the generic menu Universal uses on on their Blus. The futuristic look and laser gun sound effects just doesn't work on a Blu-Ray for Psycho. I'm not asking for much but those are things that could easily be corrected if they ever re-released this movie.

Anyways, this is probably the best we will get for years, so pick it up when you can (providing it's at a decent price).