Classic old movie DVD's...worth watching?

[TABCON]

I'm an old movie fan, and some of my favorite movies are Hitchcock films staring none other than...Grace Kelly (no, not Gene). Are movies like Rear Window, To Catch a Theif, etc. worth watching now on a home theatre? Have any of the classics been re-worked to look better on the new home theatre equipment?

Tabcon

 

[tbewick]

I recently saw a remastered/restored version of 'Once Upon A Time In The West' by Sergio Leone, and it looked utterly superb. That's one of the great things about hi definition - a lot of the old classics have been remastered and look so good now. It matters particularly for a film like that, which uses the Cinemascope format so effectively and is so well shot. I don't know how many times I've plugged this site, but I'll do so again -

www.dvdscan.com

This site, which hasn't been updated for a while, is produced by people who work in the film/television production industry, and review the technical quality of released DVD's. Incidentally, the production unit of this website have done a Paramount/Sergio Leone DVD production themselves - 'My Name Is Nobody'. They reviewed a bunch Hitchcock's films a while ago.

 

[highfihoney]

when i watch the classics like "hard times" with charles bronson i try not to think about picture quality,it blows the experience for me but i do wish the studios would remaster more of the classics.

 

[westcott]

The new version of "Wizard of Oz" is incredible.
"The new version of "Gone with the Wind" is also impressive.

 

[Pyrrho]

I'm an old movie fan, and some of my favorite movies are Hitchcock films staring none other than...Grace Kelly (no, not Gene). Are movies like Rear Window, To Catch a Theif, etc. worth watching now on a home theatre? Have any of the classics been re-worked to look better on the new home theatre equipment?

Tabcon

Aside from the fact that many old movies have been lovingly transferred to DVD from film (35mm is much better than DVD quality, though some old film stock has not been satisfactorily stored), what films do you know of made recently that are as good as great Hitchcock films? I would rather watch a poorly mastered DVD, made from a badly scratched film copy of Rear Window than a state of the art transfer of most of the dreck made recently (though there are some good recent films, most are dreadful). In Hitchcock's case, there are some well mastered DVDs of many of his films.

 

[The Chukker]

I'm an old movie fan, and some of my favorite movies are Hitchcock films staring none other than...Grace Kelly (no, not Gene). Are movies like Rear Window, To Catch a Theif, etc. worth watching now on a home theatre? Have any of the classics been re-worked to look better on the new home theatre equipment?

Tabcon

First off, great thread. The 2001 Collector's Edition of "Rear Window" is a lovingly and painstakingly restored version of the film. Grace Kelly is the most beautiful woman to ever have walked the earth and she never looked better than she did in this film. I also own "To Catch a Thief" but its transfer from film is less than perfect -- great film though. I believe that "Vertigo" (my all time fave Hitchcock film) was also lovingly restored but it somehow has not made it into my collection yet (I should go get it tomorrow). The transfer of "Casablanca" is pretty darn good too, especially considering when it was filmed -- holy crap it gives me the shivers how damn good that film is (in black and white!) especially in light of overhyped ballyhooed bs that passes for movies these days.

 

[Johnd]

I'm an old movie fan, and some of my favorite movies are Hitchcock films staring none other than...Grace Kelly (no, not Gene). Are movies like Rear Window, To Catch a Theif, etc. worth watching now on a home theatre? Have any of the classics been re-worked to look better on the new home theatre equipment?

Tabcon

Yes. I own both Rear Window and To Catch A Thief (and North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, etc.), and they are definitely worth watching now on home theater. I have an 80" screen, and I feel I am in J.B. Jeffries room for the entire length of the movie. Do not expect to be enveloped in surround sound as one is in Star Wars or Gladiator, as most of the re-released Hitchcock films are in mono (yes, I know they say Dolby Digital, but my 5803 has yet to envelope me in any format (Dolby, THX Ultra, DTS, PL11X, etc.)...they simply did not exspend much time or energy on re-channelling the sound into multiple channels. But the audio is still very good, and the visual is impeccable, especially for 50 year old movies! I would not hesitate to rent (or purchase for your library) any Hitchcock film. IMHO, Grace Kelly has never looked better!