6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A compulsive liar and thief, Marnie winds up impulsively marrying the very man she attempts to rob. When a terrible accident pushes her over the edge, her husband struggles to help her face her demons and her past.
Starring: Tippi Hedren, Martin Gabel, Sean Connery, Louise Latham, Diane BakerDrama | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 77% |
Thriller | 71% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: DTS Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A man confronts his accuser atop the Statue of Liberty, where one false move will spell death. A wolf in sheep's clothing allows the beast lurking within to bear its teeth. A housemaster slowly, oh so slowly, pieces together the heinous crime perpetrated by two former students. A woman searches for clues in a suspected murderer's apartment just as the man returns home. Four people work to keep the demise of a fellow smalltown resident a secret from a local deputy. An assassin's gun slides out from behind a curtain as an ordinary man races to thwart his plot. An airplane buzzes then roars past as a man dives for cover. The hiss of a shower masks the approach of a madman with a knife in his hand. Countless birds gather on a jungle gym as a woman smokes a cigarette nearby. A husband barges into his new wife's bedroom and has his way with her as she retreats into a near-catatonic state. A physicist discovers killing a man isn't as easy as it might seem, wrestling with his victim right up until the violent end. A purple dress billows out beneath a dying woman like spilled blood. A serial killer retrieves his pin from a woman's grasp, one dead finger at a time. A fake psychic tries to squirm out of a thief's vice-like grip as he pushes a syringe closer and closer. Be it drama, horror or comedy, psychological stunner, monster movie or international spy thriller, is it any mystery that filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was known as the Master of Suspense? Is it any wonder his movies still hold hypnotic sway over filmfans all these years later?
A thief and compulsive liar marries the very man she was attempting to rob...
Ooph. Where to start? Marnie's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation isn't uneven, it's unwieldy. Yes, some shots are terribly soft, but rightfully so, as most every instance is true to Hitchcock's intentions and Robert Burks' oft-diffuse photography. But softness isn't the issue here. Or rather issues. Unnatural grain, manic grain, erratic grain, faux grain, chunky grain, coarse grain, soupy grain... some scenes feature a variety of grains, some just one. And while the transfer certainly has its moments, the dubious, ever-shifting grain field -- which behaves like an entity unto itself -- spoils the entire presentation, and reeks of a poor remaster of a problematic, outdated master; nothing approaching a proper restoration. Then there are the color disparities (strong as the film's palette, primaries and black levels may be), the print and encoding blemishes, and the seemingly untouched shots that stick out like a sore thumb. (The final stretch of Marnie and Mark's visit with Bernice is a mess.) Detail is reasonably revealing, especially in select sequences, but beware: screenshots can be extremely deceiving in this case. In motion, Marnie's Blu-ray debut is one long string of distractions and disappointments.
Universal's two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is much, much better, if for no other reason than there really isn't much of anything to criticize. Dialogue is clean and clear, without the interference of a notable noise floor, muffled voices or poor prioritization. Effects are more atmospheric in nature but no less distinct, and Bernard Herrmann's score is bright and commanding, even though it's a bit overbearing on occasion. Above all, the track represents Marnie's original sound design well and doesn't fall prey to any major mishaps.
Of Hitchcock's final five movies, Marnie is the finest. A light switched off after The Birds, though; the last of the director's great films. Tippi Hedren is extraordinary but everything else suffers from diminishing returns, chief among them Connery, who brings very little to the screen other than quasi-Bond charm and a thinly veiled frigidity of his own. Universal's Blu-ray edition is even more uneven, no thanks to an erratic video presentation and a slim supplemental package. Marnie's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is solid, but doesn't salvage the rest of the disc. This is easily one of the more disappointing titles in the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection and the one most deserving (and arguably most in need) of a fresh restoration.
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