By Lee Pfeiffer
One of the most eagerly-awaited DVD releases of the year, Warner Home Video's 50th anniversary Blu-ray edition of Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest lives us to the hype. This is the first Hitchcock film to get the Blu-ray treatment and the remastered transfer from the original MGM VistaVision print makes the characters virtually jump off the screen. The color quality is exceptional and, even if you've seen the film countless times, this will rejuvenate the experience. Hitchcock called the movie the epitome of his work in the American cinema, and for my money it's arguably his best thriller: a timeless, almost flawless masterpiece that finds the perfect balance between suspense and comedy. The film also demonstrates why Cary Grant's talents were always taken for granted: he made outstanding performances look too damned easy.