Saboteur (1942)

Like their previous Blu-ray upgrades of "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Psycho", Universal finally gives "Saboteur" it's due with a near pristine picture for it's Blu-ray debut. I've owned every format of this Hitchcock film(VHS,DVD) and was stunned by the picture and sound. "Saboteur" has never looked better on Blu-ray and the restoration team at Universal deserves the highest praise for making this film finally look the way it should. Filmed in black and white, there is no print damage(vertical lines, dirt, white specs, etc.) compared to previous video versions with blacks, whites, and grays looking clear and sharp. You can make out the smallest details and the overall picture quality is well balanced throughout. The story is a familiar one for Hitchcock that he returned to time and again-that of a man wrong accused of a crime and the things he does to clear his name. The restorers at Universal have cleaned up the audio too and there is no more static or hiss that plagued previous versions. Credit once again should be given to the expert restoration team at Universal for their superb work. Besides the above mentioned Hitchcock titles that have been restored on Blu-ray, the team at Universal has recently given new life to such black and white classics as "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Cape Fear"(both from 1962) for new audiences to discover and enjoy. "Saboteur" is 109 minutes(Aspect ratio: 1.33) and contains the following subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, and French. Audio includes: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono and English Dolby Digital 2.0. Special features include "Saboteur: A Closer Look" which is carried over from the standard DVD. "Saboteur" has never gotten the respect it should from critics but hopefully this superb new Blu-ray presentation from Universal will get a second look from not only Hitchcock experts but fans as well. Watching it, you'll be rooting for Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane just like audiences did in 1942. I sure did.

The Hitchcock films are all favorites of mine. The way he filmed is simply awesome. People who feel it is dated..well..how can it not be in some ways. I love some of todays movies and am a big fan of computer generated graphics. They make incredible movies possible. But they become an addiction and some movies suffer from lack of audience connection and blurring of characters. Hitch put you in the shoes of the actors. Sure it is slow sometimes. But I recommend slowing things down once in a while! The Statue of Liberty scene is awesome and just imagine what it was like when it came out. It was a film like this that I believe laid the groundwork for a movie like "The Fugitive".

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It is 1942; we are in the height of war. Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) and his best buddy are putting out a mysterious fire. A stranger Frank Fry (Norman Lloyd) assists them. When it turns out to be sabotage, naturally the authorities have to accuse Barry. Barry's only chance of survival is to follow clues across the country to find Fry. On his travels he gets teemed up with Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane) who wants to do her patriotic duty and turn Barry in to the authorities. You can not tell the good guys from the bad guys until it is too late.

Can Barry convince Pat that he is innocent?

Can they ever find Fry?

Even if they do find Fry will the authorities ever believe that Barry is innocent?

Be prepared for a lot of long winded speeches from both sides they do not add or subtract form the story.

Shadow of a Doubt DVD ~ Teresa Wright

Read Best Reviews of Saboteur (1942) Here

First the good: It's a great looking Blu ray* transfer. More on that later. And it's Hitchcock, so we get some nice cinema work including fine black and white texture. Hitchcock also knows when he makes a clunker so remakes it. Still in his Hollywood infancy, he had much of cast and crew forced upon him. This 1942 innocent-man-accused movie is a precusor to the much better "North By Northwest."

The bad: The acting is pretty terrible although I'll make an exception for a dour Robert Cummings and Norman Lloyd. The movie is also pretty boring, not much tension here until the final act.

Now the ugly: The screenplay is terrible with even Dorothy Parker on the credits. Can we really believe the hate against the cops and the government in 1942? Can we really believe that even in those times we are so certain to open our hearts up to reported dangereous escaped criminals? Do we really need long sililoques about what's right with America, yada, yada, yada.

It is interesting to see Cummings in a dramatic role as he is best remembered for his TV shows, specifically "My Living Doll" and "The Bob Cummings Show" from the 50-s and 60's. Also Lloyd is probably best remembered for his great role in "St. Elsewhere" from the 80's. I have almost all of Hitchcock's films so fans will probably want to check this out. So do it on Blu ray. It looks magnificent.

The transfer comes in 1080p resolution and with an original 1.36:1 aspect ratio. The blacks, greys and whites are perfect. I could see no artifacts or other anomalies in this great restoration. Very nicely done. The audio is likewise excellent. The primary track is DTS-HD Master Audio mono. Even faint sounds are recaptured. Nothing to complain about. Extras include a 35 minute documentary with actor Norman Lloyd and Robert Boyle, the art director. There are also some sketches, storyboards, photos and a trailer. While this is not Hitchcock's greatest work, the Blu ray will make it look and sound as good as it ever did.

*Disc included in "Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection"

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