Toby Atkin-Wright

I have a few Google Wave invitations, if anyone would like one.

I have a few Google Wave invitations, if anyone would like one.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/166270.html.

Last month I caught a few episodes of the Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes series on ITV3. I think the last time I read the original stories I was still at school. So I’ve spent the past fortnight reading the five books of Holmes short stories. And very good they were too. The plots and characters are so familiar, but I’d forgotten how enjoyable a read they are, and how much atmosphere they have.

Mind you, Doyle loses it with the final book, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. The plots go to pot, the atmosphere dissipates, several stories aren’t narrated by Watson (and suffer as a result), and there are more jokes. I think he must have been rather bored of writing them by the 1920s.

Last month I caught a few episodes of the Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes series on ITV3. I think the last time I read the original stories I was still at school. So I’ve spent the past fortnight reading the five books of Holmes short stories. And very good they were too. The plots and characters are so familiar, but I’d forgotten how enjoyable a read they are, and how much atmosphere they have.

Mind you, Doyle loses it with the final book, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. The plots go to pot, the atmosphere dissipates, several stories aren’t narrated by Watson (and suffer as a result), and there are more jokes. I think he must have been rather bored of writing them by the 1920s.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/166464.html.

I picked up the Blu-ray of North by Northwest earlier this week, and watched it with kateaw this evening. My second-favourite Hitchcock film, I have owned it on video tape, DVD, and now the high-definition glory of Blu-ray. And glorious it is. The film may be fifty years old, but it looks bright and fresh and alive. One of the great joys of Blu-ray is being able to watch older films presented in a quality that belies their age. The picture and sound are fantastic.

Even better are the performances. Hitchcock may be famous for his blondes, but as with many of his films, it is the precisely mannered performances of the male actors that I find most appealing. Cary Grant and James Mason are masterful in their roles, and the supporting Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau both shine. There is so much to like — the music, the opening titles, Cary Grant’s suit, the action sequences, the flirting on the train, the comedy, and the believability of the preposterous plot. I’ll look forward to watching this disc again and again. And again.

Now, when will Hitchcock’s Notorious be released on Blu-ray?

I picked up the Blu-ray of North by Northwest earlier this week, and watched it with kateaw this evening. My second-favourite Hitchcock film, I have owned it on video tape, DVD, and now the high-definition glory of Blu-ray. And glorious it is. The film may be fifty years old, but it looks bright and fresh and alive. One of the great joys of Blu-ray is being able to watch older films presented in a quality that belies their age. The picture and sound are fantastic.

Even better are the performances. Hitchcock may be famous for his blondes, but as with many of his films, it is the precisely mannered performances of the male actors that I find most appealing. Cary Grant and James Mason are masterful in their roles, and the supporting Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau both shine. There is so much to like — the music, the opening titles, Cary Grant’s suit, the action sequences, the flirting on the train, the comedy, and the believability of the preposterous plot. I’ll look forward to watching this disc again and again. And again.

Now, when will Hitchcock’s Notorious be released on Blu-ray?

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/166828.html.