THE MOVIE

Espionage, Intrigue and Hitchcock sound like a great recipe for success, but in the case of his 1969 film Topaz this was not true. Topaz is based on Leon Uris’ spy novel of the same name. Clocking in at 142 minutes in length, this film gets tedious at times but still manages to maintain some interest with the fascinating filming techniques used. Hitchcock had great difficulty making the film, and in this DVD release we see additional footage that was not present in its theatrical release.

The plot is complex but involves French spy Andre Devereaux (Fredrick Stafford) working with CIA agent Michael Nordstrom (John Forsythe). Devereaux is sent to investigate charges made by a KGB defector regarding Cuban missile plans. The story follows him as he infiltrates Cuba and then has to make his way out with the information he has gathered.

There are some fantastic scenes through the film with great use of angles and sound to complement the onscreen action, but it doesn’t all come together in the end.

The ending that Hitchcock preferred along with other addition extended scenes and endings can be seen in the extra features. The unfortunate thing is that none of the endings are all that good.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

Topaz is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is a pan and scan version of the original 1.85:1 widescreen presentation.

The transfer quality is very similar to other recently released Hitchcock films. Film artifacting in the form of grain is a constant throughout, although it is not a distracting problem, and can be expected from films of this age. The opening credits had me initially worried about the transfer, with the use of stock footage of Russia that was not in very good condition, but once the movie really began the video improved.

Despite it’s age the transfer is very good, the shadow detail is excellent with blacks quite deep and presented with good contrast. Flesh tones appear natural with very rich and solid colours throughout the transfer. Very occasionally colours appear slightly subdued, this occurs mainly in special effects shots in moving vehicles, but these shots are really the exception.

Audio:

The DVD contains a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio track so there is no use of surround speakers. As can be expected the audio suffers from being a mono transfer with little atmosphere being created by Maurice Jarre’s score due to this.

Although dialog is always clear and understandable, there is some noticeable audio distortion during some of the quieter scenes. The dynamic range of this transfer is not very large, with bass virtually non existent.

THE EXTRAS

Topaz: An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin
Just under thirty minutes in length, this documentary features Leonard Maltin discussing the problems Hitchcock had with the creation of Topaz. The most interesting part is a look at deleted scenes that are now present on this DVD and alternate endings, the original theatrical ending and one that was used originally in test screenings but was changed due to the public response to it. The discussion of the test screening process included in the documentary is very interesting.

Alternate Endings
This consists of the two alternate endings which are explained and shown in the documentary, but without any explanation about them.

Theatrical Trailer
The generic trailer that has not been restored and is presented in a full-frame aspect ratio.

Storyboards
A number of storyboards and their respective stills from the movie are shown.

Production Photographs
A collection of production stills and poster art from the film.

SUMMARY

Not one of Hitchcock’s best, Topaz still has some moments of brilliance. Region 1 received the original aspect ratio and an anamorphic transfer for this film but we only receive the pan and scan version which is very disappointing. The Leonard Maltin documentary is a nice change from some of the other featurettes found on other discs in the Hitchcock Collection, and provides some interesting insights into the making of the film.