Written by: Michael Den Boer on February 13th, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: London, July 31st, 1930
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Walter C. Mycroft, Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville
Cast: Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander, Esme Percy, Donald Calthrop
| DVD released: | 2005 | 2007 |
| Approximate running time: | 104m05s | 101m47s |
| Aspect Ratio: | 1.33:1 Full-Frame | 1.33:1 Full-Frame |
| Rating: | NR | NR |
| Sound: | Dolby Digital Mono English | Dolby Digital Mono English |
| DVD Release: | Brentwood | Loins Gates |
| Region Coding: | Region 0 NTSC | Region 1 NTSC |
| Retail Price: | $19.98 | $39.98 |
Brentwood’s Region 0 DVD
A woman named Diana Baring is wrongly accused of Murder when the police discover the body and weapon next to her. Diana’s only chance of saving her life and clearing her name is a juror named Sir John Menier who believes in her innocence. Can Sir John Menier be able to uncover who the real killer is and bring this evidence to light or will Diana be convicted and executed for a crime she has not committed?
Murder like many of Alfred Hitchcock’s earlier films have been released several times on shoddy budget label DVD’s which not only present a cropped image. They also lack detail and often look so soft they are almost out of focus. Brentwood’s release of Murder is just as bad as all the previous budget label DVD releases. Then we have Loins Gates DVD which is not only framed correctly, shadows and details look crisp and sharp through out. After years of watching Murder via crappy release Loins Gates finally gives this film the kind of release that has always eluded it.
Brentwood’s audio mix has noticeable hiss and other minor sound defects that appear through out the mix. Loins Gates audio mix is free of any unwanted sounds and sounds surprisingly lively for a film that is over seventy five years old.
Extras on the Brentwood release include an Alfred Hitchcock bio, Alfred Hitchcock filmography, trailers, poster gallery, a radio broadcast for “The 39steps” and a featurette titled “The Hitchcock Style”. The Brentwood release also comes with eight other films Champagne, Number Seventeen, 39 Steps, The Skin Game, Jamaica Inn, Easy Virtue, The Manxman and Farmer’s Wife. Extras on the Loins Gates release include a featurette titled “Pure Cinema: The Birth of the Hitchcock Style”. The Loins Gates release also comes with four other films The Ring, The Manxman, The Skin Game and Rich & Strange.
Overall the clear choice is obviously the Loins Gates release which trumps all previously released versions of Murder with its amazing restoration of the image and sound.