The intention of the Criterion guys to release a Bluray of Alfred Hitchcock‘s Foreign Correspondent (’40) fills me with equal levels of excitement and anxiety. It’s always been a crisp and generally good-looking film, and I for one can’t wait to see it look just a little better than before with a nice Bluray “bump.” I’m terrified, of course, that Criterion’s version will be blanketed with grain, which these guys do every so often. I’m taking a deep breath and calmly asking them to please not do that — please. It’s always looked fine on cable and on DVD. A grainstorm treatment will do nothing but frustrate the fans. I’m “asking them nice,” as Jake La Motta would put it.
