Does anyone know why this movie has 2.0 sound (from the new Universal box set) and other Hitchcock movies of the same vintage (Foreign Correspondent from the WB box set) have only 1.0 ? I have noticed this on other films of the same vintage, not just Hitchcock. My question really is: Why can they not all be 2.0?
shareI'm not 100 pecent sure but I think It has to do with the studio and how they decide release it on DVD. Universal probably decided when they released that particular box set that 2.0 was the standard they wanted. So when they brought the movie(s) to DVD, they had to take the original mono track and separate the channels with new technology, which of course, cost more to do. While Warner just decided to stay with the original mono for it's box set. It could have something to do with rights or licencing too. "Foreign Correspondant" was a Selznick release, Warner may have the rights to distribute on DVD, but they may not own the rights to the movie itself, but that's just a guess. I've noticed a lot of companies will release a basic, no frills movie on DVD only to re-release it a few years later in some sort of special edition with improved features, picture sound, etc.(i.e., "Lifeboat" is a prime example).
"Vertigo," (released by Universal) and "North By Northwest," (MGM) on the other hand both have 5.0, probably because they're two of his most popular movies.
Both channels of mono on Saboteur, and all the other Universal Hitchcock DVD's, have identical sound. The mono source was simply placed on two channels and not just one; it's not expensive or complicated at all. The exact same sound comes out of both L&R front speakers. The decision had nothing to do with rights or licensing issues.
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