There is no denying that High Definition breathes new life into some of the greatest movies of all time. Thanks to all our advances in technology, remastered editions of classic movies are available to purchase or rent online and in stores. If you haven’t seen them before, there’s no better time than now due to superior picture quality and crisper sound quality, and if you’ve already seen them, now is the time to revisit them all over again.
Rear Window
Rear Window was released in 1954 and was directed by a British director, Alfred Hitchcock. The movie starred two of the first real celebrities of the time, James Stewart (known for his involvement in lots of Hitchcock’s movies) and Grace Kelly (an Academy Award-winning American actress).
The movie focuses on an apartment building from the perspective of a wheelchair-bound photographer. He watches as events ensure that lead him to believe a murder has been committed in the building. As the movie continues, we watch on as Jeff, Stewart’s character, gets closer and closer to the truth, before all is revealed in typical Hitchcock fashion at the end of the movie.
Rear Window is such a great watch because it is one of the pioneering movies of the thriller genre. It is a Hitchcock master-class and really was revolutionary for its time. It also includes one of the greatest opening scenes in movie history, so that only makes it worth checking out!
The main reason to purchase or rent Rear Window in High Definition is that it really helps to show off Hitchcock’s attention to detail and you may pick up on little clues and secrets that you didn’t see with the original quality.
Metropolis
This German movie, released in 1927, is seen as one of the first of the science-fiction genres. Directed by Frtiz Lang, the movie is based on a 1925 novel of the same name which was written by German novelist Thea von Harbou.
The plot focuses on a Romeo-and-Juliet-equal love between Freder, the son of the city of Metropolis’ ruler, and Maria, a poor working-class girl. The movie is one of the first feature-length productions in the sci-fi genre.
Metropolis is a great movie to rent or purchase because not only is it inspirational to a lot of later science-fiction movies but also holds its own today as an epic piece of German expressionist cinema.
The best reason for you to rent Metropolis in HD is because it gives you a chance to experience some of the revolutionary special effects of the time, in never before seen glory with high definition picture and sound.
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is the pride and joy of the late Orson Welles, Academy Award winning director and actor. To many, this pioneering mystery movie is considered to be amongst the best movies of all time. Although the movie wasn’t a commercial success at the time, failing to recoup its budget, it was a critical success, receiving plaudits for many years.
The movie focuses on the life of Charles Foster Kane, a wealthy newspaper publisher and the efforts of a reporter to uncover the secret of his death. Released in 1941 it is an impressive spectacle for its time, although many would argue it only receives generous comments due to its status in cinema history.
Citizen Kane is definitely worth renting because it is, after all, considered by many to be the greatest movie of all time. There’s only one way to see what the hype is about and that is by watching it on your classic movie night.
With Citizen Kane available in HD, there really hasn’t been a better time to check this classic out, with refined picture quality and higher quality sound than ever before.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Directed by Robert Mulligan and starring legendary actor Gregory Peck, this movie is based on the 1960 Harper Lee novel of the same name. The movie was released in 1962 and is often considered one of the most important coming-of-age movies of all time.
The film focuses on Gregory Peck’s character, Atticus Finch, and his two children, Jem and Scott. Finch is a lawyer, tasked with defending a man named Tom Robinson, who is a black man accused of raping a white woman. It also intertwines a subplot, involving the two children and a mysterious local boy named Boo Radley.
The reason you should be renting this movie out for your classic movie night is that its exploration of racial issues and diversity is important now more than ever and it certainly is a benchmark for exploring race in cinema.
HD remasters of this classic are a great way to relive the magic of the movie with crisper sound quality and vastly superior picture. It is still a black and white movie at the end of the day but it is the best it has ever been.
Psycho
Another Hitchcock entry on this list, Psycho is seen as one of the most influential horror movies of all time – inspiring scares for years to come. The movie was released in 1960 and stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles. Despite many sequels and even ‘Bates Motel’, a TV series based on the movie, the original still stands the test of time.
The movie focuses on Perkins’ character Norman Bates and Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane, with the latter a secretary who, after stealing money from her employer, goes on the run and arrives at the Bates Motel, a secluded motel in the middle of nowhere. Horror ensues as it is revealed that one-by-one, everyone who arrives at the motel is tormented by a female killer.
The best reason to rent Psycho sooner rather than later is to check out a movie which is considered to be one of the greatest, most influential horrors of all time. It included special effects that far exceeded the norm of its time and really is a demonstration of Hitchcock’s nickname, ‘The Master of Suspense’.
Watching Psycho in HD brings, even more, suspense and terror to the horror classic. The special effects can be seen in a new light and there’s no better way to listen to the iconic soundtrack than with crisp sound quality.
Conclusion
Overall, these are the five movies that I seriously suggest renting in high definition to watch on your classic movie night. Thanks to high definition, there are some vast improvements when compared to the originals and technology brings increases in both picture and sound quality. They each have something different to offer, from iconic horror to thrilling suspense, and are worth committing the time to, in order to experience the origins of modern cinema.
