James Stewart · 1950s

6 James Stewart movies from the 1950s on 4K Blu-ray, ranked S to D by transfer quality. 6 S-Tier picks including Anatomy of a Murder, Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Decade

All 12 1930s 2 1940s 2 1950s 6 1960s 1 1970s 1

Year

All 6 1950 2 1951 0 1952 0 1953 0 1954 1 1955 0 1956 1 1957 0 1958 1 1959 1

Rear Window(1954)

8.3/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Reference quality transfer that people keep calling a system showcase. The courtyard detail jumps in 4K, and longtime fans say it feels like meeting old neighbors for the first time. Universal's Hitchcock 4K set is the way most people get it, and Gruv regularly discounts it to around $45 USD. Comments consistently call this one worth $50 USD on its own.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray

The Man Who Knew Too Much(1956)

7.4/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Part of the Hitchcock Classics Collection Volume 3, which Gruv has discounted as low as $18 USD with coupons. Collectors call this the weaker of Hitchcock's two versions of the story (the 1934 British original is preferred by purists) but the Doris Day performance and "Que Sera, Sera" sequence make it the more visually interesting disc.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray

Vertigo(1958)

8.1/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

VistaVision source material gives this a level of detail that pre-1960s films rarely reach on disc. Colors are incredible and the shoulder stitching on Kim Novak's wardrobe is visible in scenes where it used to be a smear. A standard pick in any top 3 reference disc conversation alongside Dune and Lawrence of Arabia.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray

Anatomy of a Murder(1959)

7.8/10

dir. Otto Preminger

S-Tier

S-Tier 4K. Otto Preminger's courtroom drama. The black-and-white photography with all those close-ups of faces gains resolution.

Sony Pictures · 4K Box Set (Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 2)

Harvey(1950)

7.7/10

dir. Henry Koster

S-Tier

S-Tier Universal 4K. Jimmy Stewart and a giant invisible rabbit. The transfer is warm and clean.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray

Winchester '73(1950)

7.3/10

dir. Anthony Mann

S-Tier

Lin McAdam rides into town on the trail of Dutch Henry Brown, only to find himself in a shooting competition against him. McAdam wins the prize, a one-in-a-thousand Winchester rifle, but Dutch steals it and leaves town. McAdam follows, intent on settling his old quarrel, while the rifle keeps changing hands and touching a number of lives.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray