20th Century Fox Movie   •••• Picture/Sound   •••½ Extras   •••

This underrated 1944 film by Alfred Hitchcock, based on a John Steinbeck tale about drifting survivors from a Nazi-torpedoed supply ship, has finally made it to DVD. Its outstanding, razor-sharp images have an amazing range of vivid monochrome tones; only occasional speckles mar the near-pristine picture. Remarkably clean, buoyant sound allows you to savor the script’s sardonic swipes and the many eerie effects of the sea. Critic Drew Casper contributes a commentary and appears in a 20-minute documentary revealing fascinating insights. And the director’s daughter Pat supplies some wonderful, often risqué anecdotes. [NR] English, Dolby Digital stereo and two-channel mono; full frame (1.33:1); dual layer.