The Alfred Hitchcock Collection

Starring:Alfred Hitchcock
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)

Average customer rating:

Poor packaging.
A REALLY NICE COLLECTION - A GREAT GIFT
Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection
Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Movie Collection DVD set
Multible Thrillers

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
Lifeboat (Special Edition)
To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)
Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)

ASIN: B000A1INJE
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Product Description

14 of the finest works from the universally acclaimed Master of Suspense come together for the first time in one collection. These captivating landmark films boast three decades of Hollywood legends, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery and Doris Day. The premium packaging and collectible book make Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection the must-own, definitive anthology of gripping works by a true genius.

System Requirements:

Running Time 1630 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Masterpiece indeed. With 14 films, each supplemented with numerous documentaries, commentaries, and other bonus materials, Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection will be the cornerstone for any serious DVD library. Packaged in a beautiful, conversation-starting velvet box, the individual discs inside come four to a case, decorated with original poster art.

No doubt opinionated fans will argue about what should fall under the rubric of "masterpiece" in Hitchcock's body of work, but with the bona fide classics Vertigo, Psycho, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, there's plenty of timeless movie magic here. Eye-popping transfers and gorgeous sound make this set one of the must-have releases of the year.

Should the Hitchcock fan have the energy for more after imbibing on the movies themselves, a bonus disc provides additional documentaries. These include a revealing interview in which the master of suspense discusses, among other things, how much he dislikes working with method actors, going so far as to name names (we're talking about you, Jimmy Stewart and Montgomery Clift). In an American Film Institute lifetime achievement ceremony, the master of suspense is praised by the likes of Stewart and Ingrid Bergman, and seems to be suffering from severe boredom as celebrities pile on the flattery. Then Hitchcock opens his mouth to accept the award, delivering an endlessly witty stream of perfect bon mots that prove once again that he was a master of high comedy as well. Revealing documentaries about the making of Psycho and The Birds round out the feast of extras. The 36-page booklet, filled mostly with stills and poster art, provides little new information about the films.--Ryan Boudinot

Films Included in Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection

Saboteur
Robert Cummings stars as Barry Kane, a patriotic munitions worker who is falsely accused of sabotage, in this wartime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Plastered across the front page of every newspaper and hated by the nation, Kane's only hope of clearing his name is to find the real villain. The script as a whole is a clever one--Algonquin wit Dorothy Parker shares a screenwriting credit, and her trademark zingers make for a terrific mix of humor and suspense. Saboteur is a pleasure whether you're a die-hard Hitchcock fan or just someone who likes a good nail-biter. --Ali Davis

Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock considered this 1943 thriller to be his personal favorite among his own films, and although it's not as popular as some of Hitchcock's later work, it's certainly worthy of the master's admiration. Scripted by playwright Thornton Wilder and inspired by the actual case of a 1920's serial killer known as "The Merry Widow Murderer," the movie sets a tone of menace and fear by introducing a psychotic killer into the small-town comforts of Santa Rosa, California. Through narrow escapes and a climactic scene aboard a speeding train, this witty thriller strips away the façade of small-town tranquility to reveal evil where it's least expected. And, of course, it's all done in pure Hitchcockian style. --Jeff Shannon

Rope
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller, Rope is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise. They hide the body in their large apartment, then throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered? Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the possibilities of the long-take style, decided to shoot this story as though it were happening in one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock had to be creative when it came time to change reels, disguising the switches as the camera passed behind someone's back or moved behind a lamp. James Stewart, as a suspicious professor, marks his first starring role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would lead to the masterpieces Rear Window and Vertigo. --Robert Horton

Rear Window
Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. At deeper levels, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. --Sam Sutherland

The Trouble with Harry
A busman's holiday for Alfred Hitchcock, this 1955 black comedy concerns a pesky corpse that becomes a problem for a quiet, Vermont neighborhood. Shirley MacLaine makes her film debut as one of several characters who keep burying the body and finding it unburied again. Hitchcock clearly enjoys conjuring the autumnal look and feel of the story, and he establishes an important, first-time alliance with composer Bernard Herrmann, whose music proved vital to the director's next half-dozen or so films. But for now, The Trouble with Harry is a lark, the mischievous side of Hitchcock given free reign. --Tom Keogh

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot. When their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet, they are caught between concern for him and the terrible secret they hold. When asked about the difference between this version of the story and the one he made 22 years earlier, Hitchcock always said the first was the work of a talented amateur while the second was the act of a seasoned professional. Indeed, several extraordinary moments in this update represent consummate filmmaking, particularly a relentlessly exciting Albert Hall scene, with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream. The Man Who Knew Too Muchis the work of a master in his prime. --Tom Keogh

Vertigo
Although it wasn't a box-office success when originally released in 1958, Vertigo has since taken its deserved place as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, most spellbinding, most deeply personal achievement. James Stewart plays a retired police detective who is hired by an old friend to follow his wife (a superb Kim Novak, in what becomes a double role), whom he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a dead madwoman. Shot around San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are significant locations) and elsewhere in Northern California (the redwoods, Mission San Juan Batista) in rapturous Technicolor, Vertigo is as lovely as it is haunting. --Jim Emerson

Psycho
For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. --Jim Emerson

The Birds
Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

Marnie
Sean Connery, fresh from the second Bond picture, From Russia with Love, is a Philadelphia playboy who begins to fall for Tippi Hedren's blonde ice goddess only when he realizes that she's a professional thief; she's come to work in his upper-crust insurance office in order to embezzle mass quantities. His patient program of investigation and surveillance has a creepy, voyeuristic quality that's pure Hitchcock, but all's lost when it emerges that the root of Marnie's problem is phobic sexual frigidity, induced by a childhood trauma. Luckily, Sean is up to the challenge. As it were. Not even D.H. Lawrence believed as fervently as Hitchcock in the curative properties of sexual release. --David Chute

Torn Curtain
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in what must unfortunately be called one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Still, sub-par Hitchcock is better than a lot of what's out there, and this one is well worth a look. Newman plays cold war physicist Michael Armstrong, while Andrews plays his lovely assistant-and-fiancée, Sarah Sherman. Armstrong has been working on a missile defense system that will "make nuclear defense obsolete," and naturally both sides are very interested. All Sarah cares about is the fact that Michael has been acting awfully fishy lately. The suspense of Torn Curtain is by nature not as thrilling as that in the average Hitchcock film--much of it involves sitting still and wondering if the bad guys are getting closer. Still, Hitchcock manages to amuse himself: there is some beautifully clever camera work and an excruciating sequence that illustrates the frequent Hitchcock point that death is not a tidy business. --Ali Davis

Topaz
Alfred Hitchcock hadn't made a spy thriller since the 1930s, so his 1969 adaptation of Leon Uris's bestseller seemed like a curious choice for the director. But Hitchcock makes Uris's story of the West's investigation into the Soviet Union's dealings with Cuba his own. Frederick Stafford plays a French intelligence agent who works with his American counterpart (John Forsythe) to break up a Soviet spy ring. The film is a bit flat dramatically and visually, and there are sequences that seem to occupy Hitchcock's attention more than others. A minor work all around, with at least two alternative endings shot by Hitchcock. --Tom Keogh

Frenzy
Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film, written by Anthony Shaffer (who also wrote Sleuth), this delightfully grisly little tale features an all-British cast minus star wattage, which may have accounted for its relatively slim showing in the States. Jon Finch plays a down-on-his-luck Londoner who is offered some help by an old pal (Barry Foster). In fact, Foster is a serial killer the police have been chasing--and he's framing Finch. Which leads to a classic Hitchcock situation: a guiltless man is forced to prove his innocence while eluding Scotland Yard at the same time. Spiked with Hitchcock's trademark dark humor, Frenzy also features a very funny subplot about the Scotland Yard investigator (Alec McCowen) in charge of the case, who must endure meals by a wife (Vivien Merchant) who is taking a gourmet-cooking class. --Marshall Fine

Family Plot
Alfred Hitchcock's final film is understated comic fun that mixes suspense with deft humor, thanks to a solid cast. The plot centers on the kidnapping of an heir and a diamond theft by a pair of bad guys led by Karen Black and William Devane. The cops seem befuddled, but that doesn't stop a questionable psychic (Barbara Harris) and her not overly bright boyfriend (Bruce Dern, in a rare good-guy role) from picking up the trail and actually solving the crime. Did she do it with actual psychic powers? That's part of the fun of Harris's enjoyably ditsy performance. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Poor packaging........2007-06-01

This is a great set minus the annoying packaging. As someone mentioned earlier the DVD cases are fitted to go in a certain order and if they don't go in in that order then they get stuck and the edges of the DVD cases get frayed. The corners of the cases get frayed anyway because the cases are a paper and cardboard-based binding with the plastic DVD holders glued on to them. So I put them in spine first now. Open and close them enough times and you get those white, worn edges on the spine. Another problem with the cases is that the plastic glued on part that hold the DVDs in place are notorious for getting de-glued. Yet another thing. . .one disc is now not holding in the case properly. How could I remedy this problem? Buy an entire new set??? The door on the velvet box doesn't snap shut in anyway so if you hold the wrong side down. . .the DVDs will fall out. So watch out. The velvet box looks and feels nice but it collects dust very easily and is not easily cleanable. I tried to brush off some of the dust and the silvery logos and such began to flake off.

A REALLY NICE COLLECTION - A GREAT GIFT.......2007-05-23

Not only does this collection have some of Hitchcock's best movies, it also comes in a REALLY nice felt box and nice DVD cases. Makes an excellent gift.

Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection.......2007-05-08

This is an excellent collection. It doesn't have all of Hitchcock's greats, it's missing Strangers on a Train, Notorious and Rebecca, but its hands down the best collection assembled of his movies from the 40's and on. There are some great extras as well. I highly recommend this collection.

Alfred Hitchcock - Masterpiece Movie Collection DVD set.......2007-04-12

A Must have for all hard-core Alfred Hitchcock movie fans

Multible Thrillers.......2007-04-12

I received this DVD in the time promised. It came in good condition. How can you go wrong purchasing Alfred Hitchcock collections! One of the greatest,writers,director, and producer of all times. This was a birthday gift, and my son was "THRILLED" to receive it. Thanks

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)

Average customer rating:

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Movie Collection DVD set
Wonderful Collection
a must for a fan
Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection
Alfred Hitchcock

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Signature Collections | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Lifeboat (Special Edition)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 1 (The Asphalt Jungle / Gun Crazy / Murder My Sweet / Out of the Past / The Set-Up)

ASIN: B0002HOES0
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Description

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection contains the DVD debut of 8 Hitchcock classics including "Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Special Edition," and the following 7 new single-disc DVDs: "Dial M For Murder," "Foreign Correspondent" "Suspicion," "The Wrong Man," "Stage Fright," "I Confess" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The previously released "North by Northwest" is also included in the 10-disc Signature Collection. Each of the 9 films in the collection shows why Hitchcock is regarded as one of Hollywood's most esteemed and important directors, and also brings legendary stars to the digital front including Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Montgomery Clift and many others.

Strangers on a Train - En route from Washington, D.C., champion tennis player Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets pushy playboy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker). What begins as a chance encounter turns into a series of morbid confrontations, as Bruno manipulates his way into Guy's life. Bruno is eager to kill his father and knows Guy wants to marry a senator's daughter (Ruth Roman) but can't get a divorce from his wife. So Bruno suggests the men swap murders, which would leave no traceable clues or possible motives. Though Guy refuses, it won't be easy to rid himself of the psychopathic Bruno. Hitchcock's daughter Patricia appears in this film. The extra features included on the DVD are: Alternate 'preview' version of the film; Commentary by director Peter Bogdanovich, Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stephano, Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith and biographer Andrew Wilson; New making-of documentary Strangers on a Train: A Hitchcock Classic, with Farley Granger, film historian Richard Schickel, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell and other Hitchcock family members and colleagues recalling the making of this suspense landmark; Three intriguing featurettes: The Hitchcocks on Hitch, Strangers on a Train: The Victim's P.O.V., Strangers on a Train by M. Night Shyamalan; Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting, a vintage newsreel.

Each DVD will be presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and will include the original theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Customer Reviews:

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Movie Collection DVD set.......2007-04-12

A Must have for all hard-core Alfred Hitchcock movie fans

Wonderful Collection.......2007-04-06

This collection is absolutely fabulous. All the movies are remastered and are excellent quality especially on a big screen. Just as I remembered them. Too cool...

a must for a fan.......2007-03-08

As a long time fan of Hitchcock, I am always looking for more. I have approx. 20 of his films on DVD. This collection has some that I had never seen before. In addition, the "making of" special features are great for someone who wants to know what made Hitch so unique as a film director. I have (and will) spend many hours viewing these discs.

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection.......2007-01-29

If you an Alfred Hitchock movie fan, you need to get this box set. There are some movies, I haven't seen before, but I did enjoy them.

Alfred Hitchcock.......2007-01-16

This was a gift to my son, he was thoroughly excited about it, he said he loved it.

Average customer rating:

Contents of Ultimate Hitchcock Collection (18 films, 2 TV shows on 6 DVDs)
Minimal information provided.....

Ultimate Hitchcock Collection (6pc)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: St Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Alfred Hitchcock Box Set (The Ring / The Manxman / Murder! / The Skin Game / Rich and Strange)
Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Two

ASIN: B000M5KA44
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Customer Reviews:

Contents of Ultimate Hitchcock Collection (18 films, 2 TV shows on 6 DVDs).......2007-04-07

Ultimate Hitchcock Collection (18 films, 2 TV shows on 6 DVDs)
SOURCE: St. Clair Entertainment Vision; UPC 777966861494; DVD Release 02/27/2007
Contains:
Disk #1: Jamaica Inn/Young and Innocent/The Skin Game/Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (TV)
Disk #2: The Manxman/Juno and the Paycock/Champagne/Hitchcock Presents: The Cheney Vase (TV)
Disk #3: The Farmer's Wife/Easy Virtue/The Ring
Disk #4: Blackmail/The Lady Vanishes/Rich and Strange
Disk #5: Sabotage/Secret Agent/The 39 Steps
Disk #6: Number 17/The Man Who Knew Too Much/The Lodger
NOTE:
Disks 1-3 previously issued 9/2006 by St. Clair as Hitchcock favorites, UPC 777966873695
Disks 4-6 previously issued 1/2005 by St. Clair as The Hitchcock collection, UPC 777966883793
These two earlier sets are available separately from Amazon for about $10 each.

All three sets are unremastered reissues (in 5.1 sound) from public domain (PD) films. Considering the low price for 18 films from Hitchcock's British period (1922-39), the fact that some of the early films are of less than maximal interest to the casual Hitchcock fan, who prefers his 50s and 60s movies, and the fact that this set has some interesting extra features, this is good value for the money. Quality is variable, however, as with all PD issues. The two most watchable films (39 Steps, Lady Vanishes) are available from Criterion at considerable expense.

20 June 2007 update (original review 6 Apr.): The 6 DVDs are included in 6 DVD slim cases, each of which has on the back side brief information on the films. The slim cases are housed in a lightweight cardboard slipcase. DVD cases and slipcase are white, making Hitchcock look like a kindly old uncle. Black suits him better. However, this St. Clair edition is very nicely done.

Incidentally, St. Clair recently reissued some of its other material in similar (white, slim cases, etc.) appearing sets: sets on film noir, westerns, WWII, romance, silent greats, horror, etc.

Minimal information provided............2007-02-25

Does anyone know what films will be included on this collection? Otherwise, sort of shooting in the dark to purchase. Obviously, ignore the rating....I am hopeful it may turn out to be 4 stars.

The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection

Average customer rating:

There's just one Hitch...
Very poor quality
The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Mastered from VHS
Essential collection of early Hitchcock films

The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Manufacturer: Brentwood Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Under Capricorn
The Hitchcock Collection

ASIN: B0009WPLVM
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Customer Reviews:

There's just one Hitch..........2007-06-03

It's always enlightening to see how a superb director's career began, and with THE ESSENTIAL ALFRED HITCHCOCK COLLECTION we get just that opportunity. Included here is one of Hitchcock's most famous pre-Hollywood films, and some much earlier work, as well. This DVD set is really a 10 pack-- besides nine theatrical releases it includes a one-hour TV documentary/interview with the master of suspense himself. THE ESSENTIAL ALFRED HITCHCOCK COLLECTION is potentially for completists only, also for silent movie fans.

Of similar interest is ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE EARLY YEARS.
It's a deluxe 12 CD set that offers a half-dozen of these movies plus nine others.

.
The following alphabetized program list includes viewer poll ratings for each film (based on a 1 to 10 scale), plus years of release and principal actors.

(6.1) Champagne (UK-silent-1928) - Betty Balfour/Gordon Harker/Jean Bradin
(5.8) Easy Virtue (UK-silent-1928) - Isabel Jeans/Franklin Dyall/Ian Hunter
(6.3) The Farmer's Wife (UK-silent-1928) - Jameson Thomas/Lillian Hall-Davis/Gordon Harker
(6.2) Jamaica Inn (UK-1939) - Charles Laughton/Maureen O'Hara/Robert Newton
(6.2) The Manxman (UK-silent-1929) - Carl Brisson/Malcolm Keen/Anny Ondra
(6.4) Murder! (UK-1930) - Herbert Marshall/Norah Baring/Edward Chapman
(5.9) Number Seventeen (UK-1932) - Leon M. Lion/Anne Grey/John Stuart
(5.7) The Skin Game (UK-1931) - C.V. France/Helen Haye/Edmund Gwenn
(8.0) The 39 Steps (UK-1935) - Robert Donat/Madeleine Carroll/Godfrey Tearle

PLUS--
(???) Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (TV doc.-1973) (a career retrospective with comments from Hitchcock)

Very poor quality.......2007-03-10

The transfers on this set are very poor. I only bought it because this is the only set that includes Champagne (one of Hitch's minor works). If you are looking for a early Hitch set, consider the much better Laserlight set.

The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection.......2007-01-23

The movies on this DVD are all silent!! I bought these as a gift for someone who had never seen a Hitchcock film. I never thought that they would all be "Silent" and in Black and white!

Mastered from VHS.......2006-12-15

Just watched the transfer of CHAMPAGNE contained in this set. Unbelievably, it's been mastered from a VHS tape! A heavily scratched VHS tape!!

Essential collection of early Hitchcock films.......2006-08-13

This box set, along with the box set entitled "Alfred Hitchcock - Master of Suspense" contain the entire body of the master director's work from its beginning until his departure from England to Hollywood to work on "Rebecca" in 1940. The only exceptions are three early silent films we may never see on DVD - "The Pleasure Garden", "The Mountain Eagle", and "Downhill", in addition to a later film "Waltzes from Vienna", which I have hopes will be on DVD someday. In the following paragraphs I give a brief synopsis of each film included.

EASY VIRTUE (1928) - Laurita Finton is accused by her brutish alcoholic husband of being in love with an artist. As a result there is a bitter divorce trial, but the artist, who has been rejected by Laurita, kills himself. Laurita's world is destroyed as a result of the scandal, so she decides to leave England. She changes her identity and starts a new life on the Riviera. She then falls in love with a rich young man, John Whittaker, but his family doesn't like Laurita, a girl with an "easy virtue". John's mother finds out about the shadows in Laurita's past and tells everything to her son. This story takes on a range of divorce issues highly relevant to its time. The film skillfully lampoons the absurdity of trying questions of adultery to a jury.

CHAMPAGNE (1928) - This is a light comedy with a few twists, much as the title might suggest. It's not what you would expect from Hitchcock, but early in his career he had to work with what he was handed. A spoiled rich girl defies her rich and powerful father to meet her boyfriend. Her father, convinced that the boyfriend is only a fortune hunter, resorts to pretending that he is broke to break off the relationship. Meanwhile, everywhere the girl goes, the same mysterious stranger seems to be lurking.
The visuals make the movie fun to watch - attractive sets, good sight gags, interesting detail. As the rich daughter, Betty Balfour is charming and is especially good in a couple of scenes where her character has to perform some tasks unfamiliar to a young lady accustomed to having everything done for her. Gordon Harker is quite funny as the father.

THE FARMER'S WIFE (1928) - Farmer Sweetland is a lonely old widower. He is determined to marry again and he enlists the help of his housekeeper Minta to pick a wife from the local single women. However, unknown to him, this same housekeeper is very much in love with him. It's a good rustic comedy, but again, not typical of Hitchcock's later work.

THE MANXMAN (1929) - Despite their differing backgrounds, fisherman Pete and lawyer Philip have been life long friends on the Isle of Man. Pete wants to marry Kate, the landlord's daughter at the local inn, however Kate's father doesn't think he is good enough. Pete leaves the island to seek his fortune abroad and entrusts Kate to Philip, but they start to be attracted to each other. Then comes the tragic news that Pete's ship is wrecked. Philip and Kate, no longer needing to hide their feelings, plan to marry. However, Pete is actually not dead.

The rest of the films on the DVD are "talkies", as opposed to these first four silent films.

MURDER (1930) - The police find the actress in a traveling theatre troupe, Diana Baring, near the body of her friend. All the circumstantial evidence seems to point to her, and since she is suffering from amnesia, she has no explanation of what happened. At the conclusion of the trial, she is condemned to death. Sir John Menier, a jury member and famous actor, suspects Diana's boyfriend, who works as an acrobat. Sir John sets out to find the real murderer before Diana's death sentence is carried out.
The film is extremely slow-moving, which makes it boring at times. However, it is worth watching just for the extraordinary ending. One interesting piece of trivia is that the scene where actor Herbert Marshall thinks out loud in front of a mirror had to be filmed with a recording of Marshall's lines and an orchestra hidden behind the set as it was not possible to dub the soundtrack later due to the limitations of sound technology at that time.

THE SKIN GAME (1931) - A rich family, the Hillcrests, is fighting against the speculator, Hornblower, who evicts poor farmers so that he can build factories on their lands. When Mrs. Hillcrest finds out that Chloe Hornblower was a prostitute, she uses this secret to blackmail the speculator and force him to stop his business.
Edmund Gwenn as Mr. Hornblower adds the only spark of life to this dull adaptation of the Galsworthy play. Hitchcock claims he didn't make it by choice, and one can believe it considering the many long, static dialogue scenes which are very atypical of the usually perfectionist master of suspense.

NUMBER SEVENTEEN (1932) - Detective Gilbert is searching for a necklace robbed by a gang of thieves. In the beginning, the gang has gathered in a safe house in London, then they are running away from police. It will not be easy for the detective to recover the jewel.
This film is only an hour long, the plot is a mess, and too many questions remained unanswered in the end. At times you have no idea what the different characters are actually doing. The acting is below average and has too much influence of stage acting, which was typical of early talkies, but by this time Hitchcock had enough experience with sound to have avoided this pitfall. One of the highpoints of the film is its cinematography in which Hitchcock uses abundant action sequences and even a few outdoor shots.

THE 39 STEPS (1935) - Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to London. At the end of enjoying "Mr Memory"'s show in a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. He takes her back to his flat where she gives him some important information about a gang of spies who are trying to kill her. During the night she is murdered and Hannay is of course the chief suspect. On the run from the police he heads for Scotland, which is where Annabella has told him the spies are located. During the train journey he meets Pamela who turns him in to the police. Upon arrival in Scotland Hannay manages to find the ringleader of the spies, Professor Jordan, which places him in even more danger. He escapes only to fall into the hands of the police. He gets away from them and is reunited with Pamela who reluctantly teams up with him (she doesn't have much choice as she has been handcuffed to him). However, she eventually begins to believe his story and realizes that he is innocent, so she helps to clear his name. Pamela and Hannay return to London where they see "Mr Memory" who is once again performing in a theatre. Professor Jordan is also there, but Hannay spots him and the film is brought to a dramatic but satisfying conclusion.
This film was one of Hitchcock's very early film successes before he left for Hollywood and gives you glimpses of what he was truly capable of. It contained all the elements of Hitchcock's favorite theme of the innocent man on the run which he returned to in "Saboteur" and in "North by Northwest".

JAMAICA INN (1939) - In the early 19th century, the young orphan, Mary, is sent to live with Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss in Cornwall who are the landlords of the Jamaica Inn. Mary soon realizes that her uncle's inn is the base of a gang of pirates who lure ships to their doom on the rocky coast. The girl starts fearing for her life. Robert Newton, who portrays government agent James Trehearne, teams up with the girl to solve the crime.
Hitchcock would always say that he always found Charles Laughton, who portrays the local magistrate and baronet Sir Humphrey, a very difficult actor to direct. He claimed that Laughton insisted on trying to base the character of Sir Humphrey on the walk he had. Personally, I found that Laughton's performance actually makes this film. However, the best dramatic moment in the film is by Stephen Haggard, the youngest of the pirates/smugglers. When told he will be hanged, he gets hysterical, screaming that he's too young to die. A scene like that should have been the start of a long career for Haggard in film. However, his on-screen lines were prophetic, since he died a casualty of the second World War in 1943.

As you can see by my descriptions of each film, this collection is probably not for those who can't count themselves among true Hitchcock fans, since individually many of these films are not particularly cinema milestones. However, together, they form part of the film history of probably the greatest director who ever lived.

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection Vol. 1 (Psycho / Vertigo / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 1)

Average customer rating:

Can You Find the Short Knight?
You know you want them all
MUST OWN!
Great...
Great set, but I need help!

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection Vol. 1 (Psycho / Vertigo / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 1)
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Citizen Kane
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One
The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)
Crash (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00000JMOA
Release Date: 1999-08-03

Customer Reviews:

Can You Find the Short Knight?.......2000-10-22

This is a mixture of Sir Alfred Hitchcock's directorial productions from both the Silver and Television screens. Hitchcock directed several episodes from his half-hour TV series. "Lamb to the Slaughter" is one of the best. Barbara Bel Geddes was excellently cast. In "PSYCHO" and "VERTIGO" we see characters tormented by their own uncontrollable obsessions. In "PSYCHO" Hitchcock attempts to metaphorically unveil some hidden episode in his life that has driven him as a film director. In his masterpiece "VERTIGO," Hitchcock unveils the character within the director to his public in attendance, embodying, in James Stewart's character his own obsessions and desire to physically reconstruct women in an unobtainable image created by his own psyche. This is also peripherally evident in "MARNIE." Kim Novak's character in "VERTIGO" is an actress of disposition, a woman whose role-playing supports one man (Gavin Elster and Hitchcock) in captivating another ("Scottie" Ferguson and the viewer). In "PSYCHO" we see Norman Bates physically alter his own appearance driven by a distorted obsession to satisfy his mother against his own desires for the touch of women. By becoming his mother he frees himself of his own guilt and his failures as a man and simultaneously satisfies his mother's wishes for him by carrying those wishes to fruition. Scottie, the main character of "VERTIGO," and Novak's in the role of a woman who feels compelled to deny her own identity and allow herself to be degraded in order to satisfy the men who ask her to act their schemes and fantasies, is equally intriguing. This is similar in "MARNIE" but with a twist. Marnie satisfies her own hidden passions as she degrades men, in her eyes, by stealing from them. What both Scottie and Hitchcock look for in their perfect woman is the erotic, carnal female disguised within the gray suit and pinned-back hair. Again, this was very evident with Sean Connery as Mark Rutland in "MARNIE." Strutt tells an interested Mark Rutland that "she (Marnie) hides her legs like some national treasure." Scottie (and Hitchcock) are unattracted to Barbara Bel Geddes' candid and thus uninteresting Midge, who clearly lacks feminine mystique. Madeleine, by contrast, is never as forthcoming remaining distant and enigmatic and is all the more alluring because of it. When she tries to reveal something of her true self, Judy Barton to Scottie, he resists her, becoming all the more determined in his obsessive confusion of illusion and reality. Equally, Mark Rutland wants to hear none of Marnie's pleas to release her when she attempts to tell him that she is not what he thinks. "I've got hold of something really wild this time and I don't intend to let go." In "PSYCHO" Norman Bates really has something wild, several things in fact. His stuffs birds in response to a repressed sexual state that his mother has subjugated him to. Bates does have something wild and he equally will never be able to consummate his desires just as Scottie ultimately never will. Hitchcock gives himself an escape route in the character of Mark Rutland, but that is left to the imagination of the audience. By revealing the murder plot midway through "VERTIGO," Hitchcock deepens our psychological understanding of the characters and their romantic dynamics. Freeing us from Scottie's point of view, Hitchcock allows us to study his romantically idealized fixation in an objective light that reveals its hopelessness, at the same time letting us sympathize with Judy, who becomes the victim of his quixotic fixation. As Hitchcock pointed out, Scottie's relentless pursuit of the image becomes a "form of necrophilia." It also makes him a voyeur who observes and imagines rather than acts in the real world. In "PSYCHO" Norman Bates literally acts out his "form of necrophilia." However, Bates does not have actual sexual consummation. His sexual release is symbolic in the form of slashing, cutting and bloodletting. Afterward he is at peace with his mother until the urges of his passions overcome in. His mother remains ever present. In "VERTIGO," when Scottie really does lose his ideal image, Madeleine, to death, he can no longer function and must re-create her in the new Judy. The person under the disguise means nothing to him, however; all that matters is that she looks and act like the ideal woman. His love is in fact not love at all but a romanticized fetish, a yearning for an unobtainable image that is forever lost. A happy ending to his dilemma is not possible. Unlike Scottie, Mark Rutland is able unravel the enigma that is Marnie and in doing so he is released from his own fetish and is given the possibility to pursue real love with her. Norman Bates remains trapped by the fixation of his mother's hold on him. Norman Bates like Scottie is reaching out and trying to obtain the unobtainable. Scottie can not return the love lost. Bates can never satisfy the whims of his mother, which prevents him from love he was never even permitted to explore.

You know you want them all.......2000-10-19

You can look up the individual reviews. Of course some individual titles will go out of stock. Others may not be your favorite. However you will have friends and relatives that will want to compare Alfred's various styles. Look for his cameos. A single case makes the movies easier to keep track of and look better on your video storage wall. Being DVDs this is a one-time investment. With the advent of multiple DVD changers you will be able to keep Alfred ready at a moments notice. I tried buying individual as I had the money and found shipping was getting very expensive that way. So bite the bullet and buy the collection. Also check out The Alfred Hitchcock Collection I.

MUST OWN!.......2000-08-12

This smashing package should be on every Hitchcock lover's shelf. It contains two of the master's greatest works, VERTIGO and PSYCHO, restored and letterboxed, with extra material galore, and 4 episodes of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series (which cannot be bought separately). Even if you have seen the movies, seen the "making-of" specials on TV, it would still be worthwhile to obtain this set. Any Hitchcock lover would want to watch the films again and again in the best video and audio qualities ever available.

One regret is the restored DVD version of The Birds isn't included in this package. Together with Psycho and Vertigo, these are 3 of the best DVDs made for Hitchcock films I've seen. Hoooooorray to Universal! I wound up buying this set AND The Birds.

This set was put together in commemoration of Hitchcock's 100th birthday. So I have a feeling Universal won't keep making it after all the copies are sold. Get it before it goes out of print!

To echo another user's comment, some of the supplements on the Psycho DVD are hard to get to. You need to press left or right on the remote to flip through the menu and content, but it is sometimes not obvious. And on my DVD player, there is often a delay after I press the key before the screen changes.

Great..........2000-07-06

Ok tell me something better then having PSYCHO and Vertigo on DVD. The picture for the movies were unbelieveable. As clear as air. I can now reads billboards and signs in backgroung I never ever knew was there. And the sound... not a single crack in it. It like watching it for the first time...

PSYCHO... has to be the best movie ever made. I'm glad to see this movie finally in WIDESCREEN. The sound in 2.0, but it sounds great.

Vertigo... James Steward at his best. This restored version proves why it important to keep our older movies well intact. Since this movie has the best plot line ever. it would be terrible if we would of lost it. And this DVD is big glance into the mindeye of Mr. Hitchcock.

Those two movies are worth alone [worth] the [money] on amazon. But there more. The four shows of Hitchcock Presents. The sound and pictures was far more better then TV Land could ever show... (god bless TV Land for showing the classic)

Well all and all, each movie is great. Each DVD you will want to watch over and over to see the clues you missed. Buy this and you won't be sorry

Great set, but I need help!.......1999-12-28

Psycho and Vertigo are both classic films and anyone who appreciates this genre should consider adding them to their collection. The additional disc of episodes from Alfred Hitchcock Presents are most entertaining as well. While the Psycho DVD case boasts the following features, they are not found on any of the menus on the DVD itself: Re-release trailers Newsreel Footage The Shower Scene: with and without music The Psycho archives Production Photos Behind the Scenes The Shower Scene: storyboards Lobby Cards Posters and Psycho adds Film Highlights Can anyone help me find these features? Thanks!

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Psycho / The Trouble With Harry / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Vertigo (DVD)

Average customer rating:

These Are the Best
Coming Full Circle or Not at All

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Psycho / The Trouble With Harry / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Vertigo (DVD)

Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

North By Northwest
Rear Window (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B000M2NLO8

Product Description

Four Disc Set Each disc contains bonus features for each film

Customer Reviews:

These Are the Best.......2007-04-04

PSYCHO, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and VERTIGO were all directed by Alfred Hitchcock. All four also were scored by compser Bernard Herrman. You don't get much better than that. Terror, humor, romanticism and suspense, these films cover the gamut. They are the best from the master.

Coming Full Circle or Not at All .......2007-04-04

1956'S THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is another good DVD transfer and is Hitchcock's effective remake of his 1934 version. An American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) visiting Morocco have their young son kidnapped as part of an international murder plot which they can not help but be drawn into. Doris Day's performance is brilliant as the mother whose son has been taken from her. Her initial reaction to the news is almost unbearable to watch. This film is very suspenseful and disturbing, as the odds against the family regaining their boy seem insurmountable as the film progresses. This is reinforced by Bernard Herrmann's almost minimal score, which adds an undercurrent of discomfort to the psyche of the viewer. There are some very memorable scenes such as when James Stewart is followed by echoing footsteps in the empty London streets on his way to finding Ambrose Chappell. The suspenseful Albert Hall assassination scenes are brilliantly filmed and edited. The face of Reggie Nalder as Rien the Assassin is unforgettable. Brenda de Banzie turns in a complex performance as Mrs. Drayton. Bernard Miles as Mr. Drayton also gives an effective performance through the various identities he goes through. And that is one of the strengths of this film: people and places are not exactly as they seem. Characters constantly evolve. Some grow in strength while others are mere shadows of virtue. Sir Alfred Hitchcock was trying to make a statement that we as moviegoers are voyeurs and are just as fanatically obsessed by the images on the screen as "Scottie" Ferguson is with Madeleine in VERTIGO. VERTIGO is in effect a movie about people who love the cinema and are captivated by it. Those people who do not like VERTIGO state that it is not realistic and too improbable. That is just the point. VERTIGO is about an artificial world and the fascination of that world. Those who like VERTIGO are drawn to it over and over because it is about something that is inside each of us that is ever so fleeting and will always remain unobtainable. Bernard Herrmann, the film's composer seems to have understood the essence of this film as he captured the erotic passion and ultimate hopelessness of its characters with his haunting score. Herrmann had always expressed his desire to be a symphony conductor, yet the lure of the cinema was more than just a means of collecting a paycheck for him. I think he had a great understanding of the cinema and its power over human emotions, yet it seems to have remained an enigma even for him. The Autumnal colors of New England seen in THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY are a beautiful backdrop to this dark comedy enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's reflective score. As life comes full circle the quirkily eccentricities of the human heart take on new meaning as an artist (John Forsythe) somehow, perhaps unwittingly, makes it all come into perspective. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. 1960'S PSYCHO is probably Hitchcock's best known film. Its images and sounds are indelibly etched into the psyche of our culture. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, the Bates Motel, Bernard Herrmann's score, Saul Bass' main title designs, the shower scene and many other elements are cinematic icons. One element of this film that has not been given due recognition is Martin Balsam's performance as Milton Arbogast the private investigator. Balsam embodied the personification of professionalism and determination yet he was cut off in mid stream. I think there is a statement being made about the very nature of justice and fate and that life is not always fair.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Collection (The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) / Blackmail / The Farmer's Wife / Murder! / Sabotage / The Lodger / Easy Virtue / Rich and Strange / The Sorcer's Apprentice [TV Episode])

Average customer rating:

A very young promise in progress!
Strictly for the Film Historians
Wrong running time
Imperdible...
A Hitchcock Film In Name Only That Goes On For Ever

Alfred Hitchcock: The Collection (The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) / Blackmail / The Farmer's Wife / Murder! / Sabotage / The Lodger / Easy Virtue / Rich and Strange / The Sorcer's Apprentice [TV Episode])
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Alfred Hitchcock: The Collection (The 39 Steps / Jamaica Inn / Young and Innocent / The Manxman / The Secret Agent / Number 17 / The Ring / The Skin Game / The Cheney Vase)
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
Under Capricorn

ASIN: B00000JQSQ
Release Date: 1999-07-24

Amazon.com

Essentially a one-joke story line based on Eden Philpotts's comic play, the 1928 silent film The Farmer's Wife makes up for its lack of substantive material with a noticeable leap in Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic skills. Jameson Thomas stars as a rustic farmer named Sweetland whose recently deceased wife has left a hole in his home and life. The subsequent marriage of his daughter inspires Sweetland to contemplate the altar again, and he enlists the aid of his lovely housekeeper, Minta (Lillian Hall-Davies), to draw up a list of available if ill-considered candidates. One by one, Sweetland proposes to the ladies and is rebuffed, then huffs his way home to a warm reception by the woman he should obviously be with: Minta. In almost anyone else's hands, this slight and silly tale would instantly evaporate, but Hitchcock takes it as an opportunity to make a lively, good-looking film full of delightful transitions (this is the kind of movie where a wordless exchanged glance leads us from one world and into another), at least one early experiment with a rapid dolly shot (all roads lead to Vertigo, don't you know), and a remarkable amount of suggestively grim humor. One paving stone on the path to Hitchcock's full, brilliant career, The Farmer's Wife reveals a great talent still growing. Tom Keogh

Description

7 DVD SET INCLUDES:
Sabotage
The Lodger
Blackmail
Easy Virtue
Rich and Strange
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Farmer's Wife
Murder!
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Lady Vanishes

B&W/826 min.

Customer Reviews:

A very young promise in progress!.......2007-03-09

Believe or not, this is a slapstick comedy, in spite of the fact we are talking about an early Hitchcock. The dramatis personae turns round a humble farmer who seeks desperately a bride after his wife has died. He doesn't seem to realize his housekeeper is in love with him since a long time. A very interesting proposal of a director in progress by then.

Strictly for the Film Historians.......2006-08-30

OK, let's get this over with; none of us would even consider watching this movie if it weren't for the fact that it was directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. Indeed, it's doubtful that the movie would have even survived into the 21st Century if it weren't for the director who was to go on to much greater heights. Yet Hitchcock WAS the director and we KNOW he was a masterful director so he must have done a GREAT job, right? Well, not really. I found myself interested somewhat in "The Farmer's Wife" because there is a fair amount of humor in it. I don't know if I laughed out loud but I smiled a few times. I considered asking my wife to waych it and see if she thought I'd end up the same way. However, the one real problem with this movie is that it is TOO long. Frankly, I breathed a sigh of relief when I thought the movie was over. "Maybe it wasn't all that long afterall" I told myself. Yet when the film actually did end about 10 minutes after I thought it would, I had to admit, a lot of it belong on the film editor's floor. For the record, this is a silent movie (Hitchcock directed England's first "talkie" shortly after he made "The Farmer's Wife"). Silent movies need good expressive acting to succeed and I felt that this movie had that. It was proably it's stregth (along with the humor). It's the story of a widower who decides he'll take another wife and how he is angered when his choice of spouse isn't receptive to the idea. He goes through several disappointments all seemingly in the same day before he discovers the obvious choice.

I got this movie as part of an "Early Hitchcock" set. In that sense, I have no qualms that I bought the DVD. I would have been disappointed to have bought this by itself. I liked it well enough but I doubt (due to its' length) that I'll ever watch it again.

Wrong running time.......2001-01-22

Even though the film originally ran about 97 minutes, and even though Amazon's info shows the running time to be 93 minutes, this Laserlight's DVD version of THE FARMER'S WIFE runs 129 minutes. Apparently, the wrong film speed was used in transferring the film to DVD, stretching the film by an additional half hour. The film's tempo is therefore slowed down a great deal, and the pacing and timing of the various comedy scenes are very much ruined. The DVD does have decent picture and sound (mono) quality.

This dated and predictable film was nevertheless well-acted by Jameson Thomas as the farmer and Lillian Hall-Davis as his housekeeper. Hall-Davis also starred in another Hitchcock's silent comedy "The Ring" (a much better film), also available as a Laserlight DVD.

Imperdible..........2000-09-25

En esta era de la tecnología y el gusto por lograr las mejores imágenes y los mejores efectos, esta colección nos lleva a darnos cuenta que las grandes obras de arte se deben edificar a partir de eso, "El Arte". Y esto es precisamente lo que demuestra este box set. El arte de la cinematografía puesta en las manos del genial Hitchcock. Ni que hablar de la producción: Siete discos, cada uno en su propio estuche, excelente sonido, y todo el material subtitulado (includo extras, introducción y trailers), además de que los discos son multizona. Cabe destacar que esto no fue obra de una gran empresa sino de LaserLight Video, pero es algo que los grandes estudios deberían tomar como ejemplo, hartos ya de ver películas con extras sin subtítulos. Si a eso le sumamos el costo del set, nos encontramos con una joya que no podemos desperdiciar. Muy recomendable.

A Hitchcock Film In Name Only That Goes On For Ever.......2000-06-26

I have nothing against silent films. In fact Clara Bow's 'It', Lon Chaney's 'The Phantom of The Opera' and Louise Brooks's 'Pandora's Box' are amongst my all-time favourites. But with the exception of 'The Lodger', Hitchcock never really got going in silent films. 'The Farmer's Wife' certainly had the potential for an easy going, enjoyable comedy, but NOT when it lasts over 2 hours. I challenge anyone to watch this film in one sitting without their eyelids feeling increasingly heavy. On the plus points, Laserlight has dispensed with one of those embarrassing Tony Curtis introductions, and has provided us with a newly recorded (and very good) score. The picture quality is also very good. If you're tempted to buy this DVD because it's a Hitchcock film, I'd say don't. It is only worth a look to anyone with an interest in silent films or a genuine Hitchcock enthusiast.

Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense

Average customer rating:

Amazon's description is inaccurate
THESE REVIEWS ARE FOR THE WRONG ITEM
I cannot stand reviewers who have not seen it but want to review it anyway.
A great value, quality is the same as Laserlight DVD's
Not Quite As Expected...

Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

The Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection
The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Under Capricorn
Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache
Lifeboat (Special Edition)

ASIN: B0000CC88G
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Customer Reviews:

Amazon's description is inaccurate.......2007-01-11

The plot synopsis for this product says that this set includes 4 episodes from the 1980's televison series, including Man from the South. This was the reason I purchased this set.
I was disappointed to find there are no episodes from that series in this set. This set is exclusively early movies Hitchcock directed, including from the silent era.
While they are good movies, and certainly interesting from the perspective of studying the great director as a young filmmaker, I was unhappy Amazon did nothing to rectify their mistake, and still hasn't changed their product description.

THESE REVIEWS ARE FOR THE WRONG ITEM.......2007-01-04

THIS ITEM SHOULD BE THE SINGLE DISC OF 4 EPISODES OF THE 1985 TELEVISION REMAKE OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. IT IS IN COLOR. THESE REVIEWS APPEAR TO BE FOR SOME MULTIDISC COMPILATION OF VERY EARLY HITCHCOCK FILMS IN B&W. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I ORDERED ONE OF THESE AND GOT THE LATTER AND SENT IT BACK TO SELLER. THERE IS SOME SCREWUP IN THE BARCODING OR SOMETHING BY AMAZON!

I cannot stand reviewers who have not seen it but want to review it anyway........2006-07-01

The morons who decided to review the movie and start our their ignorant review with "I haven't watched them all yet, but" should not be allowed to post.

This goes to the stupid people who didn't read the book yet but will post how difficult it was to stand in line at midnight and get new newest Harry Potter edition.

A great value, quality is the same as Laserlight DVD's.......2004-09-03

Audio and video quality of these movies is exactly the same as the Laserlight issues. Unfortunately most of these movies have not been re-issued on DVD by big name companies such as Kino, Criterion, Universal, or Image. In the mid 1980's Criterion released Laserdisc versions of "Blackmail", "Sabotage", "Secret Agent", and "Young and Innocent", however Criterion has no plans to release these titles on DVD. Audio and video quality is not bad, fairly standard for 1920's and 1930's nitrate films. If you are a Hitchcock enthusiast and are interested in buying these early films buy this box set, it is very economical and the quality is exactly the same as Laserlight's issues.

As an added bonus two episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" are included, you get a total of 12 presentations in this box set! A great value!

Criterion has released a re-mastered version of, "The Lady Vanishes" on DVD. I was shocked to see that the audio and video quality of the Criterion version is almost exactly the same as the version on this box set by the Bci Eclipse Company.

Not Quite As Expected..........2004-07-25

This collection of Hitchcock movies features his earliest movies. The main problem, however, with this collection is the audio. The audio quality on these films is so poor you can't understand the diologue half the time. And worse, when you can, the movies are just boring (with 2 of them being silent films). After watching Psycho and Dial M for Murder for the first time, I didn't expect this.

Average customer rating:

Some Early Signs of Genius
Disappointing
Some shaky early films, but some classic ones too in this impressive collection
Great for Hitchcock fans

Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (Strangers on a Train Two-Disc Edition / North by Northwest / Dial M for Murder / Foreign Correspondent / Suspicion / The Wrong Man / Stage Fright / I Confess / Mr. and Mrs. Smith)
Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)
Lifeboat (Special Edition)
Under Capricorn
Alfred Hitchcock's Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache

ASIN: B0000A9GJD
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Description

12 DVD SET INCLUDES:
The Lady Vanishes • The Secret Agent
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Skin Game • Jamaica Inn
Number 17/The Ring • Murder!
Young & Innocent • Rich & Strange
Sabotage/The Lodger
Blackmail/Easy Virtue
The Manxman

B&W/1294 min.

Customer Reviews:

Some Early Signs of Genius.......2006-09-01

Alfred Hitchcock has always been one of my favorite directors and I'm sure that I'm not alone in saying that. As a teenager, I was always anxious to see his next movie and, although some disappointed me, most were well worth the wait. Over the years, after there were to be no more new Hitchcock releases, I started looking backwards to see the "new" movies. I knew that his early movies were probably not in the class of his later films otherwise I would have had the chance to see them as well. After all, most great movies eventually make it to the Late Show unless they're non-Chaplin silent movies or foreign language films. With this attitiude, I decided that I was willing to pay to see just what Hitchcock's early films were like and I ordered "Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years".

I will admit that I did not watch all of these movies over the course of a week a month or a year; I watched them over the period of two years. After the first one I saw ("Sabotage"), I realized that my apprehensions were correct and there wasn't going to be a dream sequence, shower scene, or an attack by a menagerie of birds. Whenever I felt in the mood, I would pick out another to watch. Some of the movies such as "The Skin Game", "The Ring", "Easy Virtue", "Rich and Strange", and "The Farmer's Wife", were either mediocre or passably interesting. However, there were some movies that made me realize that a true talent was emerging from obscurity. "Jamaica Inn" had a fairly entertaining plot that reminded me of the Japanese novel "Shipwrecked" that I had just recently read. "Number 17" showed great use of shadow and light with a suspenseful story and an above-average chase scene. "Murder" was an excellent movie for its' time and showed a lot of the early genius of Hitchcock. "The Lodger" is a good silent movie that has some memorable images. It falls short in some areas but is worth watching. The "entrance" of the lodger is a work of visual art. "Blackmail" is another excellent suspense film that has a real Hitchcock chase scene and a real Hitchcock twist at the end. The actual murder takes place behind a curtain but the limited images that the director gave us let us know exactly what was happening

Granted these movies lack the polish of a later-day Hitchcock but there are some that are really worth watching and made me satisfied that I bought this set.

Disappointing.......2006-01-06

I found this set to be disappointing because of the hard to understand British dialogue, and the fact that there are no English subtitles. I realize that the films are old and bound to have some breaks here and there, but all could have been avoided with subtitles. The amazing thing to me is that the manufacturer found it okay to include Chinese, Japanese and Spanish subtitles, but not English. It's too bad because a good set could have been great.

Some shaky early films, but some classic ones too in this impressive collection.......2005-06-29

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection DVD box set contains some of the directors' earliest films, including rarities like NUMBER 17 (1932) and THE MANXMAN (1929), movies that while not always perfect, showed growing enthusiasm for the art of filmmaking and hinted at the talent of such a visionary director. THE LADY VANISHES (1938) is the best movie in this collection, displaying some kinetic camerawork and visual flair that would be used to great effect in later pictures like REAR WINDOW and VERTIGO. Made in 1936, THE SECRET AGENT was less experimental than earlier films and relied mostly on character actors like John Gielgud, Peter Lorre and Robert Young to give strong performances. The finale ten minutes is classic cinema, with a slow tracking shot with the camera on a large gimble, that went from the back of the dance hall right to the face of the suspected criminal mastermind, a shot taking 2 minutes of screen time that cost the studio a bundle, but its worth it, showing just how the mind of the young director worked.

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934) was to be remade later to great effect in 1956 with James Stewart in the Leslie Banks role. The remake is superior in terms of fast-paced action, but the original is worth watching for some great character acting from Peter Lorre, and Arthur Benjamin's speedy musical score turns up the tension and excitement. THE SKIN GAME (1931) and JAMAICA INN (1939 Charles Laughton) don't quite match the witticism and art house fun of Hitch's later work, with some sub-standard direction on JAMAICA and a vaguely un-inspired plot with SKIN GAME. Still interesting for completists though and JAMAICA has a powerful performance from screen veteran Frederick Piper. NUMBER 17 is one of Hitch's better British movies, with some nifty camerawork and smooth editing which sharply throws into effect the master's unique talent for gripping story telling. Watch out for Henry Caine as Mr. Ackroyd, a scene-stealing character throughout the film.

Running at a meager 72 minutes, THE RING is a B&W silent movie made in 1927, which doesn't quite play like a classic, but still shows some bourgeoning talent. I'm fascinated by early sound films and by how some directors are stopped dead in their tracks by the new unwieldy technology. It's amazing that 1930 gave us such a fluid, masterful sound film as "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT" and such a point-and-click snooze as "DRACULA" (filmed the same year). Hitch's MURDER! Falls somewhere between the two. He's really trying to avoid the camera-never-moves trap of earlier talkies, but it's obvious he's having a fight. For example, there's an interesting montage of the individual jurors' faces, but the momentum is destroyed by the distracting glue edits and audio clicks caused by the editing. In another jury scene, hiding the microphone must have been a task as a lot of the dialog is hard to hear. Honestly, an enhanced story would have helped a lot, but at least Hitchcock is trying to keep the film moving.

Adapted from Josephine Tey's book, YOUNG AND INNOCENT (1937) is possibly the first of Hitch's films to use revolutionary film techniques to give the story style and substance. Many people think of Hitchcock, and when many of them do, they think of 3 movies: Birds, Psycho and Rear Window. But RICH AND STRANGE (1931) is a fantastic slice of action cinema. This one particularly because it was Hitchcock's first use of a blonde in sound films. Many would follow. Hitchcock also made this film sort of autobiographical of himself. SABOTAGE, THE LODGER, BLAKMAIL, EASY VIRTUE and THE MANXMAN are all fantastic movies, and after watching all the selective films on DVD, you start to realize how exhaustive his resume really was. Highly recommended.

Great for Hitchcock fans.......2005-03-18

I got this as a gift and loved it! If you're a Hitchcock fan you will thoroughly enjoy "The Early Years". It includes his very first movies--including a few silent movies as well. Great buy.

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - The Birds / Marnie / Torn Curtain / Topaz (DVD)

Average customer rating:

The Cold War and Fears of Nature and the Unnatural

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - The Birds / Marnie / Torn Curtain / Topaz (DVD)

Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000M2LVGI

Product Description

Four Disc Set Each disc contains bonus features for each film

Customer Reviews:

The Cold War and Fears of Nature and the Unnatural .......2007-04-04

MARNIE is one of Hitchcock's masterpieces. It has been highly underrated and misunderstood by viewers and many critics alike. It is not a straightforward narrative as it deals with the compulsive and obsessive nature of its two main characters (Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery). The viewer has to become absorbed and drawn into the film's sights and sounds. The viewer has to elicit from what is seen and heard to fathom the motivations of the film's two main characters. Some of its images are just unforgettable and disturbingly haunting. Sound too plays an important part in the viewer's experience. In accompaniment is Bernard Herrmann's low-key score. I watched this film again several times over. Herrmann's score is always present, yet never intrusive. I used to think this score was somewhat repetitive, but it is quite diverse. It complements the images in such a way that it almost evokes some hidden and suppressed experience from the viewer that creates an emotional bond with the main title character of the film. I found the DVD print to be of exceptional quality and most pleasing in the wide-screen presentation (a prerequisite in this format).
TORN CURTAIN was Alfred Hithcock's 50th motion picture. This film marked a departure from his most recent bulk of films at that time, not in directorial style, but in the absence of many of his close-knit artistic-technical company he had been utilizing. Distinctively missing is collaborator-composer Bernard Herrmann. However, John Addison does a commendable job in Herrmann's absence, as his score seems to fit this film very well with the passage of time. This was a cold war drama set behind the Iron Curtain. The hero of the story as portrayed by Paul Newman is motivated less by personal staunchness for democratic idealism, but rather by his inner confrontation coming to grips with his own failure as a scientist. This very suspenseful film is really about his own redemption for his perceived failure. This film is has been highly underrated.
1969's TOPAZ was Hitchock's second return in that decade to his earlier spy thriller films. Shot directly after 1966's TORN CURTAIN Hitchcock TOPAZ is a more matter-of-fact tale than a genuine thriller where real lives were at stake. Essentially an American intelligence head (John Forsythe) uses his friend in the French Intelligence (Frederick Stafford) to spy for the United States in Cuba and at the same time they try to ferret out a high French official passing on secrets to the Soviets. Roscoe Lee Browne as Philippe Dubois has the best scenes in the film as he has to get close to the Cubans visiting New York to photograph some secret papers from a high official (John Vernon as Rico Parra). These scenes were what Hitchcock called pure cinema. TOPAZ contains an interesting score by Parisian Maurice Jarre and the DVD contains the 3 alternate endings that Hitchcock filmed.
THE BIRDS metaphorically plays out the frailties of the human heart as befuddled humans' fears are visually juxtaposed against hoards of birds gone on a destructive rampage. Humans rebel against nature and each other as the birds represent nature in harmony turned against human progenitors who stand to disrupt harmony. Rod Taylor's solid performance, as the steadfast Mitch Brenner who gradually realizes (but cannot fathom why) that things are beyond even his control, is pivotal to the progression of the story. The importance of Taylor's performance has been long overlooked. This film is a masterpiece full of vivid histrionics running the gamut of human emotions.

DVD:

DVD

DVD: Joe Lewis How to Use Tactical Footwork-D

No One Can Hear You