The Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection

I want to conclude my review of Universal’s Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection with a brief round-up of the whole package. The first thing to say is that if you don’t have many of the films included – or are just beginning to investigate Hitchcock’s work and don’t have anything – then this set is one of the must-buy bargains of 2005. DVD Pacific, who have sponsored these reviews, sell the set for a very reasonable $83.20 plus postage. This means that you’re getting each film for around six dollars and even less if you consider the (admittedly slim) advantage of the bonus disc.

If you do own some, or all, of the films already then is this set worth a double dip? The answer is a guarded “yes” and if this isn’t emphatic then that’s because I have certain reservations. The first is that the heavy-hitters in the set which would appear to have made it a sure-thing aren’t as uncomplicatedly brilliant as they seemed. Psycho is now anamorphic but the level of grain is higher than on the earlier release and many people will find this unnecessary and ugly (I don’t mind it personally but this is one of the main responses I got to my review). As for Vertigo, the eagerly anticipated Mono soundtrack is neither the ‘original’ soundtrack (which is no longer extant) nor possesses the kind of clean, crisp sound which many viewers will expect. Those of us who enjoy a bit of crackle in our vintage soundtracks (and despise the practise of remixing into surround sound) will be a lot more appreciative and I think that for all it’s flaws, the mono knocks the 5.1 remix for six.

But there are distinct benefits to this set. The first is that each film is presented in the correct aspect ratio with anamorphic enhancement where appropriate. That’s an immediate improvement over the British R2 releases of some of the later films which were full-screen abominations. The second is the elegant, compact presentation of the set. It contains four DVDs – three with four films and one with two films and the bonus disc. Each film gets a disc to itself – something which Universal should have done on their recent Hammer set – and the artwork is based on the original poster designs and very pleasant indeed. Not everyone will like the collage effect but I think it works very well. The box is sturdy and attractive, featuring the famous Hitchcock signature cartoon. There is an ‘exclusive’ booklet enclosed but this just contains stills, credits and some random trivia about each film. It’s nice enough but why Universal couldn’t have included a chapter list in there is a mystery.

Incidentally, avoid the R2 ‘Hitchcock Collection’ from Universal like the plague. There are a couple of good reasons for this. For one thing, it’s a lot more expensive (roughly £70 online). For another, it appears that we are once again getting the fullscreen versions of The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain and Topaz. Worst of all, word has it that the version of Psycho not only contains the old non-anamorphic transfer but also omits the making-of documentary. The extra features on this ‘Special Edition’ are the edited AFI Salute and Masters of Cinema documentaries from the US Bonus Disc. If this is mistaken then please let me know but I’m pretty confident that the R1 Masterpiece Collection will urinate from a great height on the R2 Hitchcock Collection.

So, on the whole, the set is fantastic value and worth considering. Anyone who had the good fortune to get rid of their old discs in anticipation of the box set will be very pleased with what they get. Others should carefully consider whether the upgrade is worth it. On balance, I would say it probably is.

The Reviews

Below are links to the individual reviews from the set:

SABOTEUR
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
ROPE
REAR WINDOW
THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
VERTIGO
PSYCHO
THE BIRDS
TORN CURTAIN
TOPAZ
FRENZY
FAMILY PLOT
BONUS DISC

Hitchcock on DVD

Can I direct those of you who are interested in the work of Hitchcock and wish to know which versions of his films to buy to the Alfred Hitchcock DVD Information Site, a haven of reliable information and good, old-fashioned common sense.

However, I have reviewed the following other Hitchcock films for DVD Times:

Notorious
Spellbound
North By Northwest

Future reviews will include some of the Warner titles including Stage Fright, Dial M For Murder, I Confess and Stranger on a Train, and also a look at two lesser known Hitchcock films, The Paradine Case and Under Capricorn.

The Dénouement.

”When we were filming the scene in ‘The Birds’ where the sparrows fly into the living room, I said to Jessica Tandy, “Jessica, if one of those birds flies up your skirt then be sure to grab it. Because a bird in the hand…”

Alfred Hitchcock to Kenneth Williams, 1972.

Watching this collection of films, you get a strong impression not only of Hitchcock's cinematic genius but also of the ways in which he developed between 1941 and 1976, adapting to changing times, different censorship restrictions and various audience expectations. There are very few other single filmmakers who were so important and producing such good work for so long. Hitchcock, like Billy Wilder, is one of the links which take us from the Golden Age of the Studio System through to the ascendancy of the directors in the 1970s yet his work rarely seems stale or dated. His achievement is timeless and his best films - Vertigo, Psycho, Notorious, The 39 Steps, North By Northwest, Strangers on a Train, The Birds, Shadow of a Doubt, Frenzy - will still be watched, analysed, criticised and enjoyed when we are long gone. It’s been one of the pleasures of my life to have the opportunity to write in detail about these films and I hope that my pieces have provided a little of the enjoyment I have gained from writing them.