Hitchcock Dilemma!

[MooglePorn]

I really, really, really want to own Notorious on DVD, the Criterion Version. I love all my other Hitchcock movies and this is one I've wanted for quite a while.

The problem is, there's also this wonderful looking box set of all Hitchcock's Criterion DVDs to consider. Now, I cannot get this now, while Notorious I could probably go get today, Should I wait until I have the money for the whole set? Are they worth paying so much for? Or should I just go get Notorious and be done with it for a while?

Basically what's your opinion of The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, and Spellbound? Let me know, I appreciate it...

[sirmikael]

In my opinion, I would hold off and buy the boxset as it is a GREAT deal. If I would have known about the set before I bought Notorious and Rebecca, without a doubt I would have held out.

I view all five films as "Must Haves" for any Hitchcock fan. In fact, I can't really think of any Hitch film that I wouldn't want to own, so maybe my opinion is a little biased.

[Moonraker]

The only film not up to par in that collection is Spellbound, but, Criterion put together a beautiful package for the film, and it is not as though it is an unwatchable.

I collected each one out of the box set, because I already had Lady Vanishes, 39 Steps and Notorious when it came out. But the box is such a great savings, I would aim for the box set!

[Soggy Bagel's Revenge!]

The boxed set is a great value, and you'll be getting 5 wonderful films.

[Triple HHH]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Basically what's your opinion of The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, and Spellbound? Let me know, I appreciate it...

$90 is a fantastic price for five Criterions! But I actually recommend you rent maybe one or two of them first to get at least some idea. I only say this because you'll basically be buying 4 movies blind (I wasn't sure if you saw Notorious) and due to the different look and feel of some of these movies, you may or may not think it was the greatest of decisions. These earlier films are still some of Hitch's best films in my opinion, but they are a little different from Hitchcock's later work, especially the late 1950s/1960s, where he was on a roll with one stunning film after another like with Psycho and Vertigo ("My creative batteries were fully charged during this period" ~ paraphrased Hitchcock quote). I've known some who even use the "dated" term for movies like 39 Steps and Lady Vanishes.

The 39 Steps: It has many parallels to North By Northwest and would be one of Hitch's first "man-wrongly-accused-and-on-the-run" movies. Some nice witty dialogue between the two leads.
The Lady Vanishes: One of my top five favorite Hitchcock films. Known especially for taking place almost entirely on only two settings. Brilliant film. I also think Margeret Lockwood is a babe.
Rebecca: Only Hitch film to win Best Picture. More of a psychological, moody thriller that relies on sets, costumes, and acting and dialogue, rather than actual spooky scares like in Psycho. It does boast a very well-written script and I think Lawrence Olivier's acting owns all. Joan Fontaine (22 at the time) is also lovely and I think perfectly cast.
Spellbound: I would also say this is the weaker film of the pack but a lot of worthy stuff. It's uneven and might be too drawn-out sometimes with its melodrama between the two leads. Although I've heard that the producer, Selznick, was getting on Hitchcock's nerves while making this film - one of the reasons why it's "uneven." But there's some striking use of symbolism. I'm sure the Criterion commentary should be fun to hear since there's so much hidden meaning to comment on. Also has an Oscar-winning score. The main infectious tune is always in everyone's head after they see the film.

I would divide these movies into two groups. (The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes ~ Hitchcock's British films) and (Rebecca and Spellbound ~ his dramatic ones) The first group is snappier with some nice tongue-in-cheek jokes. The second group is much more serious and dramatic. I would recommend renting The 39 Steps and Rebecca. If you loved The 39 Steps, you'll love The Lady Vanishes. If you loved Rebecca, it's pretty much guaranteed you'll enjoy Spellbound as well. It's still a very good film.

[MooglePorn]

Wow... thanks HHH... that's what I was looking for. You make them all sound so great though! I'll run out and chech tonight to see what Hollywood Video has to rent out of these, if any, and check back in...

[Triple HHH]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Wow... thanks HHH... that's what I was looking for. You make them all sound so great though! I'll run out and chech tonight to see what Hollywood Video has to rent out of these, if any, and check back in...

No problem. As I was typing it I was afraid I was getting too carried away and wondered if a more simple answer would've sufficed. Looking forward to your opinions when you get the chance.

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

I'll agree with Triple HHH's post. I bought all five of those titles separately long before there was an announcement on the box set. Otherwise, I would have bought the box set. I'm a Hitchcock fanatic and I'll stop at nothing to own all of his movies.

[airjosh]

i would definitely go for the boxset.

As for those that own all of them but didn't buy the boxset, have you contacted Criterion about sending you the box they were packaged in? I did this with the Kurosawa boxset as I already owned the titles and they sent it to me at no cost.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by airjosh

i would definitely go for the boxset.

As for those that own all of them but didn't buy the boxset, have you contacted Criterion about sending you the box they were packaged in? I did this with the Kurosawa boxset as I already owned the titles and they sent it to me at no cost.

I'll probably take mine out of the box to see the spine numbers and such, unless the box is amazingly nice... anyone who wants it when I buy it let me know...

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by airjosh

As for those that own all of them but didn't buy the boxset, have you contacted Criterion about sending you the box they were packaged in? I did this with the Kurosawa boxset as I already owned the titles and they sent it to me at no cost.

That's an interesting idea and I'm not at all surprised that Criterion would do this, but I saw the box and I'm not interested in it. I have the two Universal Hitchcock boxes and the two Laserlight boxes and I don't keep the DVDs in those boxes. My whole Hitchcock DVD collection looks better on the shelf in alphabetical order.



And while I'm at it, here's my Hitchcock LDs:

[MooglePorn]

Nice lookin Murr... I have to say I could never do that, because I have my Criterion's together by spine #... but I do have all my Universal Hitchcock's next to each other...

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Nice lookin Murr... I have to say I could never do that, because I have my Criterion's together by spine #... but I do have all my Universal Hitchcock's next to each other...

I used to have my Criterions organized like that, but I decided that my Hitchcock collection is more important than my Criterion collection. It's kinda fun having a whole shelf dedicated to one director.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

I used to have my Criterions organized like that, but I decided that my Hitchcock collection is more important than my Criterion collection. It's kinda fun having a whole shelf dedicated to one director.

That it would be... ever think about sorting by release date?

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

That it would be... ever think about sorting by release date?

You mean the Hitchcocks?

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

You mean the Hitchcocks?

Yeah... that's how I have my Universal Hitch's lined up, rather than alphabetical...

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Yeah... that's how I have my Universay Hitch's lined up, rather than alphabetical...

I'd do that, but the problem with that idea is that something like six of the DVDs are double features with production dates all over the place. I've also got non-movies in the four Alfred Hitchcock Presents DVDs and A Talk with Hitchcock DVD. Alphabetical is the easiest way to do it, I think.

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Isn't the cover on the I Confess LD with Montgomery Clift fucking sweet? so much nicer than my Asian import DVD of I Confess which features a silhouette of Hitchcock's head. Boooo!!!

[ZackR]

Hey Murr,

Nice collection! I am about to start my Hitch Collection as well. I have Vertigo and Noth by Northwest and just ordered the Criterion box. Anyways, where did you get the 4 "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" discs? Just curious, because I haven't seen them around.

Thanks so much for your time,
Zack

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by ZackR

Hey Murr,

Nice collection! I am about to start my Hitch Collection as well. I have Vertigo and Noth by Northwest and just ordered the Criterion box. Anyways, where did you get the 4 "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" discs? Just curious, because I haven't seen them around.

Thanks for the compliment. You've got yourself a nice start on the Hitchcocks. All of those discs are fantastic in terms of transfer quality and special features. Good stuff.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents? Those are not so easy to come by unless you wanna spend some dough. I don't know why, but Universal has not released them individually or even in a box set. The only way to get them is to buy Universal's Best of Hitchcock box sets. If you buy Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the Best of Hitchcock you'll get Volumes 2 and 3 of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. That's what I did. The problem if you want all four volumes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents is that you ALSO have to buy The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (which contains Vertigo and Psycho from the other sets) and The Alfred Hitchcock Collection Volume 2 (which contains The Man Who Knew Too Much and Rear Window form the other sets).

So, in order to get everything from Universal, you have to buy four boxes and then you'll have duplicates of Vertigo, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Rear Window. I didn't want to do that so I just bought the two big boxes and was lucky to find the other two volumes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents on eBay at decent prices. I've seen all four volumes of AH Presents go for over $100 combined.

Long answer that I hope makes sense. Let me know if you have any other Hitchcock questions.

[ZackR]

Thanks for the info. I kinda figured it would be something like that. Too bad they won't just release "Presents" in a boxed-se format of its own. That would be great. Oh well. Guess I will just keep my eyes open for them. But hey, the hunt is half the fun anyways!!

As far as other questions go - I know about the Universal and Criterion discs, but what about some of his other stuff? There are several unreleased titles, right (to DVD, at least)? And aren't there several versions of some of his early works that are public domain? If you have recommendations on what is good/bad as far as disc quality is concerned, that would be great. Although, I guess I could just look through your collection link and go from there!!

Thanks again! I really appreciate it.

[MooglePorn]

Two good ones not from Universal or Criterion are "North By Northwest" from Warner and "To Catch a Thief" from Paramount... must haves.

[ZackR]

I have North By Northwest and it is what made me want more Hitchcock. The DVD is beautiful and the film is easily one of the best I have ever seen. I will definitely check out To Catch A Thief as well.

Thanks!

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Strangers on a Train from Warner Brothers is another fine non-Universal or Criterion Hitchcock DVD. Great movie and the DVD is really cool with two versions of the film on opposite sides of the disc. Much fun.

As far as the rest of the non-Universals and Criterions, they're kind of a crapshoot as far as quality. None of them are great like the Criterions, but they're all worth getting if you are big Hitch fan like I am. I have the two big Laserlight box sets and they're certainly not bad for the price. I can't really say much for what the other companies have done with the public domain films.

Here's my Hitchcock inventory. Titles not in bold are the ones I still need. Stage Fright is supposed to be released by WB sometime next year. Once I get that, I'll have everything Hitchcock made after 1933. The other titles I don't believe have ever been released on any disc format and I've only seen some overpriced VHS copies out there on a couple of them. Maybe we'll see them some day on DVD.

[ZackR]

Very nice! Thanks for the list.

I am about to go for my latest enrollment run at ColumbiaHouse. It will be my "Hitchcock Run"!!!

I'll be getting Psycho, The Birds, Stranger on a Train, To Catch A Thief, Rear Window, and I'm not sure about the final 3 yet.

I appreciate all the great info!

[Marq]

I recall reading this info about Universal doing a price drop on some of their more popular Hitchcock titles. For those, like me, who have been waiting to really jump-start their Hitchcock collection, this is the perfect motivator. I look forward to taking advantage.
Here's a discussion of the price-drop: http://hometheaterforum.com/htforum/...hreadid=153460

The price-drop was supposed to have taken effect on Sept 2 so I'll have to get moving and find them. The titles dropping in price are:
- Vertigo
- Psycho (one of my Top 5 alltime favourites. My lazy ass will finally be motivated to buy it)
- Rear Window
- The Birds

I wish the box sets would dropin price, but I'll be enjoying these and hope more Universal Hitch eventually gets a drop too.

[MooglePorn]

It figures that I have all those titles already

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by Marq

The price-drop was supposed to have taken effect on Sept 2 so I'll have to get moving and find them. The titles dropping in price are:
- Vertigo
- Psycho (one of my Top 5 alltime favourites. My lazy ass will finally be motivated to buy it)
- Rear Window
- The Birds

I wish the box sets would dropin price, but I'll be enjoying these and hope more Universal Hitch eventually gets a drop too.

I've seen all of the above titles at various stores for like $14.99 each. Fantastic discs at that price.

I also believe the big box sets have dropped in price as well. Both of the links I posted above are selling those boxes significantly cheaper than I paid for them. $135 may seem high for a box set, but believe me, they're most certainly worth the dough. Eight discs in each box. Seven movies with each DVD containing at the bare minimum a 30 minute documentary on the making of the film. Best boxes ever, in my opinion. Better than the big Kubrick box because of the special features. Get them if you can. You won't be disappointed.

[jggar]

MurDiddlyUrdler ,

Where did you get Dial M for Murder ? I've never been able to locate it on DVD.


Jeff

[Dehrian]

I definitely recommend Notorious and Rebecca, but I'm not a huge fan of the others. They're not bad, but I think they're just not quite as great as the two mentioned. I would certainly buy Notorious and Rebecca if I were you, but I'm not sure I'd buy the others blind. You may to try renting them first if you can.

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by jggar

MurDiddlyUrdler ,

Where did you get Dial M for Murder ? I've never been able to locate it on DVD.


Jeff

It's an Asian import of some sort that I got off of eBay. Not very high quality and the English subtitles look like they were written by someone who reads English at a second grade level, but it's worth it to have the movie on DVD, I guess. Dial M for Murder is actually one of my least favorite Hitchcock films so I don't really mind that it's not a nice, beautiful, special edition DVD. Then again, I've heard that WB is planning on releasing Dial M sometime next year and I'd certainly buy that as a replacement.

[MooglePorn]

Just an update, my Hollywood Video has none of these to rent, not even the shitty editions... needless to say a dissapointment. Still, for $80+ dollars it's barely more than buying two, so I think I will just get the box set. Hope to have it within a few weeks... I'm sure I'll let everyone know what I think of it.

[ZackR]

Moogleporn,

My Criterion boxed set arrived today. I watched Rebecca, and all I can say is Dear God, It's Beautiful. Rebecca is one of my favorite films ever. If the rest of the discs in the collection looks this, then you will not be disappointed. I can not wait til this weekend when I can watch the rest.

[Soggy Bagel's Revenge!]

The video transfer on "Notorious" is just as good, if not better than the one on "Rebecca". I can't tell you how intensely delighted I was when the three Selznick/Hitchcock films (althogh not included was the less famous "Paradine Case") were announced by Criterion. Prior to that, I was seriously considering getting a Laserdisc player simply to get the "Rebecca" set, which I believe sold for big bucks at the time. However, now there's the nice new DVD, and it was only $30

I find something to enjoy in most all Hitchcock films. I've been an avid fan ever since I first began viewing his films at age 9. By 13, I had seen most all of his films. I'd love to own them all on DVD, but I suppose I just haven't yet due to me always wanting the big boxed sets. Of course, if I ever got the boxed sets, I'd have to buy them both at once so that I could rearrange them in chronological order (as I did with my Woody Allen boxed sets). Why in the world Universal grouped them alphabetically has always been a mystery to me.

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by Soggy Bagel's Revenge!

The video transfer on "Notorious" is just as good, if not better than the one on "Rebecca". I can't tell you how intensely delighted I was when the three Selznick/Hitchcock films (althogh not included was the less famous "Paradine Case") were announced by Criterion. Prior to that, I was seriously considering getting a Laserdisc player simply to get the "Rebecca" set, which I believe sold for big bucks at the time. However, now there's the nice new DVD, and it was only $30

The transfers on Rebecca, Notorious and also Spellbound are among the best old, black & white transfers available on DVD. Criterion did a fantastic job.

Originally Posted by Soggy Bagel's Revenge!

Of course, if I ever got the boxed sets, I'd have to buy them both at once so that I could rearrange them in chronological order (as I did with my Woody Allen boxed sets). Why in the world Universal grouped them alphabetically has always been a mystery to me.

That would have been nice, but I can certainly understand why Universal did it this way. Just look at how the boxes would have been arranged if they had been done this way:

Volume 1
Saboteur (1942)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Rope (1948)
Rear Window (1954)
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Vertigo (1958)

Volume 2
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Marnie (1964)
Torn Curtain (1966)
Topaz (1969)
Frenzy (1972)
Family Plot (1976)

As you can see, if they had done it this way, Volume 1 would have been a much bigger seller than Volume 2. There are more true classics in the first volume. Not that I don't like the second volume, I like them all (even Family Plot a little bit). I'm thinking that this is the reason that Universal released them the way they did.

[ZackR]

Hey Mur,

Thanks to this thread (you, specifically) I purchased all 4 of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents discs from Ebay. I have received Volumes 2, 3 and 4 and they are great. I used to sneak and watch this show on Nick at Nite when I was really young, because my parents thought it was too scarey.

Anyways, I am eagerly awaiting Vol. 1 showing up in my mailbox (tomorrow I hope).

I didn't pay too much for them - at least I don't think I did.

Thanks for the recommendations and information !

Zack

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Originally Posted by ZackR

Thanks to this thread (you, specifically) I purchased all 4 of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents discs from Ebay.

That's fantastic. Those discs are as good as any television set that I own. Thanks for reminding me; I think I'm going to watch them again soon. I haven't watched them since shortly after I got them all.

Originally Posted by ZackR

Anyways, I am eagerly awaiting Vol. 1 showing up in my mailbox (tomorrow I hope).

Volume 1 is the best. I hope you get it soon. Be sure to watch Lamb to the Slaughter and Back for Christmas. Those are two of my favorites.

Originally Posted by ZackR

I didn't pay too much for them - at least I don't think I did.

It's only too much if you think you paid too much. If you're happy, then they're worth it. Remember that it would cost you over $400 if you were to purchase all four Universal box sets.

Originally Posted by ZackR

Thanks for the recommendations and information !

You're most welcome. Always glad to help and always glad to impart Hitchcock information. That's what these forums are for. Don't hesitate to ask if you want any more info on Hitchcock DVDs. They're my specialty.

[frenchy]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

Be sure to watch Lamb to the Slaughter

Oh man, is that the one where

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

The wife kills her husband by cold cocking him with a big leg of meat?

If it is, I remember staying up late to watch it on Nick at Nite a loooong time ago. That's really cool, I want that set of Hitchcock Presents now too...

[heartagram]

well Mr. Porn i believe you should save up the for the boxed set, it couldn't take you that long to save anyways.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by heartagram

well Mr. Porn i believe you should save up the for the boxed set, it couldn't take you that long to save anyways.

Mr. Porn!!! I love it!!!

Anyway, I'm getting a new job any day now and the set will be my first paycheck gift to myself...