Alfred Hitchcock

[PeterPanfan]

I was wondering which was the best Hitchcock "collection" available on DVD/Blu-Ray?

I love his films and was wondering why I didn't own any.

Also, which of his films are available on Blu-Ray and do you recommend them?

Please and thank you!

[Escapay]

There are five major Hitchcock box sets that were released, although two are now out of print:

Wrong Men and Notorious Women: Five Hitchcock Thrillers (OOP) - released in 2003 by The Criterion Collection. Three of the films went out of print and were in high demand (fetching upwards $200 for new/sealed copies), and while the prices are still higher than average, the demand dropped a bit after Fox's re-release of the films in their box set. There are differing extras, however, that make the Criterion versions better in some respects (different commentaries, text/image stills, etc.). The Lady Vanishes was later revisited by Criterion and released as a two-disc set in 2007.
--The 39 Steps (1935)
--The Lady Vanishes (1938 ) - OOP, replaced by Remastered Reissue
--Rebecca (1940) - OOP, "replaced" by MGM/Fox DVD
--Spellbound (1945) - OOP, "replaced" by MGM/Fox DVD
--Notorious (1946) - OOP, "replaced" by MGM/Fox DVD

Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection (OOP) - released by Warner Bros. in 2004. It contains Warner's previously released DVD for North by Northwest, a then-new two-disc edition of Strangers on a Train, and seven then-new-to-DVD titles. The entire box set is now OOP, as are some of the individual titles, and in 2009, North by Northwest was released to Blu-Ray and as a two-disc DVD. There are rumors that Criterion will be re-releasing some of the titles from this box set (I think Foreign Correspondent, Stage Fright, and The Wrong Man). Four titles were later re-pressed into the two-disc "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection - Hitchcock Thrillers" (as DVD-18's), while one was also in "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection - Murder Mysteries"
--Foreign Correspondent (1940) - OOP
--Suspicion (1941) - re-pressed in TCM DVD (Hitchcock Thrillers)
--Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) - OOP
--Stage Fright (1950)
--Strangers on a Train (1951) - Disc 1 re-pressed in TCM DVD (Hitchcock Thrillers)
--I Confess (1953) - re-pressed in TCM DVD (Hitchcock Thrillers)
--Dial M for Murder (1954) - re-pressed in TCM DVD (Murder Mysteries)
--The Wrong Man (1956) - re-pressed in TCM DVD (Hitchcock Thrillers), also in Henry Fonda: The Signature Collection
--North by Northwest (1959) - released on Blu-Ray, re-released on two-disc DVD

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (in print) - released by Universal in 2005, they are the same discs that were released individually or in various box sets between 1998 and 2001, except remastered. In addition, Psycho and The Birds have their making-of documentaries on a shared disc (along with an AFI Hitchcock featurette), rather than on the same disc with their movies. After this release, nearly all of the titles have been re-released individually, while some got Legacy Series two-disc sets. The Birds has yet to have an individual re-release (Universal is likely holding off until the remake actually gets off the ground), and Psycho is the only one currently on Blu-Ray.
--Saboteur (1942)
--Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
--Rope (1948 )
--Rear Window (1954) - re-released as two-disc Legacy Series
--The Trouble With Harry (1955)
--The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
--Vertigo (1958 ) - re-released as two-disc Legacy Series
--Psycho (1960) - re-released as two-disc Legacy Series, also on Blu-Ray
--The Birds (1963)
--Marnie (1964)
--Torn Curtain (1966)
--Topaz (1969)
--Frenzy (1972)
--Family Plot (1976)

Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years of the Master of Suspense (in print) - released by StudioCanal/Lionsgate in 2007. It contains five public domain films, cleaned up (well, as best as possible) and a 15-minute featurette.
--The Ring (1927)
--The Manxman (1929)
--Murder! (1930)
--The Skin Game (1931)
--Rich and Strange (1932)

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection (in print) - released by MGM/20th Century Fox in 2008. It contains Fox's previously released DVD for Lifeboat, while the other seven films were either out of print by another studio or public domain. All have been released individually as well, but The Paradine Case is now out of print individually, and only available in the box set.
--The Lodger (1927) - public domain
--Sabotage (1936) - public domain
--Young and Innocent (1937) - public domain
--Rebecca (1940) - formerly out of print (Criterion)
--Lifeboat (1944) - re-release of 2005 DVD
--Spellbound (1945) - formerly out of print (Criterion)
--Notorious (1946) - formerly out of print (Criterion)
--The Paradine Case (1947) - formerly out of print (Anchor Bay)

After these box sets, there are two major Hitchcock films that have a studio release: Under Capricorn and To Catch a Thief.

Under Capricorn (1949) was released barebones by Image Entertainment. It is still in print.

To Catch a Thief (1956) was thrice-released by Paramount. The first two releases (2002 and 2007) were single-disc sets, with the only difference being that the 2007 DVD added a commentary to the special features (4 featurettes, trailers, photo gallery). It was revisited again in 2009 as a two-disc Centennial Collection set, which added additional featurettes, and replaced the 2007 commentary (Peter Bogdanovich & Laurent Bouzereau) for a new one with Dr. Drew Casper. All three versions are out of print (perhaps in anticipation of a Blu-Ray release), though you may find it used at a store.

In addition to the major studio releases, there are various public domain releases for Hitchcock's early films, and the best versions that are out there (to my knowledge) are either "Alfred Hitchcock: The Legend Begins" (Mill Creek Entertainment) or "Ultimate Hitchcock Collection" (St. Clair Vision).

The following films are not yet on DVD, some because they're lost or incomplete:
--No. 13 (1922) - unfinished, lost
--Always Tell Your Wife (February 1923) - only one of two reels survive
--The Pleasure Garden (1925, released March 1, 1926)
--The Mountain Eagle (1926, released May 23, 1927) - lost
--Downhill (October 24, 1927)
--Blackmail (Silent Version) (1929)
--Elstree Calling (1930)
--Mary (1931)
--Waltzes from Vienna (1933)
--Aventure Malgache (1944) - French propoganda short
--Bon Voyage (1944) - French propoganda short

To summarize it all, here's a list of the Hitchcock films available on DVD (and the two on Blu-Ray), and what major release they fall under (going by the box set name). Most are generally available individually as well:

The Lodger (1927) - Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Easy Virtue (1928 ) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The Ring (1927) - The Early Years (Lionsgate), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The Farmer's Wife (1928 ) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Champagne (1928 ) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The Manxman (1929) - The Early Years (Lionsgate), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Blackmail (Sound Version) (1929) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Juno and the Paycock (1930) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Murder! (1930) - The Early Years (Lionsgate)

The Skin Game (1931) - The Early Years (Lionsgate), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Number Seventeen (1932) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Rich and Strange (1932) - The Early Years (Lionsgate), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The 39 Steps (1935) - Criterion (Criterion), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Secret Agent (1936) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Sabotage (1936) - Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Young and Innocent (1937) - Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

The Lady Vanishes (1938 ) - Criterion (Criterion), Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Jamaica Inn (1939) - Public Domain (Mill Creek Entertainment, St. Clair Vision)

Rebecca (1940) - Criterion (Criterion), Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM)

Foreign Correspondent (1940) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Suspicion (1941) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Saboteur (1942) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Lifeboat (1944) - Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM)

Spellbound (1945) - Criterion (Criterion), Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM)

Notorious (1946) - Criterion (Criterion), Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM)

The Paradine Case (1947) - Premiere Collection (20th Century Fox/MGM)

Rope (1948 ) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Under Capricorn (1949) - Image (Image Entertainment)

Stage Fright (1950) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Strangers on a Train (1951) - Signature Collection (Warner)

I Confess (1953) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Dial M for Murder (1954) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Rear Window (1954) - Masterpiece Collection, Legacy Series (Universal)

To Catch a Thief (1955) - Paramount Collection, Special Collector's Edition, Centennial Collection (Paramount)

The Trouble with Harry (1955) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

The Wrong Man (1956) - Signature Collection (Warner)

Vertigo (1958 ) - Masterpiece Collection, Legacy Series (Universal)

North by Northwest (1959) - Signature Collection, Anniversary Edition, Blu-Ray (Warner)

Psycho (1960) - Masterpiece Collection, Legacy Series, Blu-Ray (Universal)

The Birds (1963) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Marnie (1964) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Torn Curtain (1966) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Topaz (1969) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Frenzy (1972) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Family Plot (1976) - Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

albert

[Escapay]

As for which Hitchcock movies to recommend, here's my list of favorites, in chronological order:

Rebecca (1940)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Notorious (1946)
Stage Fright (1950)
I Confess (1953)
Rear Window (1954)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
Vertigo (1958 )
North by Northwest (1959)
The Birds (1963)

albert

[MJW]

Rear Window (1954)

I'm looking forward to the day we see this on Blu-ray!

[PeterPanfan]

Wow, thanks so much Scaps!

I think I'll be buying the Masterpiece and Premeire collections soon!

[jpanimation]

Also, which of his films are available on Blu-Ray and do you recommend them?

In America, only North by Northwest and Psycho are available on Blu (Birds will be coming out sometime this year). I recommend both of them (they look absolutely stellar).

[Jungleprince_55]

Can anyone tell me if the Premiere Collection has been corrected yet? I've held off buying it since it was released because of the numerous reviews on Amazon saying it was of horrible quality and several of the discs wouldn't play. I've never seen many of the films in this set and have been looking forward to getting it but not if I can't even play them correctly.

[my chicken is infected]

This is a decent budget set of Hitchcock's pre-Hollywood films, plus a few episodes of the TV series. The transfers aren't quite Criterion quality, although a few are better than you'd expect, but it's a pretty good collection for the cost. Got it for Christmas a few years back. Should be easy to find - I always see copies at Wal Mart for $5.

[Jungleprince_55]

Yes I have that set also, It's pretty good for $5. I mainly want the Premiere collection for Spellbound, Rebecca, & Notorious, although I wouldn't mind having the rest of those other movies with better transfers & the nice packaging. I waited forever for that set to come out since I could never afford the Criterion discs, only to hear that most of the discs were defective.

[Jungleprince_55]

I've thought about just getting the 3 titles I want from the Premiere collection in their stand-alone editions, But I'd still like to find out if they've been fixed first before I pay money for them.

As for the rest of my Hitchcock collection, Here's what I currently own:

The Legend Begins Set
The Masterpiece Collection Box Set
Lifeboat
Strangers on a Train
Dial M for Murder
North By Northwest
To Catch a Thief

My personal favorite is Strangers on a Train.

[Escapay]

I've thought about just getting the 3 titles I want from the Premiere collection in their stand-alone editions, But I'd still like to find out if they've been fixed first before I pay money for them.

The standalone editions are fine, it's only the discs in the Premiere Collection that were faulty. IIRC, it had something to do with both the packaging and the discs made specifically for the box set. It surely would be corrected by now, the set came out in 2008.

albert

[Cordy_Biddle]

A very comprehensive guide, Scaps. I've recently started introducing my younger brother (who isn't really a "classic movie" person AT ALL) to the works of Hitchcock. Started out with "Vertigo", and screened "Rear Window" for him last Saturday. Thinking of maybe "The Man Who Knew Too Much" as the next title, keeping with the Jimmy Stewarts's as a first stepping stone.

I'm longing for the day when we'll have all the great 50's Hitchcock titles on Blu. Especially "To Catch a Thief", "Rear Window" (Grace Kelly in HD!), and "Vertigo".