A Box Set Made To Thrill. (Alfred Hitchcock (14 DVDs))

Member Name: Mauri

Product:	Alfred Hitchcock (14 DVDs)
Date:	30/06/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good collection of films, good extra features, Very good price.

Disadvantages: Flimsy outer packaging, Some classic films missing

You could make a very good case for saying Alfred Hitchcock is the greatest British filmmaker there has ever been, with a career spanning more than 50 years and having made 67 feature films producing a definitive collection of the best of his work is going to be an almost impossible task. This collection tries to do just that and at the very least whilst not being definitive of his extraordinary mass of work does represent a good cross-section of his filmmaking career.

THE FILMS

The box set includes the following films

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

As we can see from the list it is an eclectic mixture of some early but mostly later films, indeed from 'Psycho' onwards none of his films are left out. Considering Hitchcock's lengthy output over the years there have to be some notable exceptions to the list and I have to admit that some of my favourite Hitchcock movies are missing. We don't get classics such as 'The 39 Steps' (1935), 'Rebecca' (1940), 'Spellbound' (1945), 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), 'Dial M for Murder' (1954), 'To Catch a Thief' (1955) or 'North by Northwest' (1959). The ones we do get though are of a high enough standard to make up for the absentees.

Among those includes are some of his best acclaimed and most popular films, indeed 'Psycho', 'Rear Window', 'Rope' and 'Vertigo' are all groundbreaking in their own way due to their technical aspects and the unusual subject matter. Hitchcock was always exploring new ways to use the camera he wanted to be more inventive in the use of lighting, viewing angles, sound and set production to push the limits of filmmaking to the limits of their time. He was a true artist in this respect and these films give the viewer a taste of why he was so renowned and respected amongst fellow filmmakers and general audiences alike. In rope his use of real time to explore the story and the absence of cuts in the filming give the film a peculiar intense feel matching the macabre events in the plot. Psycho uses the soundtrack and close up and cutaway to great effect and single-handedly 'invented' the slasher horror movie managing to create real suspense and fear without using graphic violence or gore. 'Rear Window' is a triumph of set design and only a masterful storyteller like Hitchcock could produce such a suspenseful thriller set in a single room with its leading man being confined to a wheelchair throughout.

I don't intend to do a full review of all the films in this opinion I will concentrate instead on describing the overall virtues of the collection. I will say that the overall quality of the films included is very high. If the list of films I mentioned above can be considered 'top draw' Hitchcock there rest are not far behind.

'The Birds' is another classic adapted from Daphne Du Maurer's short story it managed to shock audiences when it first came out and could also be said to have created or at least popularised another film genre that where 'nature goes bad' and the public image of crows is still suffering!

'Saboteur' and 'Shadow of a Doubt' take us back to Hitchcock early days using sound (he of course had a long spell making silent films) and even these two early examples show off his talent for trying the unusual in every aspect of his filmmaking.

'Frenzy' is probably Hitchcock's best film of his later period. It is a brutal story of a serial killer in 70's London and is quite disturbing in its portrayal of the victim's deaths. Some stunning use of the camera make this once again a late period classic which pushed at the boundaries of accepted taste in that era.

'The Trouble with Harry' is an odd film combining comedy, a very dark 'Hitchcockian' type comedy with a murder mystery. It sits strangely amongst the rest of the choices but still is worth watching. Even the later and truth be told less successful offerings by his own high standards 'Marnie', 'Torn Curtain', 'Topaz' and 'Family Plot' all have aspects which make them commendable entries into any collection. My least favourite film in the box set is 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' which is actually a remake of a film Hitchcock had made in his early days. I find the overacting of Doris Day in one of the leading role quite annoying as is the overuse of the song 'Que sera sera' but even here the storyline is intriguing and James Stewart's performance as the doctor embroiled in a assassination plot is as always top class. James Stewart was a regular for Hitchcock and starred in quite a few films which are all included in this collection. The others are 'Rope', 'Rear Window' and Vertigo.

So overall the choice of films whilst not being perfect is fairly good and has enough variety for any uninitiated viewer to get a great introduction to Hitchcock.

THE EXTRAS

This is where this box set really comes into its own. Although described as a 14 disc box set it really has 15 discs since Psycho comes with an extra disc full of special features. The bonus disc is called the Legacy of Hitchcock and includes two documentaries 'Masters of Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock' and 'American Film Institute Salute to Alfred Hitchcock' both of which are worth watching to gain some general background to the film and to Hitchcock.

In fact there is a good deal of bonus material included in this box set. Apart from the extra disc in the psycho sleeve each disc as along with the main feature a selection of extras. Each film comes with at least a featurette on the making of the film and we also other bonus bits.

Saboteur- A Closer Look at the Making Of Saboteur + Storyboards and Hitchcock Sketches.

Shadow Of A Doubt-Beyond Doubt, The Making Of Hitchcock's Favourite Film + Production Drawings.

Rope- Rope Unleashed, the Making Of Rope+ Trailer Compilation.

Rear Window- Making of Rear Window, Rear Window Ethics: Remembering & Restoring a Hitchcock Classic and Trailer Compilation.

The Trouble With Harry- The Trouble With Harry Isn't Over: The Making Of The Trouble With Harry+ Trailer Compilation.

The Man Who Knew Too Much- The Making Of The Man Who Knew Too Much + Trailer Compilation.

Vertigo- Obsessed with Vertigo, Feature Commentary, Cast And Filmmakers, Production Notes.

Psycho- (extra disc) Masters of Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock, American Film Institute Salute to Alfred Hitchcock+ Production Notes+ Cast and Filmmakers+ Theatrical Trailers+ Art Gallery.

The Birds- All About The Birds - Making of the birds, Tippi Hedren's Screen Test, Universal News Reel Stories x 2, Storyboard Sequence+ Deleted Scene (Script Pages), Alternative Ending (Sketches & Storyboards), Production Photographs.

Marnie- The Trouble with Marnie - Making Of Marnie+ Production Photographs.

Torn Curtain- Torn Curtain Rising, The Making Of Torn Curtain+ Scenes Scored By Composer Bernard Herrmann.

Topaz-An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin, The Making of Topaz + 3 Alternative endings, Storyboards, Production Photographs.

Frenzy- The Story of Frenzy, the Making of Frenzy.

Family Plot- Plotting Family Plot, the Making of Family Plot + Storyboards.

I must admit I like all this! Plenty of extras to go along with a meaty box set are always welcomed especially when they are worth watching which the majority of these are. Especially interesting were the alternative endings to some of the films and the featurettes on 'The Birds' where we find out how some of the most famous scenes were set up and the featurette for 'Rear Window' which has some nice insights in to how the overall look of the film was achieved.

OVERALL

This is good compilation of a fairly representative cross section of Hitchcock's work especially the later years. The bonus material is generous and the restoration of the films has produced crystal clear images, bright colours and good quality soundtrack.

The presentation of the box set is only flaw I can find. Each film is packed in smart looking slim DVD sleeve with details of the films on it but the whole collection is packed in a thin and flimsy cardboard holder sliding into another thin cardboard cover. It won't take long before the outer case starts to tear with the sliding forwards and backwards as you open up the box to get to the film. A sturdier outer cover would've have made all the difference. Despite this minor shortfall and the exclusion of a few of my favourite films 'North by North West' and 'Spellbound' this box set is a good item for any Hitchcock fan to own. Once you take into account that you can find it massively discounted (over £70 discount when I bought it!) and this becomes a 'must buy for any serious film fan.

The only problem I can see for the real film buff is that once you have had this taster of Hitchcock you will want more and there aren't the compatible follow up collections to buy without including some of the same films again.

The overall classification is 18 although only one of the films 'Frenzy' has that rating most are 12 or 15. The total run time 1605 minutes (ASIN: B000BND224)

I bought my box set from Amazon for only £16.98(!) down from a RRP of £89.99. A bargain.

Recommended.

© Mauri 2009

Summary: A very good 'value for money' box set.