For you Hitchcock fans out there I am sure you already own your very own copies of such films as Psycho, Rear Window, The Birds and Vertigo, so to hear another collection of DVDs is being released and those films are included may be a bit disheartening. After all who wants to buy another copy of a DVD they already own? Fortunately this collection boasts one major upgrade, completely digitally remastered video. A better looking picture on a Hitchcock film is hard to ignore, and trust me; it is a noticeable difference from Universal's Collector's Editions that were released back in 2000.
I personally own the Collector's Edition version of Rear Window and I have taken a screen grab from both that edition and the new 2005 edition for you to use to compare the pictures, and like I said, it is noticeable. To take a peek at the pictures just click here or on the IMAGES button to the right and another window will open with the comparison pictures. AMAZING, isn't it?
Just imagine 14 Hitchcock films, all digitally remastered and accompanied by their very own special features. There are over 14 hours of bonus material in this collection, which includes 14 documentaries, nine featurettes, commentaries, interviews, a look at Hitch as he is awarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, an 80 minute feature on the making of The Birds and another massive feature on Psycho. All in all, this 15 disc collection is as it says, "the definitive Hitchcock collection."
You can see a complete list of movies to the right, and while some of these are not considered Hitchcock classics there is not a single one of them I would not watch again. The greatest finds in this set, besides the obvious, are Shadow of a Doubt, Rope and The Trouble with Harry.
Shadow of a Doubt is easily my second favorite Hitchcock film after Rear Window. It has a healthy dose of suspense and intrigue, but more importantly some of the most intelligent humor you are going to find in a movie. The dialogue between Hume Cronyn as Herbie Hawkins and Henry Travers as Joseph Newton is priceless as they discuss ways to kill one another throughout the feature; it had me laughing out loud the entire time.
As for Rope, which may seem like an odd choice to some, my interest in this one wasn't peaked until after I watched the featurette on the disc. I can't necessarily go into it because it may ruin the film for some of you, but let's just say I had to watch it again from a new set of eyes.
The Trouble with Harry is a bit off the beaten path for Hitchcock, this one really caught my interest because it is a far better attempt at humor than the other comedy of his I have seen, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Harry is a dark comedy with dark characters, but there is an air about it and Hitchcock's approach to the material is far more subtle than was the humor in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I thought it was a major improvement, and considering it was made over 14 years after Smith, it makes a lot of sense that he would have honed his comedic skills.
Besides the fact that this collection is filled with several of Hitchcock's best works, the packaging treatment Universal has done for this set is out of this world!
All 15 discs come encased in a box coated in burgundy velvet; the box can be opened by pulling on a cloth tab on the front, which opens a door, which can then be slid back inside the case. Once inside you will notice a bookshelf looking set up with four cases all holding the 15 discs. Also inside is a collectible booklet that details all 14 films in the collection giving you trivia and tidbits on each. This is a collection that will standout in any collection, but then again when did the Hitchcock silhouette not grab attention, and it is prominently featured on the outside of this case.
Everything you have come to love about Hitchcock is explored in this set, and a true Hitchcock fan would be hard pressed to make a complaint. For those of you that bought Warner Bros. Signature Collection last year around this very same time you are going to be happy to place this one next to it. Just beware, the packaging may be a bit intimidating to your other DVDs. Nevertheless, display it prominently.