Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

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domino harvey
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#126 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:14 pm

The Trouble With Harry is one joke that's not very funny retold over and over for two hours and shot like it was made for TV. At the risk of derailing the thread, To Catch a Thief is for me easily his best film.

Haggai
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#127 Post by Haggai » Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:17 pm

I've never been a fan of Trouble With Harry, but it does seem to be well-liked among most Hitch fans, as far as I've always been able to tell (well, maybe not domino!). I like Lifeboat quite a bit, although it is pretty hammy at times, and I can see why it's not everyone's cup of tea.

I think To Catch a Thief is a bit sillier and more nonsensical than it needed to be, but my estimation for it grew thanks to the upgraded transfer on the most recent DVD release. It really is a stunningly great film just to look at.

If there's any Hitch film that could possibly be considered "underrated" that I'll always stand by, it's Foreign Correspondent. There's a lot of ridiculous stuff in it, even for a Hitchcock chase film, plus at least one egregious plot device that's hard to forgive (the "double" for the ambassador), but I'll be damned if I don't love almost every minute of it each time I see it.

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Svevan
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#128 Post by Svevan » Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:19 pm

domino harvey wrote:At the risk of derailing the thread, To Catch a Thief is for me easily his best film.
I'd like to start a new thread just to discuss what you could possibly mean by that.

I'll agree that the film is under-discussed, but it is certainly not under-appreciated by Hitchcock fans and psuedo-scholars, something that I just don't get.

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domino harvey
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#129 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:19 pm

The last twenty minutes or so of Foreign Correspondent are genius, certainly the ballsiest tonal shift of Hitchcock's career.

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tryavna
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#130 Post by tryavna » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:14 pm

domino harvey wrote:The last twenty minutes or so of Foreign Correspondent are genius, certainly the ballsiest tonal shift of Hitchcock's career.
Amen!

To me, Foreign Correspondent is the closest Hitch ever got to reproducing his British style/tone in Hollywood (in the same sort of way that Lang did in Hangmen Also Die). Since I love Hitch's more glib British films, Foreign Correspondent holds a special place in my heart. Plus, it's got both Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwenn as baddies!

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HerrSchreck
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#131 Post by HerrSchreck » Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:02 am

Wait a minute. H Marshall and G Sanders are in the same movie? Is Tim Conway there too?

Aristocratic Baritone Olympics!

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tryavna
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#132 Post by tryavna » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:57 am

HerrSchreck wrote:Wait a minute. H Marshall and G Sanders are in the same movie? Is Tim Conway there too?

Aristocratic Baritone Olympics!
I know you meant Sanders' brother Tom Conway, Schreck. But the typo is hilarious. Tim Conway may have his own special genius, but an "aristocratic baritone" he certainly ain't!

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George Kaplan
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#133 Post by George Kaplan » Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:14 am

davidhare wrote:The only distinguished baritone to remain unmentioned is Lauren Bacall.
Ahem, distinguished baritone! Like Joan Greenwood.

Daliah Lavi
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#134 Post by Daliah Lavi » Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:41 am

Dear all,

May I draw your attention to my post on this thread regarding the US censor cuts to Psycho...

We'd be most grateful if someone, could check their current 16x9 R1 edition to see if the footage as highlighted here Has in fact been restored?

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ianthemovie
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#135 Post by ianthemovie » Sat Dec 26, 2009 2:29 pm

Is this box set now obsolete? I got this as a Christmas gift and am contemplating selling it, as I already own nearly all of these films in what appear to me to be comparable or superior editions. The Legacy editions of Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho are as good or better than the editions here; I already own what appear to be are identical versions of Man Who Knew Too Much, Rope, and Frenzy (released singly after this box came out); and these look to be the exact same prints of Shadow of a Doubt, The Birds, and Marnie from way back in 2000 or whenever Universal first put them out with no visible improvement or restoration work.

I don't own the other five films and am tempted to keep this set just for that reason, but it seems pointless to hang on to a huge box of discs that are no better than the ones I already own just for the sake of Trouble with Harry and Saboteur. Any reason why I should hang on to this? Are the prints of any of these films so good that they're worth keeping? Basically, unless the prints of The Birds, Marnie, and Shadow of a Doubt are better than the original editions from c. 2000, I don't see any real reason to keep this box, and according to the comparisons on Beaver they look the same.

videozor
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#136 Post by videozor » Sat Dec 26, 2009 3:31 pm

The only reason to keep it is the remastered disk of The Birds and the disk of suppliments that actually includes the documentary related to this film (was on the same disk as the movie in the original issue) and some other extras.

Had they released The Birds as a 2-discer in the Legacy series (as Rear Window, Vertigo and Psycho) or on a new single disk (as all the rest from the box) the box would be osolite, since this movie is the only one never re-issued.

I would myself appriciate somebody updating on the Universal's plans about The Birds re-issue...

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Finch
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#137 Post by Finch » Sat Dec 26, 2009 6:08 pm

Also, the Legacy reissue of Vertigo does not have the mono soundtrack while the disc in the set does.

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ianthemovie
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#138 Post by ianthemovie » Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:44 am

Thanks...sorting out all of these editions can be confusing. I also checked out the screenshot comparisons on the HitchcockWiki, and the editions of The Birds and Marnie in this box do appear to be noticeably superior in color and sharpness to the previous editions from c. 2000, especially Marnie. They are still not perfect but they appear to be the best that we've got for now. So I guess I will hang on to this box, after all...plus, I'll now have Saboteur and The Trouble With Harry (along with Family Plot, Torn Curtain, and Topaz, but those don't mean much to me). I just wish that we could actually get definitive editions of these films that would settle these comparison issues. Maybe on Blu-ray?

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mfunk9786
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#139 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:49 am

Universal has been the most scattershot and misguided major studio so far, Blu-wise. So I wouldn't expect any of these films in Blu-Ray anytime soon. Kind of a blessing in disguise, considering their awful menu design they currently use for every one of their Blu-Ray releases.

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#140 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Sun Dec 27, 2009 2:27 am

mfunk9786 wrote:Universal has been the most scattershot and misguided major studio so far, Blu-wise. So I wouldn't expect any of these films in Blu-Ray anytime soon. Kind of a blessing in disguise, considering their awful menu design they currently use for every one of their Blu-Ray releases.
When the HD format war ended, they were stuck with the losing team and had to scramble to make an attempt to get into the Blu-Ray market. They don't seem to want to dip their toes into their classic film catalog and put any out on Blu-Ray.

Those menus are very ugly though. Plus it's irritating that each Universal disc installs information into my PS3 harddrive.

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Tom Hagen
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#141 Post by Tom Hagen » Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:34 pm

If I recall correctly, wasn't part of the delay in a reissued single release of The Birds related to a planned (and possibly now shelved) big budget remake?

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Arkadin
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#142 Post by Arkadin » Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:19 pm

actually it appears that "Psycho" is coming in April on celebration of the 50th anniversary.
there is a report on blu-ray.com of a listing for a bd coming to Holland through Universal on April 26th.
so a US release would be at the same time, as there is now way only Holland would get this film for its 50th anniversary.

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whaleallright
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#143 Post by whaleallright » Sat Jun 02, 2018 7:49 pm

so last year Universal released, in North America, something called "Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Collection" which appears to essentially be a repackaging of the "Masterpiece Collection" with some added discs comprising assorted episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

two questions for folks here:
1) Does this set have any other differences, in terms of the actual copies of the films on Blu-Ray, with the earlier set, or am I right that it is mostly a repackaging?
2) Does the UK version of the "Masterpiece Collection" set have the same packaging issues as the US version discussed above? or is this a relatively "safe" buy?

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tenia
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#144 Post by tenia » Sun Jun 03, 2018 4:49 am

1) Most certainly a repack. They're the same discs worldwide, save for some movies being included or not (depending on the rightholders and the possible deal with them - NxNW is included in the US set, not in the UK one) and some soundtracks (I believe Psycho does not always come with its original mono track everywhere).
2) I have the UK set and it is indeed a big digipack using sleeves to hold the discs. It doesn't have problems but I suppose that it can, since it's pretty much the same packaging than in the US.

Jonathan S
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Re: Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

#145 Post by Jonathan S » Sun Jun 03, 2018 6:31 am

The UK set can also be purchased in two separate collections (numbered Vol.1 & 2) which come in standard plastic cases holding 7 discs each. Being chronologically arranged (except for Psycho and Vertigo), this is also handy for those wishing to avoid the controversial transfers of some of the later films included in Vol. 2. At the time I bought these, it was also cheaper than buying the cardboard-packaged full set.

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