drindustrial

Hi everyone,

I have been going through my Alfred Hitchcock collection and have been trying to figure out what I don't have versus what is currently available and worth getting, and I have extra motivation because of the DDD 20% off sale. Here is what I currently own:

TV Series:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Complete 1st Season (1955-1956)

Movies:

39 Steps, The - The Criterion Collection (1935)
Lady Vanishes, The - The Criterion Collection (1938)
Rebecca - The Criterion Collection (1940)
Foreign Correspondent (1940) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Suspicion (1941) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Saboteur - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1942)
Shadow of a Doubt - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1943)
Lifeboat - Special Edition (1944)
Spellbound - The Criterion Collection (1945)
Notorious - The Criterion Collection (1946)
Rope - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1948)
Stage Fright (1950) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Strangers on a Train - Two-Disc Special Edition (1951) (from Signature Collection boxset)
I Confess (1953) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Dial M for Murder (1954) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Rear Window - Collector's Edition - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1954)
Trouble with Harry, The - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1955)
Wrong Man, The (1956) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Man Who Knew Too Much, The - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1956)
Vertigo - Collector's Edition - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1958)
North by Northwest (1959) (from Signature Collection boxset)
Psycho - Collector's Edition - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1960)
Birds, The - Collector's Edition - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1963)
Marnie - Collector's Edition - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1964)
Torn Curtain - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1966)
Topaz - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1969)
Frenzy - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1972)
Family Plot - The Alfred Hitchcock Collection (1976)

The ones listed as "from Signature Collection boxset" came in the boxset released by Warner. The ones labeled "The Alfred Hitchcock Collection" come from Volumes 1 and 2 released by Universal (which I believe are now out of print and have been replaced with the new Remastered Masterpiece Collection boxset). I have all the Criterions as well as one that has been released independently (Lifeboat SE).

My understanding is that there is a total of 50 movies, leaving the following 21 not in my current collection:

The Lodger (1926 - Silent)
The Ring (1927 - Silent)
Easy Virtue (1927 - Silent)
Champagne (1928 - Silent)
The Farmer's Wife (1928 - Silent)
Manxman (1929)
Blackmail (1929)
Juno and the Paycock (1930)
Murder! (1930)
Skin Game (1931)
Rich and Strange (1932)
Number 17 (1932)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Secret Agent (1936)
Sabotage (1936)
Young and Innocent (1937)
Jamaica Inn (1939)
Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache (1944)
The Paradine Case (1947)
Under Capricorn (1949)
To Catch a Thief (1955)

It seems that the Image version of Under Capricorn has gotten pretty decent reviews, so it seems like it may be worth picking up. The Masterpiece Collection did not add any new titles to the fray.

So, besides Under Capricorn, are any of the other movies available in a DVD actually worth getting? For those that aren't, does anyone know if they are slated to come out any time soon on DVD? Also, what are people's opinions of the remastered Masterpiece Collection? Are any of the DVDs in there a worthwhile upgrade over the original Universal Hitchcock Collection version? If so, are any of them available individually, or must they all be purchased as part of the box set?

Also, they were several more seasons of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Any word on more of the seasons being released?

Thanks!
David

garmonbozia

These have good dvd releases that are better than the rest of the remaining public domain titles:


Jamaica Inn (1939) - The KINO release is a little expensive but well worth it.
Bon Voyage & Aventure Malgache (1944) - Image release.
The Paradine Case (1947) - OOP Anchor Bay release. get it if you can find it.
Under Capricorn (1949) - Image release.
To Catch a Thief (1955) - Paramount release. (probably the most important one you are missing)

I would definitely get those four (5 if you can find Paradine Case anywhere).
as for all the other public domain titles out on cheap dvds....I used to own them all, but I sold them and am hoping for something better. Some of them are good, some of them are a real chore to sit through. The only one I really miss owning is the original 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' which I prefer over the remake, even though Hitchcock did not. Secret Agent and Sabotage were really good as well, and Murder and Blackmail are well worth watching.