Alfred Hitchcock: The Essential Collection [DVD]

Description

Includes Rear Window, Psycho, The Birds and Vertigo . Rear Window : When professional photographer J.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbours play out across the courtyard. When he suspects a salesman may have murdered his nagging wife, Jeffries enlists the help of his glamorous socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to investigate the highly suspicious chain of events that lead to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history. Subtitles: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish Psycho : Anthony Perkins stars in Alfred Hitchcock’s landmark masterpiece as the troubled Norman Bates whose old dark house and adjoining motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. Janet Leigh plays Marion Crane, the ill-fated traveller whose journey ends in the notorious “shower scene.” Horror and suspense mount to a terrifying climax where the mysterious killer is finally revealed after both Marion’s sister and a private detective search for her. Subtitles: English SDH, Dutch, Swedish The Birds : As beautiful blonde Melanie Daniels (‘Tippi’ Hedren) rolls into Bodega Bay in pursuit of eligible bachelor Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), she is inexplicably attacked by a seagull. Suddenly thousands of birds are flocking into town, preying on school-children and residents in a terrifying series of attacks. Soon Mitch and Melanie are fighting for their lives against a deadly force that can’t be explained and can’t be stopped in one of Hollywood’s most horrific films of nature gone berserk. Subtitles: English SDH, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish Vertigo : Set in San Francisco, James Stewart portrays an acrophobic detective hired to trail a friend’s suicidal wife (Kim Novak). After he successfully rescues her from a leap into the bay, he finds himself becoming obsessed with the beautifully troubled woman. One of cinema’s most chilling romantic endeavours – this film is a must for collectors. Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finish, Czech, Slovak, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Polish Review: Excellent Box Set - Great Value for Money - As Box Sets and "Essential Collections" go, this one is right up there with the very best. The four films included are all fantastic, the DVDs are excellent, each comes in its own case and each is jam packed with extra features including making of featurettes, cast and crew interviews and restoration documentaries. I got an awful lot more than I was expecting and I loved watching it all. My two favourites among the films are Rear Window and Vertigo, and as it happens, both are presented in a stunning restored version in the original aspect ratio. The Birds has nice picture quality and vibrant colours, but unfortunately is presented in a cropped 1.33 : 1 format. It's not a huge problem for me, but fans of this particular film may be disappointed. The bonus material about this film is, however, particularly interesting. Psycho is in black and white, the picture quality is serviceable, the sound is good, aspect ratio is the original 1.85 : 1. Review: Quintessential Hitchcock - After studying Psycho for my film A-Level, I realized I'd committed something of a film sin ... I'd never watched a Hitchcock film. To put things right, I bought the appropriately named Essential Alfred Hitchcock Collection. In the set, you get four of his most iconic and successful films: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds. I won't go into too much detail about each one individually, as there's little I could say that hasn't already been said (and said better than I could ever put it). However, if I had to choose a favourite, it has to be Psycho - a film that truly earns it iconic status, has aged phenomenally well, and is a masterclass of filmmaking. Meanwhile, The Birds proves why Hitchcock is called "The Master Of Suspense", and after a lot of entertaining, suspenseful build-up, he lets loose with surprisingly brutal and unexplained bird attacks. Rear Window makes for absorbing viewing, and sees the return of this same suspense while also tapping into and satisfying our subconscious desire to see and know about the affairs of others. Vertigo ends up becoming a plot shrouded in mystery, twists and thrills, and while I'd argue it's probably the weakest of the four films, it's still an amazing feat of filmmaking, with a flawless final act. If you've never watched anything from Hitchcock, as was the case with me, then this is probably the best start you could ask for, and you get four brilliant films in a nicely-presented box set.