Sir Alfred Hitchcock was born in London just before the turn of the century and lived until he was 80 years old. Over his lifetime he became a prolific filmmaker with over 50 feature film directorial credits to his name and is generally known as the "Master of Suspense". His movies garnered an impressive 46 Oscar nominations with 6 wins and his film career spanned over six decades. This month Universal Pictures has decided to honor Hitchcock by offering The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection 4K Blu-ray. This set, which hits stores this week, includes four of his best-known films: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds.
From the very beginning of his career, Hitchcock utilized a technique of shooting scenes using camera movements to mimic one's gaze, therefore making the viewer feel as if they were a part of the film rather than just a spectator. This allowed him to frame shots in such a way as to maximize anxiety and fear in the audience. His signature style is part of his legacy and is extremely apparent in the four films featured in this set.
In Rear Window, L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stewart; Vertigo) is a professional photographer with a broken leg who ends up spending his days gazing out his rear window into the courtyard and apartment complex on the other side while recuperating. He notices several singles, some middle-aged couples, and a traveling salesman with an invalid wife. After witnessing the salesman making several trips with a suitcase late one night, Jeff notices his wife is gone and suspects the salesman killed her. He then spends the next few weeks, with the assistance of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly; Dial M for Murder), proving the salesman is a murderer.
The second film in this collection, Vertigo, also stars Stewart, this time with Kim Novak (Bell Book and Candle). Stewart plays a police officer forced into early retirement after an incident while on duty causes him to develop an extreme fear of heights and vertigo. However, when a friend asks him to "tale" his wife because he fears she is in danger, the police officer finds a web of deceit and lies that sends him spiraling down into depression and an obsession.
Film number three is the classic horror film, often considered to be one of the first "slasher" movies, Psycho. This time Anthony Perkins (Friendly Persuasion) and Janet Leigh (The Manchurian Candidate) star, with the former portraying a disturbed man who murdered his mother ten years earlier and has been pretending to be her, even talking to her, ever since. The 4K disc in this pack offers two versions of the film - the one most often seen, edited for television and home video release, and the original, uncut version. This movie, unlike the others, also spawned sequels and a television show.
The fourth and final movie is The Birds starring Tippi Hedren (Marnie). The movie centers around several inexplicable bird attacks in Bodega Bay and what the townspeople must do in order to flee from the winged animals. Interestingly, Hedren spoke publicly years later about Hitchcock's mistreatment of her while filming.
The digipack includes a wonderful disc book that is a great compliment to the films. Meanwhile, each 4K disc has its own set of extras, listed here:
BONUS FEATURES ON REAR WINDOW 4K ULTRA HD:
- Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary
- A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes
- Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of The Master
- Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
- Hitchcock/Truffaut - In 1962, filmmaker François Truffaut, aided by his translator and associate, Helen G. Scott, spent numerous hours interviewing Alfred Hitchcock for his book, Hitchcock. The audio recording of those interviews provides the soundtrack to this montage of film clips and stills, giving audiences a deeper insight into one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces.
- Masters of Cinema
- Production Photographs
- Theatrical Trailer
- Re-release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart
- Feature Commentary with John Fawell, Author of "Hitchcock's Rear Window: The Well-Made Film"
BONUS FEATURES ON VERTIGO 4K ULTRA HD:
- Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece
- Partners In Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
- Saul Bass: Title Champ
- Edith Head: Dressing the Master's Movies
- Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
- Alma: The Master's Muse
- Foreign Censorship Ending
- Hitchcock/Truffaut - In 1962, filmmaker François Truffaut, aided by his translator and associate, Helen G. Scott, spent numerous hours interviewing Alfred Hitchcock for his book, "Hitchcock." The audio recording of those interviews provides the soundtrack to this montage of film clips and stills, giving audiences a deeper insight into one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces.
- Feature Commentary with Film Director William Friedkin
- Theatrical Trailer
- Restoration Theatrical Trailer
- 100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
BONUS FEATURES ON PSYCHO 4K ULTRA HD:
- The Making of Psycho
- Psycho Sound
- In The Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
- Hitchcock/Truffaut - "In 1962, filmmaker François Truffaut, aided by his translator and associate, Helen G. Scott, spent numerous hours interviewing Alfred Hitchcock for his book, "Hitchcock". The audio recording of those interviews provides the soundtrack to this montage of film clips and stills, giving audiences a deeper insight into one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces.
- Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho
- The Shower Scene: with and without Music
- The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass
- The Psycho Archives
- Posters and Psycho Ads
- Lobby Cards
- Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
- Production Photographs
- Psycho Theatrical Trailers
- Psycho Re-release Trailer
- Feature Commentary with Stephen Rebello, author of "Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho"
BONUS FEATURES ON THE BIRDS 4K ULTRA HD:
- The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
- All About The Birds
- Tippi Hedren's Screen Test
- Deleted Scene
- The Original Ending
- Hitchcock/Truffaut - In 1962, filmmaker François Truffaut, aided by his translator and associate, Helen G. Scott, spent numerous hours interviewing Alfred Hitchcock for his book, "Hitchcock." Viewers can listen to excerpts from their discussion of The Birds.
- The Birds is coming (Universal International Newsreel)
- Suspense Story: National Press Club hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)
- Theatrical Trailer
- 100 Years of Universal: Restoring The Classics
- 100 Years of Universal: The Lot
The 4K presentation works better for some of the films over others. While Vertigo and Psycho definitely gain a sharper picture quality with the 4K transfer, the same cannot be said for The Birds and Rear Window. The audio, likewise, is a mixed bag with the films presented in DTS-HD Master audio 2.0 mono. Unfortunately, this set up doesn't make for the best audio experience.
Hitchcock was a master whose work has been celebrated for years and will continue to be for a long time. For anyone who is a fan, this collection of 4 of his best films is a must-have.
Grade: A-
Pick up a copy of this wonderful Alfred Hitchcock 4K collection from Amazon.com
