Blu-ray Review: Stunning Restorations in ‘Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection’

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“The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956)

True Hitchcock historians will get into heated debates about which version of “The Man Who Knew Too Much” is superior (and the 1934 version is soon to be released in a Criterion Blu-ray and DVD which we will likely review here) but I’ve always preferred the Stewart/Day version, a fascinating product of its time. With this version, Hitch wonderfully holds up a funhouse mirror to the family bliss so often presented in ’50s cinema, turning the modern family upside down across one of his more bizarre adventures. The twisted sensibility that would inform his next few films is really starting to come through here in a movie that could have been a relatively straightforward thriller but is anything but, especially in HD.

Special Features:
o The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much
o Production Photographs
o Theatrical Trailer

“Vertigo” (1958)

The best movie ever made. I’ve been saying it for years and the recent Sight & Sound poll agreed, picking the film as the best in movie history. I watch “Vertigo” once every year or two and I get more out of it every time. And as cliched as this sounds, I never got quite as much out of it as I did the first time I got to see it in HD in this set. It’s a fascinating film thematically but HD really brings out the visual experience of “Vertigo,” particularly Hitch’s use of color — that green dress, blonde hair, blue water — and shadow. I adore “Vertigo” and its HD upgrade alone makes this one of the best Blu-ray sets of the year. The special features are also some of the best of the set. Check out the foreign censorship ending that determined that the original conclusion was too dark and tacked on a ridiculous coda.

Special Features:
o Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life For Hitchcock’s Masterpiece
o Partners in Crime: Hitchcock’s Collaborators
o Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview Excerpts
o Foreign Censorship Ending
o The Vertigo Archives
o Feature Commentary with Director William Friedkin
o 100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
o Theatrical Trailer
o Restoration Theatrical Trailer

“North by Northwest” (1959)

When someone says the name Alfred Hitchcock, people generally think of one of his most timeless set pieces — the shower in “Psycho” probably comes to mind more often than any other but the crop duster scene in “NxNW” is probably a close second. And Mt. Rushmore isn’t far behind. “North by Northwest” is one of only two releases in this set to already have a Blu-ray edition and it was a beautiful one but those of you who already own this great flick in HD can be happy to know that this is certainly not a downgrade from the stand-alone edition.

Special Features:
o Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest
o North by Northwest: One For the Ages
o The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style
o Cary Grant: A Class Apart
o Feature Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman
o Stills Gallery
o Trailer Gallery

“Psycho” (1960)

“We all go a little mad sometimes.” So many books have been written about “Psycho” that someone is probably reading one right now while you read this. It’s been dissected so many times that it has transcended mere celluloid. It is more than just a movie. It is a cultural milestone. The risks that Hitch took here would make most producers shut down a production fifty years later. Any conversation about the most influential films ever made that doesn’t include “Psycho” is incomplete. The stand-alone Blu-ray version of “Psycho” is one of the best of the last few years but, once again, you can feel confident in replacing it with this set.

Special Features:
o The Making of Psycho
o Psycho Sound
o In the Master’s Shadow: Hitchcock’s Legacy
o Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview Excerpts
o Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho
o The Shower Scene: With and Without Music
o The Shower Scene: Storyboard by Saul Bass
o The Psycho Archives
o Feature Commentary with Stephen Rebello
o Lobby Cards
o Behind the Scenes Photographs
o Production Photographs
o Theatrical Trailer
o Re-release Trailer

“The Birds” (1963)

If you’ve seen HBO’s “The Girl,” you know that this is about the point where Hitchcock’s career started to devolve to the point where his bizarre psychosexual behavior began to have its prints on the films themselves. It’s impossible to watch “The Birds” and not think about the way Alfred reportedly abused Tippi Hedren. Part of the reason is that some would argue that “The Birds” was the beginning of the end of Hitchcock’s master period as none of the final five films in this set (the final five in his career) have nearly the current reputation as movies like “Psycho” or “Rear Window.” Consequently, I’ve always looked at “The Birds” as the turning point in Hitch’s career, which makes it too easy to dismiss the fact that it’s just a solid little thriller. It’s not one of his best but it’s far from his worst. And the Blu-ray is one of the best of the collection with a pristine transfer and fascinating special features. It’s the disc in this set that you may spend the most time with in the end, even if it’s not the best movie.

Special Features:
o Deleted Scene
o The Original Ending
o The Birds: Hitchcock’s Monster Movie
o All About The Birds
o Storyboard Sequence
o Tippi Hedren’s Screen Test
o Hitchcock/Truffaut Interview Excerpts
o Universal International Newsreels: The Birds is Coming
o Universal International Newsreels: Suspense Story: National Press Covers Hitchcock
o Production Photographs
o 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
o 100 Years of Universal: The Lot
o Theatrical Trailer