21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Sampling Of The Master At Work!, March 9, 2001
This review is from: The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2 (Vertigo / The Birds / The Trouble with Harry / Frenzy / Marnie / Saboteur / Torn Curtain / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3) (DVD)
The "A" films for me in this collection are "Marnie", "The Birds", "Frenzy" and "Vertigo", all of which I've seen multiple times. I never tire of seeing these Hitchcock classics. "Marnie" is a husband and wife story between Sean Connery and Tipi Hendren. Marnie, coerced into marrying Connery, has led a life of crime based on a past that Connery seeks to uncover. It took the public some years to warm up to this film but I loved it at once. "The Birds" is one of Hitchcock's instant hits where he literally has the birds in a coastal California community go on the attack against the populace. Just seeing the birds line up on the telephone wires, ready to attack the people, is chilling! "Frenzy" was made in the '70s, set in London, and involves two men, one who sets the other up to be the fall guy for the necktie stranglings that he himself is committing. There is a scene is a truckload of potatotes where the killer needs to get a piece of jewelry back from a corpse that is absolutely unforgettable. "Vertigo" showcases Jimmy Stewart, who is rendered powerless by heights by an earlier mishap, who falls in love with a mysterious woman, Kim Novak that he follows. She seems to be fatally drawn to the bell tower of a church on the California coast. The remaining films in the collection range from B- ("Torn Curtain") to B+ ("Saboteur"). I've viewed them all at least once, sometimes twice. Most movie directors would claim them as their "A" work but Hitchcock's "A" work was so fabulous that it is indeed his lesser work. In any event, once you've started watching Hitchcock's work, you've got to see all of it. It's as simple as that.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A mixed bag of Hitchcock classics and also rans, January 15, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2 (Vertigo / The Birds / The Trouble with Harry / Frenzy / Marnie / Saboteur / Torn Curtain / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3) (DVD)
This second boxed set has a number of stunning works by Hitchcock; Vertigo and The Birds are stunning masterpieces from the Master of Suspense. The former film is his most personal while the latter his most expansive in scope and a radical departure from what had come before. These two films represent Hitchcock's brilliance at its best.
Torn Curtain isn't a complete disaster but is far from a perfect film. Marnie is downright embarrassing. I know a number of Hitchcock scholars consider it his last great work; I'd argue that this misogynistic Freudian work of mumbo jumbo is among Hitchcock's worst films. Sure, it has a couple of stunning set pieces but the film script has clearly traveled through too many hands (although it was based on Hitchcock's concept of the film and Evan Hunter is the only screenwriter credited, Ernest Lehman, Joseph Stefano and a couple of other writers tried their hand at adapting this meandering mess). It suffers from flaws that Hitchcock had worked through earlier in his career (with the flawed but interesting Spellbound).
The only other film that comes close to Vertigo and The Birds is the minor masterpiece Frenzy. Hitchcock was clearly energized by the competition of young upstarts following in his footsteps. Frenzy, again, demonstrates that Hitchcock could be at his best even this late in his long career.
The Trouble with Harry is a fine dark comedy from Hitchcock and, although it hasn't aged all that well, still features sparkling dialogue (courtesy of writer John Michael Hayes)and strong performances.
Saboteur is another minor masterpiece from Hitchcock that still manages to be engaging. The sequence set on the Statue of Liberty as Robert Cummings tries to save the foreign spy (played by Hitchcock regular Norman Lloyd)is still gripping and powerful today.
The real reason to own this set is the episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents included on the bonus DVD. Hitchcock directed all these himself. They vary in quality from good to exceptional. Since they aren't available indivdually, it's a must have for fans of the director's work.
If you want to purchase Hitchcock's best films, get them individually but if you need this bonus disc, this set is the expensive way to go.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT COLLECTION OF THE MASTER'S WORK, August 4, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2 (Vertigo / The Birds / The Trouble with Harry / Frenzy / Marnie / Saboteur / Torn Curtain / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3) (DVD)
I loved all the selections offered in this boxed set. I especially enjoyed the additional commentary offered by Pat Hitchcock (his daughter) - it provided a great perspective of Hitch's intentions for each of these films. I loved the bonus disc of 4 episodes from his TV show "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and wish more of these were made available in this format. I always enjoyed his television show especially his intros and summations at their beginnings and endings. Truly funny stuff!! My only dissatisfaction was with "Saboteur" - I have a Panasonic Portable DVD player and during playback there were times the picture broke up and pixilized - not always in the same place. That may be a problem with this particular player but since I didn't have another brand to test it on - I'm not sure. Anyway - a great collection!! A MUST HAVE FOR ALL HITCHCOCK FANS!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
