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• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000M2NLO8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,360 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming Full Circle or Not at All, April 3, 2007

By 

gobirds2 (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Psycho / The Trouble With Harry / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Vertigo (DVD) (DVD)

1956'S THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is another good DVD transfer and is Hitchcock's effective remake of his 1934 version. An American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) visiting Morocco have their young son kidnapped as part of an international murder plot which they can not help but be drawn into. Doris Day's performance is brilliant as the mother whose son has been taken from her. Her initial reaction to the news is almost unbearable to watch. This film is very suspenseful and disturbing, as the odds against the family regaining their boy seem insurmountable as the film progresses. This is reinforced by Bernard Herrmann's almost minimal score, which adds an undercurrent of discomfort to the psyche of the viewer. There are some very memorable scenes such as when James Stewart is followed by echoing footsteps in the empty London streets on his way to finding Ambrose Chappell. The suspenseful Albert Hall assassination scenes are brilliantly filmed and edited. The face of Reggie Nalder as Rien the Assassin is unforgettable. Brenda de Banzie turns in a complex performance as Mrs. Drayton. Bernard Miles as Mr. Drayton also gives an effective performance through the various identities he goes through. And that is one of the strengths of this film: people and places are not exactly as they seem. Characters constantly evolve. Some grow in strength while others are mere shadows of virtue. Sir Alfred Hitchcock was trying to make a statement that we as moviegoers are voyeurs and are just as fanatically obsessed by the images on the screen as "Scottie" Ferguson is with Madeleine in VERTIGO. VERTIGO is in effect a movie about people who love the cinema and are captivated by it. Those people who do not like VERTIGO state that it is not realistic and too improbable. That is just the point. VERTIGO is about an artificial world and the fascination of that world. Those who like VERTIGO are drawn to it over and over because it is about something that is inside each of us that is ever so fleeting and will always remain unobtainable. Bernard Herrmann, the film's composer seems to have understood the essence of this film as he captured the erotic passion and ultimate hopelessness of its characters with his haunting score. Herrmann had always expressed his desire to be a symphony conductor, yet the lure of the cinema was more than just a means of collecting a paycheck for him. I think he had a great understanding of the cinema and its power over human emotions, yet it seems to have remained an enigma even for him. The Autumnal colors of New England seen in THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY are a beautiful backdrop to this dark comedy enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's reflective score. As life comes full circle the quirkily eccentricities of the human heart take on new meaning as an artist (John Forsythe) somehow, perhaps unwittingly, makes it all come into perspective. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. 1960'S PSYCHO is probably Hitchcock's best known film. Its images and sounds are indelibly etched into the psyche of our culture. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, the Bates Motel, Bernard Herrmann's score, Saul Bass' main title designs, the shower scene and many other elements are cinematic icons. One element of this film that has not been given due recognition is Martin Balsam's performance as Milton Arbogast the private investigator. Balsam embodied the personification of professionalism and determination yet he was cut off in mid stream. I think there is a statement being made about the very nature of justice and fate and that life is not always fair.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Are the Best, April 3, 2007

By 

hille2000 "hille2000" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Psycho / The Trouble With Harry / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Vertigo (DVD) (DVD)

PSYCHO, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and VERTIGO were all directed by Alfred Hitchcock. All four also were scored by compser Bernard Herrman. You don't get much better than that. Terror, humor, romanticism and suspense, these films cover the gamut. They are the best from the master.