Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Lighter Side of Death and Hitch, October 5, 2004
This review refers to the Widescreen DVD edition of "The Trouble With Harry"(Universal/Alfred HItchcock Collection)..
Harry Walker is a real pain to the residents of a quaint but very picturesque little town in New England. The trouble with Harry is..that he is dead! The residents including Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick and Shirley MacLaine(in her first feature film role), don't seem too shook up about his apparent murder, some don't even notice the state Harry is in, the trouble is what to do with the corpse! These quirky folk, are trying to get rid of Harry, thinking they might be the ones responisble for his death. Through a series of very comical misunderstandings, poor Harry's body, is buried, dug up, cleaned up and returned to the "scene of the crime" several times, as they try to hide him from the local sherriff. And what's more, during this hard day's work, friendships, bonds, and even a lasting love is formed between the characters. It's an adventure in the lighter side of death as only Hitch can do it!
"The Trouble With Harry", may not be one we may consider to be a Masterpiece, by the master, but it is one that will surely have you smiling and recognizing the Hitch touch throughout. It definately displays his morbidly fun sense of humor, and his distinctive direction and attention to details is apparent throughout the film. The cast is marvelous, especially Edmund Gwenn. Check out and listen to his mumblings, as he hides out watching a parade of passerbys stumbling over the corpse. Also a very young Jerry Mathers("Leave It To Beaver") shows his talent and gift for comedy early on.
Looking for Hitch....An eye for art?...Check out who is passing by the artwork display in front of the General Store.
Universal has given this 1955 film a very nice transfer to DVD. The woodsy area that most of the story takes place in, shows off the beautiful colors of the season. The anamorphic widescreen picture is clear and takes in all that Hitch intended for us to see. The sound is good. It is clear and distinct in DD 2.0 (MONO). There are captions in Englilsh, subtitles in French and may also be viewed in French and Spanish. Extras include the entertaining and very informative documentary "The Trouble With Harry Isn't Over" and includes several interviews. There is a photo gallery and more.
A must have for fans, and a wonderful look at the lilghter side of Hitch....enjoy....Laurie
recommended reading:
Hitchcock's Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the C
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Trouble with the DVD, May 22, 2001
The transfer itself is pretty great, although they could have managed to touch up a few pretty obvious scratches. The film itself is funny, made more so by the knowledge the viewer has that Hitch is pulling the strings. But John Forsythe's lead performance and some weak early scenes involving him and Shirley MacLaine keep it from being one of the master's strongest outings (which of course still makes it superior to most). My real problem with the DVD are the extras. They just seem sloppy and tossed together. The "theatrical trailer" is actually a bad circa 85 ad for the MCA release of the VHS with the most cheesy voiceover. The recommendations section includes a listing for "The Torn Curtain". And the documentary is put together in such a slipshod manner that it mentions Edmund Gwynn once, and only in passing, to say that it was a good cast. Wondering about Mildred Natwick? You won't get any information here -- she doesn't even merit a mention in the Cast and Filmmakers section. In fact, more time is spent on the actor who "played" Harry rather than any other actor save Forsythe and MacLaine. And, by the way, what's Shirley MacLaine doing that's so important that she can't sit down for an interview? The only real positive about the doc is that it devotes a section to Bernard Herrmann.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpectedly different mystery comedy from the Master, October 6, 2002
Hitchcock was hardly a one-note director. He functioned in a variety of modes, and while the various films he made possessed a family resemblance to one another, they are not monolithically the same. If one only allows him or herself to enjoy the out-and-out suspense films like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, this could very possibly be a film that will not bring pleasure or enjoyment. But if, instead, the viewer is able to be open to something a little bit different, this film can be a source of unexpected delight. I first saw this film as part of the revival of the "Five Missing Hitchcock" Films in the early 1980s, the others being THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (the Jimmy Stewart version), REAR WINDOW, ROPE, and VERTIGO. While VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW were the two films causing the biggest stir, I was pleasantly surprised by THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY. Hitchcock has always vacillated between comedy and suspense, with some films containing more, and others less, of the former. Except for MR. AND MRS. SMITH, however, this film comes the closest of any of his films to pure comedy. The trouble with Harry, of course, is that he is dead and won't stay buried. The other trouble is that a vast number of individuals may have had a motive for killing him. But how and why he died is decidedly unimportant. Instead, his corpse provides the basis for a series of mildly complicated situations, as his body is shifted and moved and brooded over.
This movie was the extraordinarily cute Shirley MacLaine's film debut, and she is enormously fetching in it. John Forsythe plays the male lead, but the woodenness of his performance mars his performance somewhat (for the uninitiated, he later was the voice of "Charlie" on CHARLIE'S ANGELS). Several reviewers have noted the presence of the Beaver, Jerry Mathers. Edmund Gwenn, who as he often does, nearly steals the film as Captain Wiles, appears here in his first Hitchcock film since portraying incongruously but magnificently an assassin in FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT in 1940. Hitchcock filmed THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY on location in Vermont, the most recognizable shots being in one of my favorite towns in America: Craftsbury. I have stayed in inns in Craftsbury on three separate occasions during the fall foliage season (this film was shot with the leaves changing), and I can testify that it is every bit as lovely, albeit a touch more developed, as it appears in this film. This film isn't for everyone, but if you are willing to be flexible, and not be disappointed when this turns out not to be REBECCA or THE BIRDS, then I think most viewers will find a great deal to enjoy and smile about.
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