Anamorphic transfers of Vertigo and Psycho! See post #54 about new boxset. (1 Viewer)

[Gordon McMurphy]

Seeing as Universal has remastered many previously sub-par, non-anamorphic titles over the past year, it would seem a given for them to remaster landmark, Jewels-in-the-Crown masterpieces like Vertigo and Psycho.

Dune
Casino
Scarface
The Thing
Animal House
Twelve Monkeys
Silent Running
Field of Dreams
Slaughterhouse Five
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Andromeda Strain
Dracula (1979, John Badham)

I'm sure there are more, but all of the above have been granted new, anamorphic transfer of generally excellent quality and most have also included significant, informative supplemental features. Prestige films like Vertigo and Psycho more than qualify for high-quality upgrades.

John Hodson, is there no word of a release date for Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season 1?

Personally, I do not see the point in spending time and money on a bonus disc for a boxed set, when two or more films in that collection are crying out for new, optimal, anamorphic transfers.

 

[Patrick McCart]

This box set is a wonderful idea. Even if you'd just want the essentials out of the set (Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds), the existing discs would cost more together than this 15-disc set. Great bargain!


However, I really would like to see Universal put all the discs in slimline cases within a cardboard box. The last thing a 15-disc set needs is an Alien Quadrilogy or "Ultimate" Oliver Stone Collection gatefold packaging.

 

[John Hodson]

...that some kind of CE3K thing you've got going on there? You got an urge to mould mountains out of your tatties and neeps too?

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Tatties - Scottish colloquialism for potatoes.

Neeps - Scottish colloquialism for mashed turnip.

I like staggered type-setting for lists. I am a geek. I am also as obsessed with sans serif fonts as Stanley Kubrick.

Anyway... back to Hitchcock.

 

[Craig Beam]

Holy fucking shit. Releasing a "new" boxed set of 5-7 year-old DVDs? Thanks, Universal. You're clearly working overtime to see how many people you can piss off.

If it's not obvious, I'm reeeeeeeeeeally angry about this.

 

[TravisR]

It just doesn't make sense that they aren't doing anamorphic versions of Psycho and Vertigo. I kinda think/hope that it was just a mistake on the press release and they will be 16 x 9. I'll gladly buy Psycho and Vertigo again for 16 x 9 enhancement but there's no way I'd spend about $100 for a set of the same discs.

I mean Psycho II and Psycho III are going to be anamorphic but the original isn't?

 

[Michael Elliott]

I figured these would be packaged together at some point so I held off of buying them with the exception of PSYCHO and VERTIGO, which I can give to friends now. This is a great price for those who haven't bought the previous releases.



And this is probably the key to getting the original 16x9. PSYCHO 4 isn't being released for some reason and Universal is smart enough to know they can milk fans with this series. Re-re-release part one in a box with a bonus disc. Release two of the sequels, which fans will buy. A year or two from now package them together with PSYCHO 4 new to DVD and a 16x9 PSYCHO.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I don't see why Vertigo and Psycho would not be new 16x9 versions. Clips from a new 16x9 version appear in the "The Cutting Edge" documentary on the Bullitt: SE DVD... as well as new 16x9 clips from Brazil.

 

[Craig Beam]

If Universal doesn't treat VERTIGO and PSYCHO right this time around, they'll never see another dime from me. Sounds crazy, I know, but damn! VERTIGO is a film that I am beyond passionate about, and the existing DVD was released in 1998! Here's a bit o' shock perspective: when I bought VERTIGO on DVD, there were only three Star Wars movies in existence. Yeah, it's WAY overdue for a new edition.

Fox has similarly screwed the pooch on THE ABYSS, which has been released in three (or is it four?) different editions since 2000 and has yet to receive anamorphic enhancement. But I don't love THE ABYSS the way I love VERTIGO, so I can deal with it.

 

[Chris Bardon]

If I can find this for under $100 CDN I might just have to get it. Haven't actually seen most of these films, so it'd be a nice, inexpensive way to catch up!

Hopefully it isn't in a digipack though-individual keepcases would be best.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I can pretty safely say that I'm passing.

I was anticipating this more than any other release too.

I wonder if they'll at least use the original poster art for the covers this time...

 

[TravisR]

Chris, the movies in the set are almost all top notch (especially Shadow Of A Doubt, Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, and Marnie). Even if Psycho and Vertigo aren't anamorphic, I'd still highly recommend buying the set if you didn't have the movies already just based on the quality of the movies and the price.

However, if anyone does own the movies in this set (like me), it's a total rehash and missed opportunity

 

[Ruz-El]

The price is just so right on this. I own 4 of the 14, but I'll gladly fork over $100 for all these. Also, Universal has put out corrected/ improved disc's before. I seem to recall that the picture quality on Bride Of Frankenstein was improved for the "Legacy Edition", and the sound on Frankenstein was cleaned up on the same set. So it's deffinately not out of the question that Psycho and Vertigo well in fact be improved for this box set.

I think this is a re-release of this set, so it could easilly be the same thing at a reduced price. I think the previous set had a bonus disc with episodes from the TV series (I also think I saw it in stores at about $300, it came out when Universal released wave 2 of the Hitchcocks, when Rear Window came out.) I'm waiting for an official announcment with spec's.

 

[Mark B]

I think this looks like a liquidation of warehoused product in preparation of new and improved releases in the future....

 

[Paul Borges]

UPDATE on DVD Times.

Digitally Remastered for best quality ever.

 

[John Hodson]

Yup; they've changed the page to read:

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection in October - UPDATE! Digitally Remastered
Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection for 4th October 2005 priced at $119.98 SRP. This 15 Disc collection brings together 14 Hitchcock classics plus a bonus disc in a special gift set collection.

All 14 films are digitally re-mastered for the best quality ever with all bonus features from the existing releases carried across. The films are: Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubth, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot.

The all-new bonus disc showcases Hitchcock's films, career and legacy, while the set is presented in ultra-premium velvet packaging which includes a 36-page collectible book.

See here

 

[Kevin M]

"Digitally re-mastered" all over the place in that statement but does that mean 16:9 enhanced? I assume it does of course but.....it's Universal, you never know.

 

[Elias A.]

I don't know that "digitally remastered" necessarily means "anamorphic", but it does sound encouraging anyway. I wonder what the chances are that a new version of Vertigo will have an option to hear the original soundtrack instead of the altered version. That might actually be a bigger improvement than anamorphic enhancement.

 

[Ruz-El]

This is sounding better and better! I might have to pick this up. Heck, I still have to get Warners Hitchcock set.

There was an American Masters documentary on Hitchcock and (I think) Selznick, comparing their careers (The title of which completly escapes me, I do remember it being pretty solid). Could this be the doc and the extra disc? Has this been released in a set before?

 

[David Von Pein]

From Universal Studios direct (but not a word on "Anamorphic" or not; in fact, no "ratio" info at all is listed for any of the discs (as of this writing, that is) -- but I'm guessing that data will soon be added; so I'd advise bookmarking this "From-The-Horse's-Mouth" webpage ) .....

http://homevideo.universalstudios.co...?childId=35678


The bonus features are identical when comparing the above "Masterpiece" version of "Psycho" and the already-released disc (below)......

http://homevideo.universalstudios.co...?childId=32249

I'd guess that the "Masterpiece" versions of Psycho and Vertigo will not be "New, Anamorphic" transfers; they will be the older 1998 non-enhanced discs.

Because there's no way that Univ. can be so silly as to re-release NEW (16x9) versions of two classics like Vertigo and Psycho and, in effect, force people to buy 13 other discs just to get the "New" versions of those two flicks.

Could the studio's DVD decision-makers possibly not realize the wrath and ire that would be heading their way if they did such a thing without offering the "New" versions separately as well? Is it possible to be that .... out of touch?

Perhaps, however, Universal will be announcing separately-available "New" versions of those movies in the coming days -- but via that scenario, I find it odd that they wouldn't have announced them at the same time as the "Masterpiece" set. Delaying such a 'separate-release' announcement is just asking to be yelled at in the interim.