Hitchcock Set Comming on January 11th, Anyone KNow Anything About it? (1 Viewer)

Bryan Ri · Jan 4, 2005

Amazon.com has this set comming on January 11th:

EDIT: See Mike's

I may just order it for kicks, as it's only $10, but does anyone know what exactly is on this thing?

Mike D · Jan 4, 2005

I truncated the link
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006Z2NSG/

While there may be items on here you'll find nowhere else, most of the better known items are available from more reputable sources. Completists might gamble the $10.

Bryan Ri · Jan 4, 2005

hmm, sounds about right. Thanks Mike

DavePattern · Jan 5, 2005

If you're feeling cautious, then I've got the set on order from DVD Pacific (UPC 777966883793) and I'll add details to my site as soon as it arrives.

Apart from the 3 films listed on the cover, I've not been able to find out what the other 6 films are - if anyone knows, then please post a reply!

It's very unlikely that the set will contain any films that haven't already been released by other companies as budget US DVDs (e.g. Laserlight/Delta, Madacy, Brentwood, Diamond, etc).

I guess it's really just a question of how the transfers compare to the other budget sets.

Robert Harris · Jan 5, 2005

This set is being illegally manufactured and distributed in derrogation of a number of both domestic and international copyright laws and treaties.

I have forwarded this information to Amazon.

RAH

Bryan Ri · Jan 5, 2005

Dave, that's a great site. I'm a huge Hitchcock fan, thanks for sharing it.

It's pretty wild that this set got all the way to press and this close to release being that it id doing so as an infraction of copyright laws. I was just curious, but does that happen very often?

DavePattern · Jan 5, 2005

I think it's all do to with who actually owns the rights to these early Hitchcock films, as many of the budget releases are based on "public domain" sources.

Robert Harris · Jan 5, 2005

The majority of the budget releases are based upon "public domain" sources, which are NOT in the public domain. The majority of the Hitchcock UK productions are fully copyright protected.

RAH

Bryan Ri · Jan 5, 2005

Just out of curiousity, does Lifeboat rest in "public domain" or is it copyright protected?

Josh Simpson · Jan 5, 2005

Bryan,
I agree. Lifeboat is pretty much one of the last bigger Hitch titles I don't have, thanks to getting the WB box set recently.

Patrick McCart · Jan 5, 2005

Lifeboat is fully protected by copyright.

RAH:

You know, besides the whole illegal thing, what's the use of seeing a movie if it looks like someone xeroxed each frame and re-photographed them with a cellphone camera?

Wasn't MGM supposed to release some of the British Hitchcock films? It's sad that only two of the films have decent DVD editions (The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, both courtesy of Criterion).

Bryan Ri · Jan 5, 2005

Hopefully we'll get a nice release one of these days then.

And yes, kudos to you RAH, for doing the right thing.

DavePattern · Jan 5, 2005

Apparently Fox will be releasing "Lifeboat" as part of their "Fox Classics" range sometime this year

MGM were due to release the following titles at the end of 2004, but they got postponed shortly after Sony bought MGM:

The Lady Vanishes
Notorious
The Paradine Case
Rebecca
Sabotage
Spellbound
Young and Innocent
The 39 Steps

Jon Martin · Jan 5, 2005

Really? The titles listed on the cover have been out in the public domain bins for years. Laserlight and countless other companies have released them on DVD in the past. Same with the VHS days.

Did the rights recently get renewed or are all of those versions illegal as well?

Bryan Ri · Jan 5, 2005

Great news indeed!

Robert Harris · Jan 5, 2005

For some basics which will give some background to this discussion, go here:

http://www.copyright.gov/gatt.html

RAH

Lars Vermundsberget · Jan 5, 2005

I've noticed a lot of cheap collections of a number of early Hitchcock titles. So, apparently, the crime has been committed over and over.

I've got a German box set myself - with some of the early titles. It's pretty good quality and, as far as I know, legal.

Are there other good and legal editions of early Hitchcock?

Michael Elliott · Jan 5, 2005

Those Hitchcock titles have been out there for at least 15 years. I remember buying them on VHS when I was very young. Nearly every public domain company has released them on DVD as well. If you want the value, Brentwood released a 10 pack, which you can find for around $13.

Personally, these public domain companies are wonderful because the majors aren't going to touch certain types of films. These "B" movies owned by studios have been overlooked even on VHS so I doubt they'd bother releasing some of this even small stuff.

DavePattern · Jan 5, 2005

Apart from the two Criterions ("Lady Vanishes" & "39 Steps"), all the best releases are from Europe:

"Blackmail" is available on a fantastic German DVD from ArtHaus, which also has the silent version of the film as an extra. ArtHaus are currently working on a similar release of "Murder!" and "Mary".
the German "Early Years" box set has some great transfers of "Downhill" and "The Lodger", and it's "Lady Vanishes" is even better than Criterion's!
the UK releases from Carlton are usually above average in quality and their "Jamaica Inn" is the only version of the film that you should consider buying on DVD.

If you want to see just how bad a budget PD release can be, then have a look at the screengrabs of Vintage Home Entertainment's "Secret Agent" on my site (sorry, I'm still unable to post links in my messages!)

Jon Martin · Jan 5, 2005

Thanks for the link, although I couldn't find out anything about the specific films there.

But that says it was done in 1998. Have they done nothing to enforce them? Countless video companies have released the films on DVD since then. I checked around on some of the sites that sell public domain films to TV stations and video companies and they are all still listed.

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