A Few Words About A few words about... The Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection (1 Viewer)

[Craig Beam]

I hear ya, Doug. I've got the poster hanging in my office, Dan Auiler's "Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic" on my bookshelf, and of course the soundtrack CD... all of which have that gorgeous spiral. I've even got a shot of it on my cell phone!

But the widescreen remastered VHS.... nope. I think I gave it away when I got the DVD... I still have the original VHS (panned-and-scanned and unrestored) release in a box out in the garage, though.

 

[ChrisPearson]

I'm guessing you don't have any Universal DVD-18s in your collection. I'm also guessing that you are not aware of the many classics by Von Sternberg, Lewis Milestone, Lubitsch, Whale, Leisen, Wilder and Preston Sturges that are languishing unreleased in Universal's vaults (they won't even license them) or the shoddy treatment that has been meted out to classics like Howard Hawks's Scarface.

If Universal is the second-best studio for DVD releases then the industry is in very poor shape.

 

[Jim_K]

Thanks Michael.

 

[Robert Harris]

Speaking of "languishing" Paramount productions in Universal's vaults....

The gates appear to be opening, which is great news for cinephiles and collectors.

I have it on authority that the first third of 2006 will see the release of three sets: a Carole Lombard collection, A Mae West collection, and a Marlene Dietrich collection.

If memory serves the Dietrich set will be inclusive of films like Morocco, Blonde Venus, Devil is a Woman, Desire and Golden Earrings.

This might also be considered good news for Sternberg afficianadoes.

RAH

 

[oscar_merkx]

WOW great news re Marlene Dietrich set

 

[Mark VH]

Excellent news on all counts, especially (for me) the Lombard set. However, I'm still waiting for UHV to announce the next wave of Legacy Series discs, which should (hopefully) include Double Indemnity. And on the Wilder note, who owns the rights to A Foreign Affair? Would that theoretically be a part of a UHV Dietrich release?

 

[Haggai]

Great news indeed, re: those other Universal sets coming next year. Off-topic, I suppose, but any guesses on what might be in the Lombard set? I don't really know which movies she did that Universal would have the rights to.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Sold! Sold! and Sold!

I was very happy with last year's Gary Cooper set, so bring 'em on, I say. I was also glad to see that of the Dietrich titles listed in Robert's post, none of them were previously released on Universal DVD (e.g. no "Destry Rides Again").

Now when will they be releasing that Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald collection that I've been imagining in my head for years?

Regards,

 

[Haggai]

Ken, aren't there only two Maurice/Jeanette movies that Universal would presumably have the rights for, namely Love Parade and One Hour With You? The Merry Widow was MGM, so Warners would own that one, and Love Me Tonight is (thankfully) already out on a great Kino release.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Here are some of them:

Hands Across the Table
Love Before Breakfast
We're Not Dressing
The Princess Comes Across
Swing High, Swing Low
No Man of Her Own
True Confession
Bolero
Supernatural
I Take this Woman

Also, Universal already released "Now and Forever" in their Shirley Temple "Little Darling Pack"

Regards,

 

[Haggai]

Thanks, Ken. Getting a wee bit back on topic, it's too bad that Lombard was only able to do one movie with...Hitchcock.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

There are at a minimum:

One Hour with You (English and French)
The Love Parade
Love Me Tonight

They could fit these on a single double sided disc, or, if they want to more closely follow my imagined version, they could include a couple of their films separate from each other as well, preferably the Lubitsch films "The Smiling Lietenant" and "Monte Carlo".

We now return you to your regular Hitchcockian programming.

Regards,

 

[Danny Burk]

Terrific news about the upcoming sets. I'd already made an earlier post regarding the Dietrich titles being released in France by Universal this coming December, so it's good to know that they're also on the way in a domestic release.

Afterward, we need to start bugging Universal for a Claudette Colbert collection...especially MIDNIGHT

 

[Haggai]

But there's already that really good Kino disc of Love Me Tonight, which has several extras as well, including a good commentary track. Now, a Lubitsch collection, that would be mighty nice...

 

[ChrisPearson]

Thanks for the good news, Robert. If Universal releases these on separate discs that work in all players, and not as crammed DVD-18s that don't, I'll be buying them.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Re: DVD-18...I've got all the horror sets, Cooper, Brando, Ma and Pa, A&C, Airport, Smokey, The Talking Mule and I believe a couple others. An even greater value than what Warner does. Even got SCARFACE, which was a terrific release even though it was only available in the box.

Robert posted some great news so hopefully it'll get even better with some DeMille films (I think Universal owns these).

 

[Robert Harris]

At this time, the Lombard collection appears to be inclusive of:

Man of the World (1931)
We're Not Dressing (1934)
Hands Across the Table (1935)
Love Before Breakfast (1936)
Princess Comes Across (1936)
True Confession (1937)

The Mae West titles will include:

Night After Night (1932)
I'm No Angel (1933)
Goin' to Town (1935)
Go West Young Man (1936)

 

[Derek K.]

I dont see that this has been answered ...

Has the original audio commentary from the original release of 'Vertigo' been included here?

Any other audio commentaries on this box set?

 

[Craig Beam]

Derek: check the DVDbeaver review of the set... it shows, among other things, a menu shot of the Vertigo supplements. The commentary track is indeed included.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Regards,