Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008 (1 Viewer)

[Eric Peterson]

Thanks Kevin.

That's exactly the kind of information that I was looking for. As far as I'm concerned that makes it an open and shut case that Hitch intended those scenes to be in the final film. The only possible argument that I can see is that Hitch was known to put scenes that he knew would draw the ire of the censors in order to draw away the attention from a more critical scene that he was afraid of having cut.

 

[Nelson Au]

Just found this thread! I saw today on the Best Buy site a pre-order ad for Notorious and was realy surprised by that. Then I found this thread, wow another box set with new issues including the Hitchcock films already released by Criterion.

I'm defintely going to keep my Criterions and Lifeboat, but I'm really curious to see the others in this new set. I've not seen some of the older ones and I've always heard negative reviews of The Paradine Case. Any thoughts about The Paradine Case?

The ad I saw on the Best Buy site is for Notorious only, so it looks like they are releasing them individually. I'll wait to learn more about the set, but it's tempting!

 

[Pete York]

I like The Paradine Case. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps it does not fit comfortably with the rest of the popular Hitchcock oeuvre. The film is differently paced, rather than edge-of-your-seat suspense, and lacks the wit and pure entertainment value of the later classics. So, if your entry point on Hitchcock is North By Northwest than there's a chance The Paradine Case could be a victim of expectations. It certainly is as technically accomplished as any of his other films, finely acted and splendidly photographed.

FYI, I think Lifeboat is exactly the same disc, so maybe you can go ahead and jettison the single after all, Nelson.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Pete! Appreciate your view on The Paradine Case. I will be open minded to it if I get this set. And it's good to know about Lifeboat, I'm not surprised it could be the same disc.

 

[Tim Tucker]

I just saw this set at Costco ($79.99 if anyone is interested) and was wondering about the packaging. Is this another DVD-in-cardboard-pocket designs like Simpsons S11? From the photo on the back, the set looks like a book with spiral bound pages in a slipcase.

 

[Craig Beam]

It appears the discs are housed in cardboard sleeves inside the spiral-bound book.









(images pilfered from Amazon.com)


$74.99 at Costco? I'm there!

 

[PaulP]

Well, that's pretty horrible.

 

[Nelson Au]

Forgive my ignorance, what's the issue with the cardboard sleeves? Does it really scratch the disc, is that it?

 

[Tim Tucker]

Yes, people were complaining about scratched discs in the Simpsons set, so I was concerned if this was the same. Seems like there is a high likelihood for damaged discs.

 

[PaulP]

I'll wait to pick it up at the DeepDiscount 20% off sale in November.

 

[WadeM]

I hate discs in cardboard sleeves!

 

[Son of Nothing]

I will probably put this on my Christmas list for this year. I'm not to thrilled about the sleeves, but I'm sure I can find some kind of alternative.

 

[Craig Beam]

I'm not concerned with my own ability to treat this set carefully enough to avoid scratches (I'll probably use those soft disc-envelope pouch things inside each sleeve).... but I am a bit concerned about the likelihood of getting scratched discs upon purchase. Looks like I'll be opening this baby up before I leave Costco with it....

Having said that, I think it's a gorgeous looking set. I really like the design.

 

[Mark-P]

Just picked up my set from Costco. I really hate the cardboard sleeves inside a binder design. I was hoping for individual slimcases as I like to break up my box sets for cataloging purposes. No problem, I'll just order a few more slimcases and scan the artwork in the binder for a DIY project.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I picked up this set this evening. The Lodger, Young and Innocent, Rebecca, Spellbound and The Paradine Case will not play in my Sony SN715P player, but so far they play fine in my Panasonic and Toshiba. There appears to be no problem with Lifeboat, Sabotage and Notorious. I've never had any problems with the Sony player before but I find it very strange that five discs in one set will not load. The discs don't appear to be scratched although one disc has minor marks on it, probably due to the packaging.

Anyone else have any problems in this area?

 

[Craig Beam]

Okay, got my set (it was $79.99 at my local Costco). It's really cool. The design is unlike DVD set I've ever seen. Quite beautiful.

HOWEVER...

The cardboard sleeves are an absolute menace. The discs are crammed tightly inside. While none of my discs are actually scratched, a few have little nicks and scuffs on them. And Notorious, my favorite film in the whole set, is a bit scuffed and has a scary milky appearance, like ghostly swirls across the underside. It seems to play fine, but I made a backup copy just in case. I suppose if worse comes to worse I can simply pick up the stand-alone edition of Notorious to replace this disc... but damn it, I shouldn't have to.

I had an idea (mentioned in an earlier post) that I could simply slip soft disc envelopes inside the cardboard sleeves.... nope, can't do it. The sleeves aren't wide enough to fit them inside.

Bottom line: Gorgeous set, but fatally flawed. Since the best four films in the set are available individually (Notorious, Spellbound and Rebecca, plus Lifeboat), I'd only recommend this set to hardcore Hitch collectors (like me). I've taken all eight discs out of the binder, and they will NEVER go back in.

Holy shit. The outer slipcase, which is actually hard plastic, just broke. I picked it up, applying almost zero force, and a chunk of it just snapped off. Guess I'm exchanging it.... maybe my next set will have pristine discs....

 

[Rob_Ray]

All of my discs, playable or not, have a swirly, liquidy appearance on the underside although it's clear rather than milky. I'd call it watery. I'm afraid mine's going back and I'd be hesitant on getting a replacement.

 

[TravisR]

I can't count the number of discs that I own that have that milky appearance on them and I've never had a single problem.

 

[Ruz-El]

me neither, and I'll add swirly scratches from packaging to that as well. only discs I've had issues with are pre-viusly viewed from rentals with insane scratches and Universal duel layered flipper discs.

 

[Craig Beam]

Okay, so I ran over to Costco and exchanged my set. My new NOTORIOUS looks identical to the last one! Milky swirl, plus a few little nicks. I got lucky with the others.... except Lifeboat, which has a pretty huge scratch on it. At least I have the previously-released edition, which has identical content...


After dropping eighty bucks on this set, I expect the discs to be pristine. I also expect to be able to take the discs in and out over the years and not damage them every time I do so. As I previously said, it's a beautiful package, but these cardboard sleeves are awful. Even if the discs still play fine, I don't think it's asking too much for a brand new product to arrive undamaged.