Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

Alfred Hitchcock is a prolific Old Hollywood director. His silhouette is cemented in American popular culture. Hitch -- as he was commonly known -- directed some of the finest suspense films of his time. He's emerged as more popular than many actors in his movies, and perhaps, in some way, he's more famous than some of the movies themselves. A lot of his image was fueled from the success of his long-running anthology television series called Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Hitchcock had a distinctive style. One of my favorite things that he employed was the "volcanic blonde", which was a Hollywood actress with blonde hues that found herself in some misfortune within his stories. Among the women used in this fashion were: Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Tippi Hedren, Kim Novak, Doris Day, and Vera Miles. He used other actresses, naturally, but I'm drawn mostly to those blonde-haired ones. James Stewart was probably his most well-known leading man (or the first one that comes to my mind anyway), but there was also Cary Grant, Anthony Perkins, Paul Newman, Sean Connery, and many more.

It's almost inconceivable to me to be a fan of Old Hollywood and not have a place for Hitchcock on your shelf. While I know realistically not everyone finds his films entertaining, I still strikes me as odd when I come across an avid classic movie fan that doesn't care for his work. When I think about properties like Rear Window (1954) and Psycho (1960), two of my personal favorites, I see Hitchcock's pure genius as a filmmaker and how these films would still be regarded as classics even if his named was erased off the DVD/Blu-ray covers.

I actually have the box set that I pasted below. Anyone else have it?

What's your favorite Hitchcock movies, actors, actresses?​

 

[AlanP]

"Vertigo" Kim Novak.......
Would love to have seen Kim in the role of Eve Kendall with Cary Grant in "NBNW"
Also would love to have seen Doris Day in another Hitch film maybe "Torn Curtain" with Paul Newman......

 

[Emcee]

"Vertigo" Kim Novak.......
Would love to have seen Kim in the role of Eve Kendall with Cary Grant in "NBNW"
Also would love to have seen Doris Day in another Hitch film maybe "Torn Curtain" with Paul Newman......

Oddly enough, I've never seen all of North by Northwest, even though it's classic Hitchcock. The clips and still photographs I've seen show me just how lovely a woman Eva Marie Saint was in her prime. Heck, she was still an attractive older woman in Because of Winn-Dixie she did fifteen or so years ago.

It's a little strange that you mention Kim Novak, too. Even though Vertigo usually ranks high on the best of Hitchcock lists, Kim Novak herself sometimes gets the shaft for her performance. A lot people seem to wish Vera Miles would have stepped up to the plate and played the lead in that film, while Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh get more mentioning from fans.

This is based off of what I've seen, too. I'm not promoting this as the way everyone thinks.

On a side-note, I agree that it would've been interesting to see Doris Day come back and work with Hitchcock again. She was good in the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and proved she was a darn good actress in suspense thrillers. She also had a good turn in the Hitchcock-inspired Midnight Lace a few years later. Had she came back to Hitchcock in the mid-to-late 1960s, it would've been a good change of pace for her because her films were consistently formulaic and failing at the box office. Her last few pictures were duds, and had she been willing, and had the opportunity been given, it would have been nice to see her so up in something like Torn Curtain, or another Hitchcock thriller.

But that's not the way history wrote itself.

 

[Robert Harris]

Oddly enough, I've never seen all of North by Northwest, even though it's classic Hitchcock. The clips and still photographs I've seen show me just how lovely a woman Eva Marie Saint was in her prime. Heck, she was still an attractive older woman in Because of Winn-Dixie she did fifteen or so years ago.

It's a little strange that you mention Kim Novak, too. Even though Vertigo usually ranks high on the best of Hitchcock lists, Kim Novak herself sometimes gets the shaft for her performance. A lot people seem to wish Vera Miles would have stepped up to the plate and played the lead in that film, while Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh get more mentioning from fans.

This is based off of what I've seen, too. I'm not promoting this as the way everyone thinks.

On a side-note, I agree that it would've been interesting to see Doris Day come back and work with Hitchcock again. She was good in the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and proved she was a darn good actress in suspense thrillers. She also had a good turn in the Hitchcock-inspired Midnight Lace a few years later. Had she came back to Hitchcock in the mid-to-late 1960s, it would've been a good change of pace for her because her films were consistently formulaic and failing at the box office. Her last few pictures were duds, and had she been willing, and had the opportunity been given, it would have been nice to see her so up in something like Torn Curtain, or another Hitchcock thriller.

But that's not the way history wrote itself.

The role was with Vera Miles, who had to bow out due to a pregnancy.

Kim was perfect.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Oddly enough, I've never seen all of North by Northwest, even though it's classic

You will correct this shortcoming won’t you. It’s a highly entertaining film.

Kim was perfect.

Yes, and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

 

[Emcee]

The role was with Vera Miles, who had to bow out due to a pregnancy.

Kim was perfect.

Oh, I knew that already. I knew Hitch wanted Vera Miles, but her pregnancy got in the way of that. But I don't begrudge her wanting her baby.

And I agree that Kim Novak was perfect in the role, but the critics dissed her performance originally.

 

[Emcee]

You will correct this shortcoming won’t you. It’s a highly entertaining film.

Yes, and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

With this Blu-ray collection, I'll most assuredly get this rectified. It'll probably be a little while, considering I've got to get my trailer remolded, marry my fiancée, and get settled.

 

[AlanP]

Oddly enough, I've never seen all of North by Northwest, even though it's classic Hitchcock. The clips and still photographs I've seen show me just how lovely a woman Eva Marie Saint was in her prime. Heck, she was still an attractive older woman in Because of Winn-Dixie she did fifteen or so years ago.

It's a little strange that you mention Kim Novak, too. Even though Vertigo usually ranks high on the best of Hitchcock lists, Kim Novak herself sometimes gets the shaft for her performance. A lot people seem to wish Vera Miles would have stepped up to the plate and played the lead in that film, while Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh get more mentioning from fans.

This is based off of what I've seen, too. I'm not promoting this as the way everyone thinks.

On a side-note, I agree that it would've been interesting to see Doris Day come back and work with Hitchcock again. She was good in the second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and proved she was a darn good actress in suspense thrillers. She also had a good turn in the Hitchcock-inspired Midnight Lace a few years later. Had she came back to Hitchcock in the mid-to-late 1960s, it would've been a good change of pace for her because her films were consistently formulaic and failing at the box office. Her last few pictures were duds, and had she been willing, and had the opportunity been given, it would have been nice to see her so up in something like Torn Curtain, or another Hitchcock thriller.

But that's not the way history wrote itself.

So true, but sad for Doris' fans...Cna you imagine if she would have done Barbara Harris' role in "Family Plot" what a great role for her......

 

[Jeffrey D]

Vertigo is my favorite Hitchcock film, with NBNW just behind.

 

[JPCinema]

Oh, I knew that already. I knew Hitch wanted Vera Miles, but her pregnancy got in the way of that. But I don't begrudge her wanting her baby.

And I agree that Kim Novak was perfect in the role, but the critics dissed her performance originally.

There is no way Vera could have pulled it off! It's strange but as I looked at Vera Mils' films, she always played the upset wife or girlfriend .

 

[filmnoirguy]

Actually, I'm at an age where I prefer the term "Classic Hollywood" rather than "Old Hollywood."
My favorite Hitchcock film is Rear Window.
Runners-up include Strangers on a Train, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Rebecca. Although I've never seen a Hitchcock film I didn't like. I've read that his personal favorite was Shadow of a Doubt and his daughter Pat's favorite was Notorious.
My favorite male performance: James Stewart in Vertigo. My favorite female performance: Joan Fontaine in Rebecca.

 

[B-ROLL]

Actually, I'm at an age where I prefer the term "Classic Hollywood" rather than "Old Hollywood."
My favorite Hitchcock film is Rear Window.
Runners-up include Strangers on a Train, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Rebecca. Although I've never seen a Hitchcock film I didn't like. I've read that his personal favorite was Shadow of a Doubt and his daughter Pat's favorite was Notorious.
My favorite male performance: James Stewart in Vertigo. My favorite female performance: Joan Fontaine in Rebecca.

I appreciate the sentiment - but "Classic" means different things to different people. To the Willenials I worked with, Star Wars (TM)- Episode 4: A New Hope and Tommy Boy are considered "Classic" films.

I prefer the Golden Age - I suppose now we're in the Vibranium age !