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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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).
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?
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.
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!)
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.