Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn - 5/12/15 (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Jamaica Inn, much like many of the lessor Hitchcock efforts, is absolutely worth the price of admission.


While not a great film, by any stretch of the imagination, there are, like many other Hitchcock films, great moments.


RAH

 

[John Hodson]

"Make way for Pengallan!"

 

[davidmatychuk]

I have the Kino On Video DVD of "Jamaica Inn", which is the best of a sorry lot, but leaves plenty of room for improvement. I'm looking forward to an improved version of Hitchcock's atmospheric pirate romp. Now where's a proper "Secret Agent"?

 

[Charles Smith]

Jamaica Inn, much like many of the lessor Hitchcock efforts, is absolutely worth the price of admission.

While not a great film, by any stretch of the imagination, there are, like many other Hitchcock films, great moments.

RAH

Such was the received wisdom of the day, back in those heady years preceding home video when you trekked to anything resembling a Hitchcock festival -- and every trek was its own reward, including such small jems as Jamaica Inn.

Speaking for myself (in L.A. then), at any rate. Passing up any Hitchcock film was not an option.

 

[Randy_M]

I have the Kino On Video DVD of "Jamaica Inn", which is the best of a sorry lot, but leaves plenty of room for improvement. I'm looking forward to an improved version of Hitchcock's atmospheric pirate romp. Now where's a proper "Secret Agent"?

I heartily second the request for "Secret Agent", one of my favorites from the British era.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I heartily second the request for "Secret Agent", one of my favorites from the British era.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'll add Sabotage to the pile.

 

[davidmatychuk]

There's a good "Sabotage" DVD in this eight-movie MGM/Fox "Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection" set from 2008, and a good "Young And Innocent", "The Lodger", "Lifeboat", and "The Paradine Case" too. It's a great, classy-looking, book-style set, with commentaries and many extras on all the films. Three of the films ("Rebecca", "Spellbound", and "Notorious") have been issued on Blu-Ray by MGM/Fox. Three down, five to go. How'd they miss "Secret Agent"? How'd they miss "Jamaica Inn", for that matter?

 

[AnthonyClarke]

That, David, is the set I use to place my new Blu rays in ... keeping the new covers folded in the back. I just love the classy packaging of that set. I've got all the standard DVDs replaced now with Blu rays except for 'Sabotage' and 'The Paradine Case' ... my very good Blu of 'Young and Innocent' arrived from the UK last month and of course my 'Lifeboat' is the all-region Australian edition..

 

[mikeyhitchfan]

I'll add Sabotage to the pile.

Coming to BD in June from Network U.K.

 

[Dick]

This film, UNDER CAPRICORN and a small handful of others are why I am not a Hitchcock completist.

 

[davidmatychuk]

This film, UNDER CAPRICORN and a small handful of others are why I am not a Hitchcock completist.

Nobody is.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016127/

 

[Dick]

Nobody is.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016127/

Well, of course, I meant of the films that are actually available on video... But, good point.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I finally got around to watching Jamaica Inn on Amazon Prime last weekend. Based on this thread, I was expecting the worst. While I certainly would not place the film among Hitchcock's finest, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Maybe it was seeing Maureen O'Hara's first appearance that kept me interested. However, it did not appeal to me enough to want to add it to my collection when the BD gets released.


BTW, the transfer on Amazon is quite poor.

 

[Steve...O]

Does anyone know for certain if the Cohen release will have SDH (English subtitles)? I don't know enough about their products to know if Cohen normally includes them or not?

 

[mikeyhitchfan]

Nobody is.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016127/

I have every film and TV show he directed on either blu-ray or DVD with the exception of the lost film The Mountain Eagle. I think I'm a completist.

 

[JJHLH]

I love Hitchcock and have pre ordered the Jamaica Inn blu ray. The quality shown on the restoration demo looks markedly improved compared to the DVD version I currently have.

I find even lessor Hitchcock to be more compelling than the better films of most directors.

 

[Dick]

Please share your thoughts once Young and Innocent arrives. I've held back ordering so far due to the differing reports of the Network Blu-Ray transfer. It's certainly one of my favourite Hitchcocks - along with Sabotage!
...but I do enjoy Jamaica Inn as well.

Personally I find YOUNG AND INNOCENT to be fine on Blu-ray. It's sharp (with a few exceptions), with reasonable contrast, apparently appropriate grain, and sound you can understand with acceptable clarity. The image does have some "print wear" artifacts such as verticle scratches and some dirt, but it isn't a deal-breaker. Sorry so long reporting back.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I find it everything I would expect from a film of that vintage .. in some ways I prefer a film which hasn't been cleaned-up too much because often the attempts at image-refurbishment leave worse artefacts than the ones we see here. This is far better than the versions I've seen in the past, not just on DVD but on film-club style 16mm screenings.

 

[david hare]

Nobody is.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016127/

I am a very great admirer of Under Capricorn in fact. Forget all the goobledegook of plot and setting, it's pure cinema in huge long takes, much more formally successful than Rope, for instance. (And far more interesting to me.) Hitch, Cardiff, Bergman.