USHE Announcement: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Blu-ray) (2 Viewers)

[lukejosephchung]

For those of you who've decided to boycott this set, I admire your principles...however I'm a bit more pragmatic about the real-world conditions regarding its release and am purchasing this. Life is too short to cut off my nose to spite my face...

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I think if it were all excellent I'd be more inclined to buy on release day.
As it stands, I'll wait and get it when I come across a good used copy or cheap new one. I'm not in a rush now.

 

[Yorkshire]

Is this one of those glass half empty/glass half full threads?
Maybe a third of the discs are average, with some posters saying "Most are fine-to-excellent", with others saying "Most are fine at best", and both are statistically correct.
Each will have his or her own favourites. Mine are:
Saboteur
4.5 / 5 Highly Recommended
Rear Window
3 / 4.5 No Comment on Recommendatiion
Vertigo
4 / 4.5 Recommended
The Birds
4.25 / 5 Highly Recommended
Frenzy
3.5 / 4 Recommended
The ones I don't mind are:
Marnie
3 / 5 No Comment on Recommendatiion
The Man Who Knew Too Much
2 / 4.5 Recall
Shadow Of A Doubt
4.5 / 5 Highly Recommended
Rope
3 / 4.5 No Comment on Recommendatiion
The ones I would otherwise not buy at full price are:
The Trouble With Harry
4 / 4.5 Recommended
Torn Curtain
4.5 / 5 Recommended
Topaz
4 / 5 Recommended
Family Plot
0 / 5 Recall
I presume the 'no comment on recommendation'ones are titles which RAH feels he wouldn't buy, but which he appreciates those of us without his accurate eye (I count myself among them) may enjoy.
That being the case, the set will do me fine. It scores 5/5 hits from my 'A' list and 3/4 on the 'B' list.
Just my personal feelings.
Steve W

 

[haineshisway]

What posters? No one has the set yet. All we've had our Mr. Harris and Mr. Wrigley and I think one review I found that I don't think is complete - maybe on hidefdigest or something like that. And only Mr. Harris and the incomplete review has actually seen the new versions, however many there may be that actually had work on them. My guess is that Mr. Harris is right and that the majority of the films in the set will suit most watchers just fine. Only one sounds like a complete and utter disaster - Family Plot. Tuesday cannot come fast enough - this set AND Rosemary's Baby - hoo and ray.

 

[Yorkshire]

I agree - Family Plot is a film I could happily never see again.
Lucky you for Tuesday, in the UK the set has been delayed again until the 12th of November.
Still, in time for Christmas will do me.
Steve W

 

[JoHud]

Currently, I plan on buying the set at a reasonable price. I had fairly low expectations for this after the Bond set and other early criticisms, but the batting average is actually pretty high with only a few lackluster transfers. And one apparent travesty (Family Plot). The DVD of that one is still good, right? I'll probably just buy the single DVD for that one somewhere down the line to "complete" the set since I seriously doubt Universal will remaster than one again for a very long time.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I agree - Family Plot is a film I could happily never see again.

Wish I felt that way. That was going to be my first view.

 

[Yorkshire]

Wish I felt that way. That was going to be my first view.

In that case I feel really bad for you. Family Plot isn't my favourite, but de gustibus, non disputandum est.
We all want our favourites to look the best, and if yours doesn't then that can't be a good feeling.
Steve W

 

[TravisR]

I think if it were all excellent I'd be more inclined to buy on release day.
As it stands, I'll wait and get it when I come across a good used copy or cheap new one. I'm not in a rush now.

That's how I look at it too. Given the price tag and in effort to save money for the upcoming holidays, I probably would have waited to buy it or seen if I could get it as a Christmas gift anyway but had the entire set been a homerun, I'm sure would have just thought "Price be damned" and bought it on Tuesday. As it stands now, I'm not in any hurry. I've got a decent sized backlog of unwatched discs so I can wait until it's on sale. I hope it's sooner rather than later but I'm patient enough to wait them out. And in case anyone wants to try to judge me for waiting for a sale (as has happened in other threads), keep in mind that I said I would have bought it on the first day if all of the titles had been done properly.

 

[JJHLH]

I definitely plan on buying this set. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say this is one of the most important sets that may ever be released. Hitchcock on blu ray is a dream come true for me. I've been waiting years for this.

 

[Bob Cashill]

Amazon UK's current preorder price is $149. It streets there Nov. 12.

 

[lark144]

Wish I felt that way. That was going to be my first view.

+1 which is why I'm not rushing out to buy the set at this time.

 

[Ruz-El]

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein /t/321703/ushe-announcement-alfred-hitchcock-the-masterpiece-collection-blu-ray/1350#post_3993478
I think if it were all excellent I'd be more inclined to buy on release day.
As it stands, I'll wait and get it when I come across a good used copy or cheap new one. I'm not in a rush now.

I agree completely.

 

[Yorkshire]

That's how I look at it too. Given the price tag and in effort to save money for the upcoming holidays, I probably would have waited to buy it or seen if I could get it as a Christmas gift anyway but had the entire set been a homerun, I'm sure would have just thought "Price be damned" and bought it on Tuesday. As it stands now, I'm not in any hurry. I've got a decent sized backlog of unwatched discs so I can wait until it's on sale. I hope it's sooner rather than later but I'm patient enough to wait them out. And in case anyone wants to try to judge me for waiting for a sale (as has happened in other threads), keep in mind that I said I would have bought it on the first day if all of the titles had been done properly.

I don't think anyone can criticise you for that.
Maybe with a small, dedicated company, putting out just a few discs, dependent on revenue to keep a cottage industry alive. But Universal will plan and price sets like this with a view to selling some early on to the 'dedicated' at full price, and others to the more casual viewer later on in the sales.
My pre-order has been in for a while. But I've already spent far more on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD copies of these films than this set will cost. Universal have had their pound of flesh. Anything extra they get now will be a bonus to them.
Steve W

 

[David Weicker]

Amazon UK's current preorder price is $149. It streets there Nov. 12.

Actually, since Amazon UK subtracts the VAT for US orders, the price is closer to $127 (an even better deal)

 

[classicscaper]

Amazon UK's current preorder price is $149. It streets there Nov. 12.

How disappointing that is has been pushed back another week in the UK. Correct me if I am wrong, but it was pushed back to November 5th originally...oh well, what's another week in the great wait for Hitch on blu.

 

[Danny Burk]

Why would you guess that? Criterion is certainly not above taking whatever they are given and throwing it on a BD.

And SCARLET EMPRESS on DVD - simply awful, and my all time favorite film to boot.

 

[Ruz-El]

Originally Posted by Danny Burk /t/321703/ushe-announcement-alfred-hitchcock-the-masterpiece-collection-blu-ray/1380#post_3993711
And SCARLET EMPRESS on DVD - simply awful, and my all time favorite film to boot.

and my favourite Spartacus on bluray, a bloody travesty of a disc...

 

[Moe Dickstein]

and my favourite Spartacus on bluray, a bloody travesty of a disc...

Criterion had nothing to do with the Spartacus BD - that's alllllll Universals. the CC DVD of Spartacus I believe is considered the only "correct" version color wise and all I believe. RAH could enlighten us there I believe...

 

[Ruz-El]

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein /t/321703/ushe-announcement-alfred-hitchcock-the-masterpiece-collection-blu-ray/1380#post_3993727
Criterion had nothing to do with the Spartacus BD - that's alllllll Universals. the CC DVD of Spartacus I believe is considered the only "correct" version color wise and all I believe. RAH could enlighten us there I believe...

That's why I had the icon on my statement while quoting a post about how Criterion botch releases compared to Universal where it's become a joke with how many titles they've botched, or worse, came out in a flipper disc that flat out didn't work.

I know some thing that it's wrong for some of us to be critical of Universal and hurting their feelings, but really, they brought it on themselves historically. That this "Masterpiece Collection" is for the most part, "Good enough for now" which is a nice way of saying "will look better then DVD on most mid-range systems, and largely mediocre on high end ones" and guaranteed to be a floating turn when the next gen gen systems come out is a joke.

Plus, the prime Universal Hitchcock released by Universal is a mixed bag where as the largely bootleg heavy early Hitchcock films by Criterion are all outstanding and have never looked better. I mean c'mon, it's stupid this set isn't blowing our socks off on every title.

So I'll continue my plan to wait until the set gets dirt cheap. As opposed to Lean and Coward boxset from Criterion that I blind bought knowing that it was done right.