The Lady Vanishes - Criterion Collection

Customer Reviews:

Criterion 2-disc specs.......2007-09-07

* - DOUBLE DISC-SET INCLUDES
* - New, restored high-definition digital transfer
* - Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder
* - Crook's Tour, a 1941 feature-length Charters and Caldicott adventure, available for the first time on home video, starring Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne reprising their beloved The Lady Vanishes roles
* - Excerpts from François Truffaut's legendary 1962 audio interview with Alfred Hitchcock
* - Mystery Train, a new video essay about Hitchcock and The Lady Vanishes by Hitchcock scholar Leonard Leff
* - Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and promotional art
* - PLUS: New essays by critic Geoffrey O'Brien and Hitchcock scholar Charles Barr

1938
96 minutes
Black and White
1.33:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Not Anamorphic
English

A Perfect Lady.......2007-09-06

This 1937 comic thriller is one of the first great masterpieces of Alfred Hitchcock. Based on Ethel Lina White's novel, THE WHEEL SPINS, it mixes laughs and chills better than just about any other film, before or since. A nervous bride-to-be (beautiful Margaret Lockwood) meets a sweet elderly woman (the magnificent Dame May Whitty) on a train bound from Switzerland to London just before WWII. Also aboard: a roguish musicologist (Michael Redgrave), a pair of adulterers (Cecil Parker and Linden Travers), a smooth German doctor (Paul Lukas), two delightfully fussy cricket fans (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne), and a mysterious nun (Catherine Lacey) wearing sexy high heels under her habit. When the old lady disappears from the moving train, the young heroine investigates, and everyone else aboard insists that she is mistaken--there never was any old lady....

I can think of no higher tribute to Hitchcock than the fact that so many recent hit films are virtual remakes of his classic gems. DISTURBIA is REAR WINDOW recast with modern teens, and the 2005 Jodie Foster thriller, FLIGHTPLAN, was an unofficial remake of THE LADY VANISHES with an airliner standing in for the train--right down to the famous "fingerprint on the window." Why do modern filmmakers keep imitating the Master's films? See for yourself. This new, 2-disc reissue from Criterion has a lot of extras and a newly remastered print of the film itself. It's a must for fans and newcomers alike. Highly Recommended.

I know she was here..........2007-08-22

Alfred Hitchcock wasn't too good at straight-out comedy, which he only did once that I can remember. But he was absolutely brilliant at clever, witty thrillers -- mystery with a comic edge. One of the earliest he created was "The Lady Vanishes." While it has some major plot holes, Hitchcock makes up for those with witty dialogue and solid acting.

Iris (Margaret Lockwood) is having a last girl's-night-out with her best friends, at a small Alpine hotel, only days before her wedding to a stuffy arisocrat. As she's leaving on the train, she befriends a kindly little old governess (Dame May Whitty) -- who vanishes while Iris is napping. Even worse, everyone denies that the old lady existed, making Iris wonder if she imagined the whole thing (due to a blow on the head).

She enlists the help of eccentric musician Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) to help her find the old lady, once they are both convinced that the lady existed and that all the people who deny she was there are lying. Now the pair must go through the train in search of the woman -- but they never expected to uncover an international conspiracy and a bevy of German spies.

"The Lady Vanishes" was a pretty early movie of Hitchcock's, and at the end we're left wondering about several oddities in the plot (how is an eighty-year-old lady so athletic? How inept can those foreign agents BE?). As a spy thriller, it's enjoyable but too riddled with plot holes... but it's very good as a comedic mystery.

Hitchcock takes his time introducing us to these characters, by having them all bunk at one overcrowded hotel, and sprinkles it with clues that all is not as idyllic as it seems. One particularly funny scene has Gilbert invading Iris's suite, after she has him ejected from his room, and strewing his things all over as she orders him to leave. But Hitchcock also captures the claustrophobic feeling of being menaced on a train, with no way out.

As well as the feisty socialite and weird musician, the movie is sprinkled with cricket-obsessed Brits, ebullient hoteliers, sweet rambling old ladies, and bickering adulterous lovers. They all do fairly solid jobs, with Redgrave as a charming, slightly odd standout who keeps people awake with folk-dances, and gets all the best lines ("My father always taught me, never desert a lady in trouble. He even carried that as far as marrying Mother.")

"The Lady Vanishes" has actually been put out by Criterion before, but it was so unsatisfactory that I was better off with my cheap little Diamond edition. Presumably if they're releasing it a second time, then they've cleaned it up as even a minor Hitch movie deserves.

"The Lady Vanishes" is a comedic mystery that doesn't quite work as a spy thriller, but is taut, entertaining and amusing enough to keep you watching to the end. Definitely a keeper.

The Lady Vanishes - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

The Lady Vanishes
1 more star?
Superb, suspenseful, brilliantly funny...,
Hitchcock liked trains. It may be his favorite venue.
I was amazed at how good this is

The Lady Vanishes - Criterion Collection
Starring: Emile Boreo , Mary Clare , Selma Vaz Dias , Catherine Lacey , and Philip Leaver
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: 0780020723
Release Date: 1998-05-27

Amazon.com essential video

At first glance The Lady Vanishes appears to be a frothy, lightweight treat, a testament to Alfred Hitchcock's nimble touch. This snappy, sophisticated romantic thriller begins innocently enough, as a contingent of eccentric tourists spend the night in a picture-postcard village inn nestled in the Swiss Alps before setting off on the train the next morning. In a wonderfully Hitchcockian twist on "meeting cute," attractive young Iris (Margaret Lockwood) clashes with brash music student Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) when his nocturnal concerts give her no peace. She gets him kicked out of his room, so he barges in on hers: True love is inevitable, but not before they are both plunged into an international conspiracy. The next day on the train, kindly old Mrs. Froy (Dame May Whitty) vanishes from her train car without a trace and the once quarrelsome couple unite to search the train and uncover a dastardly plot. No one is as he or she seems, but sorting out the villains from the merely mysterious is a challenge in itself, as our innocents abroad face resistance from the entire passenger list. Hitchcock effortlessly navigates this vivid thriller from light comedy to high tension and back again, creating one of his most enchanting and entertaining mysteries. Though this wasn't his final British film before departing for Hollywood (that honor goes to Jamaica Inn), many critics prefer to think of this as his fond farewell to the British Film Industry. --Sean Axmaker

Description

In this best-loved of Hitchcock's British-made thrillers, a young woman on a train meets a charming old lady (Dame May Whitty), who promptly disappears. The other passengers deny ever having seen her, leading the young woman to suspect a conspiracy. When she begins investigating, she is drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure.

Customer Reviews:

The Lady Vanishes.......2007-06-21

Hitchcock's timeless classic begins on a high comic note, then quickly transforms into a suspense film with political overtones. As in "The 39 Steps," the priceless banter between the heroine and her unlikely ally elevates what is already a nifty nail-biter into something infinitely more special: a romantic mystery. The cast of eccentrics--especially two English tourists played by Basil Radford and Naughton Wayne--give this "Lady" extra punch, and Dame May Whitty is adorable as the elusive old lady who causes all the fuss.

1 more star?.......2007-01-27

This is a good movie and I liked it, especially the very likable protagonists. I would like it more if someone would be so kind as to explain why the 'Germans' don't just arrest Miss Froy? Why go through the trouble of 'disappearing' her? Yes, if they had done so the story wouldn't exist. Why does the villain never just kill the hero but instead leaves an unintended escape... sure, we suspend disbelief up to a point, but here with this movie, I wonder if I had just missed a key dialog or something of that sort.

Superb, suspenseful, brilliantly funny..., .......2007-01-04

Alfred Hitchcock announced a call to arms in a brilliant and amusing thriller, "The Lady Vanishes."

The lady in question is Miss Froy (Dame May Witty), a splendid eccentric innocent old governess (in reality a British secret agent), who is kidnapped by the smooth Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), really the master enemy spy...

Involved in the rescue are Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), a sincere young musicologist trying on using up unwisely his life on unfruitful pursuits; Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) a pretty girl who is returning to London to sacrifice herself on the altar of nobility - she has accepted to marry a weedy little English count; and a hilarious sporting couple, Chalders and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne), whose only concern and topic conversation is the cricket match--will they make it back in home for the "big game."

Other characters include Percy (Cecil Parker), the pompous lawyer who is constantly afraid that his affair with Linden Travers will be discovered... Above all he does not want to be involved... He is the voice of pacifism and self-control... While the others fight it out with the enemy, he rushes from the coach waving a white handkerchief... He is shot, and dies never understanding why...

Hitchcock (and you never know with him) creates a multi-sided movie (superb, suspenseful, brilliantly funny), extending the power of stereotypes by caricaturing itself, making the audience express with laughter, and in a way they forget that they have just accepted some unpleasant tasting medicine...

Hitchcock liked trains. It may be his favorite venue........2006-11-22

There are so many possibilities. This is a spy thriller. It works on several levels, with quite of bit of comedy to keep it light. I interpreted much of the character development as satire on the British people themselves. Hitchcock had to be careful. In those last days before the war the British censors were tough. If the British didn't see the humor in it, I'm sure Americans did. You have two chuckle-headed school chums prattling on endlessly about criket. A cheating barrister & his vapid paramour both married back in England & parnoid about being found out. Then there is Miss Froy, (Dame May Whitty) the old, sterotypical spinister governess. Even the heroine, Iris, played by Margret Lockwood, is a blond (naturally) beautiful airhead, as is her facile, soon to be boyfriend, Gilbert (Michael Redgrave). Miss Froy goes missing on the train without getting off. She had just made the aquaintance of Iris & then, poof, disappears. Iris with the help of Gilbert seeks to find her to the annoyance of most everyone aboard the train. But Miss Froy isn't what she appears. She's a secret agent for the British & the Germans want to kidnap her. Only they weren't Germans. In order not to offend the Nazis at the time, Germany was simply refered to as a middle European country. They had phony, German sounding accents like the evil psychiatrist who was identified as a Czech. The Brits pulled themselves together when crisis hits. The train is stopped & attacked by the police. Miss Froy is amazingly nimble for an old lady. She jumps out of a train window & evades 24 young men shooting at her. Hilarious. She gets back to England before everyone else. See this. If your not a Hitchcock fan you maybe after seeing this, one of his last movies before he moved to Hollywood.

I was amazed at how good this is.......2006-11-16

I bought this DVD because it was cheap, and I figured I could not go wrong with an old Hitchcock classic. The first two minutes of the film gave me some doubts, as the sound quality on the opening music was poor (I thought the sound was fine after that and the picture quality very good). Then the story got going, and I was amazed.

This film really needs to be appreciated on two levels. First, it is a wonderfully pleasant thriller. It has a script from the days when they cared about writing good dialogue. It is quite witty, and pleasantly sexy, the latter in a family-friendly way that is nonetheless more engaging than so much of the modern, explicit material.

But the second level is what makes this film so astonishing. It was made in 1938 in England. At the time, appeasement was the official policy of the British government and most of the British press. In fact, the film censorship board would not even allow the words "German" or "Nazi" to be used in connection with bad guys. The film nonetheless manages to suggest the utter evil of Nazism and show the utter bankruptcy of appeasement. What's most intriguing, the film cleverly shows a variety of people who just don't want to get involved in any nastiness, for one reason or another, but who have true British hearts of gold and come through wonderfully once a fight proves unavoidable.

My pleasure at this wonderful film is mixed on a few counts. The first, of course, is the sadness that the film proved to be so amazingly prophetic about the tragedy of the years that followed. The second is that this film is so little known, when it should by rights be part of the history curriculum every student learns by high school. The third is that this film is just as meaningful for us today as it was when it was made. Alas, it just may be that we are living in 1938 all over again.

Wrong Men & Notorious Women - Five Hitchcock Thrillers 1935-1946 (The 39 Steps / The Lady Vanishes / Rebecca / Spellbound / Notorious) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Great Collection, but don't pay these outrageous prices...
Fabulous Noir...Classic Films...One Short Of Perfect
Early Hitchcock classics
Correction
IMMACULATE(AND STILL AVAILABLE)

Wrong Men & Notorious Women - Five Hitchcock Thrillers 1935-1946 (The 39 Steps / The Lady Vanishes / Rebecca / Spellbound / Notorious) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B00008OM70
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Amazon.com

Wrong Men & Notorious Women is an irresistible set: five early Alfred Hitchcock thrillers--The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Spellbound, and Notorious--in sumptuous Criterion Collection editions that offer pristine transfers, commentary tracks by film scholars, and other bonus features such as screen tests, essays, rare photos, and radio broadcasts.

The 39 Steps (1935) is a prime example of the MacGuffin principle in action. Robert Donat is Richard Hannay, an affable Canadian tourist in London who becomes embroiled in a deadly conspiracy when a mysterious spy winds up murdered in Hannay's rented flat--and both the police and a secret organization wind up hot on his trail. It's classic Hitchcock all the way, a seemingly effortless balance of romance and adventure set against a picturesque landscape populated by eccentrics and social-register smoothies, none of whom is what he or she appears to be.

The Lady Vanishes (1938) begins innocently enough, as a contingent of eccentric tourists spend the night in a picture-postcard village inn nestled in the Swiss Alps before setting off on the train the next morning. Attractive young Iris (Margaret Lockwood) clashes with brash music student Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) when his nocturnal concerts give her no peace. True love is inevitable, but not before they are both plunged into an international conspiracy. Hitchcock effortlessly navigates this vivid thriller from light comedy to high tension and back again, creating one of his most enchanting and entertaining mysteries.

Rebecca (1940) is an ageless, timeless adult movie about a woman who marries a widower but fears she lives in the shadow of her predecessor. This was Hitchcock's first American feature, and it garnered the Best Picture statuette at the 1941 Academy Awards. In today's films, most twists and surprises are ridiculous or just gratuitous, so it's sobering to look back on this film where every revelation not only shocks, but makes organic sense with the story line. Laurence Olivier is dashing and weak, fierce and cowed. Joan Fontaine is strong yet submissive, defiant yet accommodating. Brilliant stuff.

Hitchcock takes on Sigmund Freud in Spellbound (1945), in which psychologist Ingrid Bergman tries to solve a murder by unlocking the clues hidden in the mind of amnesiac suspect Gregory Peck. Among the highlights is a bizarre dream sequence seemingly designed by Salvador Dali--complete with huge eyeballs and pointy scissors. Spellbound is one of Hitchcock's strangest and most atmospheric films, providing the director with plenty of opportunities to explore what he called "pure cinema"--i.e., the power of pure visual associations.

Notorious (1946) features a cast to kill for: Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Claude Rains. Bergman plays the daughter of a disgraced father who is recruited by American agents to infiltrate a post-World War II spy ring in Brazil. Her control agent is Grant, who treats her with disdain while developing a deep romantic bond with her. Her assignment: to marry the suspected head of the ring (Rains) and get the goods on everyone involved. Danger, deceit, betrayal--and, yes, romance--all come together in a nearly perfect blend as the film builds to a terrific (and surprising) climax. Grant and Bergman rarely have been better.

Description

A supreme technician and innovative stylist, Alfred Hitchcock always left his indelible stamp on his productions. From the wit, romance, and fast-paced action of 1935's British-made The 39 Steps to the bittersweet blend of lush romance and spy- thriller in the 1946 Hollywood production Notorious, Hitchcock continually flaunted a peerless formal mastery as he capitalized on a wide variety of genres. In the 1940 Academy Award™ -winning Rebecca and 1945 psychoanalytic thriller Spellbound, Hitchcock also proved himself a keen surveyor of the human mind, incisively exploring the psychology of fear and sexual repression within the context of films that both entertained audiences of the day and ensured that his career would be one of the most illustrious in the history of cinema.

Starring Robert Donat, Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Claude Rains, and Cary Grant, these five acclaimed films bridge Hitchcock's early British masterworks with his triumphant American collaborations with producer David O. Selznick, and present the legendary director at his unparalleled best, creating films that are exemplars of suspense and cinematic virtuosity.

Oscar™ , Academy Award™ , and Academy Awards™ are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Customer Reviews:

Great Collection, but don't pay these outrageous prices..........2007-03-09

MGM dvd is set to to release these same titles later sometime this year (2007). So be on the look out. I already own this Chriterion collection and it is great, but it lacks any documentaries on the films. I'm sure the new MGM dvd releases will more than likely put this on them and hopefully more features too, like Warner dvd did with the rights they own of Hitchcock now.

Fabulous Noir...Classic Films...One Short Of Perfect.......2006-05-13

Hitch, Cary, Ingrid, Olivier, Whitty, Du Maurier,Fontaine. The list goes on. All these great talents combined to make a great package for Hitch fans.A selection of fabulous noir, that is definitive of all things Hitch. The suspense, the shadows and light, the camera angles, the sly humor, his trademark sequences, all here, for one great Hitch film-fest. A mix of his vintage British films, and the great classics of Hollywood.
Here are the "wrong men" and "notorious women" that make up this great collection.

"The 39 Steps"
One of Hitch's masterpieces! From 1935.. "The Thirty Nine Steps" has Hitch's trademark style all through it. An innocent man gets involved with spies and counter spies. He is at the music hall, watching a "Memory Act"(which is quite a scene in itself),there's a gun shot, panic erupts and everyone runs out. A mysterious woman attaches herself to him and comes home with him. She reveals she is a spy and others are after her. She mentions the mysterious "Thirty Nine Steps", and the next morning he finds her dead. He goes on the run for fear he will be implicated in the murder and in order to prove his innocence he must uncover this spy ring on his own. His path is fraught with danger, suspense and of course a beautiful woman. It stars Robert Donat,Madeline Carroll(you know how Hitch loved those beautiful cool blondes!), and Lucie Mannheim(as Annabela the spy).Also look for his trademark staircase scene.

Looking for Hitch: Less than 10 minutes in, you'll spy him. What a litter bug!

"The Lady Vanishes"
Of all Hitch's early British made film's(mostly made during the late 1920's and 1930's), "The Lady Vanishes" is by far the most captivating one for me.
A train trip is the setting for this mystery. A woman's traveling companion has disappeared. Where could she be? The train is only so big. She tries desperately to find her friend, but is alone in her quest. No one seems to believe that she even had a companion to start with.All seem to have their own mysterious reasons for denying her any help.
Finally one man is convinced to help, and together they try to solve this possible crime. There are lots of tense sequences to keep you in suspense, and your heart pounding. Hitch mixes up the thrills with his marvelous sense of humor and his wonderful trademark style.Wonderful performances by the likes of Dame Mae Whitty, Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave add to the enjoyment of this one.

Looking for Hitch:....You must be patient. Check Victoria Station almost at the end of the film.

"Rebecca"
What do you get when you have a great work of literature by Daphne Du Maurier, combined with the cinematic skill of Director Alfred Hitchcock,combined with the extraordinary acting talents of Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders and Judith Anderson? You get pure perfection on film. Movie heaven!

The story begins in the South of France where a young, introverted woman(Joan Fontaine) meets wealthy widower Maxim de Winter(Olivier) His wife,Rebecca, had recently died in a drowning accident and often he seems to be pensive and far off. They fall in love, marry, and go back to his home, an estate called Manderly. She is overwhelmed by the palacial grandeur, the huge staff of servants but mainly by the very prim but chilling head housekeeper Mrs. Danvers(Judith Andersson). The first Mrs. De Winter still seems to have a presence in the household that Mrs. Danvers keeps alive.
To say anymore will be giving away too much of this hauntingly chilling love story/mystery.

Looking for Hitch: Nice day for a stroll...check the phone booth scene towards the end.

"Spellbound"
Here's a little of this riveting story.....
The beautiful Ingrid Bergman plays the distant psychiatrist Dr. Constance Petersen. She treats a number of troubled patients at the Green Manors Mental Asylum, but her toughest case is yet to come. With Dr. Murchison(Leo G Carroll) being forced into retirement a new chief of staff will be arriving. It is the esteemed Dr Edwards(Gregory Peck)who takes over. It is not long before Edwards and Constance find themselves attracted to one another, and it is not long before Constance figures out that Edwards is not really who he says he is. He displays signs of paranoia and amnesia and it is possible that he murdered the real Dr. Edwards.They are on the run to try to solve the case but as the original theatrical poster says,"Will he Kiss me or Kill me?"

You'll be awed Hitch's definitive style of camera angles, shadow and lights, romance and a unique dream sequence designed by Salavdor Dali. Not to mention all the wonderful talent that graces this film. Bergman and Peck make screen magic together, Carroll is a legend and this film shows us why.Also starring is Rhonda Flemming,Michael Chekhov, and Wallace Ford. The music by Miklos Rozsa also adds greatly to the building tension, and romantic scenes in the story.
So don't worry about trying to over anaylze this one....As Hitch himself said "It's just a movie." But a GREAT one!

Looking for Hitch: About :40 minutes in, you may see him if you're quick!

"Notorious"
The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, gives us another edge of your seat thriller. He combines, mystery,romance, and the evil's of Nazism in this chilling story.It takes place shortly after WWII. Alicia(Ingrid Bergman) is a woman with a past. Her father has just been convicted of spying. American agent Devlin(Cary Grant), enlists Alicia to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring.After her father's conviction, Alicia can prove her own patriotism by cooperating in this manner. She finds herself right in the thick of things and her own life in danger after she goes as far as to marry Alex(Claude Rains), one of the very powerful, rich and dangerous ring leaders of the group. Alex is on to her and tries to methodically get rid of his beautiful wife.Can the handsome "Dev" rescue the woman he has come to love so much before tragedy strikes.?

You'll delight to find Hitch's trademarks all through the film. The camera angles are definitive,the trademark staircase scene, the passion between Grant and Bergman electrifying,Claude Rains is terrifying, and the story a rollercoaster of suspense filled moments. There isn't a more perfect film I can think of.

Looking for Hitch: A little over an hour in you can have a little drink with him.(Not too much though, the Champagne needs to last the night at this party).

Hitch was "notorious" for stories where the "wrong" guy was accused of the crime. There are others that could fit into this collection. But I truly think there is one glaring omission.Shouldn't "The Wrong Man" with Henry Fonda, be included in "Wrong Men and Notorious Women"?.It's a dark wonderful piece of filmmaking, based on a true story of a man who happened to look like the criminal.

One other note. I notice that Amazon is out of stock. The outside sellers seem to be taking advantage of that fact, and have raised the cost sky high. If this set is the absolute way you want to go, put it in your cart or wish list, and keep an eye out for a reasonably listed price. In the meantime, you may want to surf around and see what it would cost to buy these films separately. A couple of them are on the expensive side, but others are averaging the usual cost of a DVD. One more route, would be to go to you local video store, they may have it, or may even be able to order it for you at the suggested retail price.

Five 5 star films, but missing one to make the package perfect.
Enjoy....Laurie

Early Hitchcock classics.......2005-06-28

This impressive DVD box set showcases some of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest work in the 1930s and 40s, where the young director was not only breathing new life into Hollywood, but also displaying his enthusiasm for macabre tales of murder and mystery. By 1935 Hitch already had 19 films under his belt, however for the most part, his earlier work (The 1920s films THE LODGER, THE RING, BLACKMAIL and MURDER in 1930) was more experimentation that art, but THE 39 STEPS was the landmark film that put Hitch on the map. Watching it on TV late one night, I was enthralled at how expertly-crafted this little thriller was, and its great to see this classic on DVD. Boasting powerhouse performances form Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll and some fantastic cinematography, 39 STEPS says: "I respect you and here's a great movie worthy of your time". Made when movie studios like RKO, 20th Century Fox and Universal had uncertain futures, this was one of the movies that assured cinema-goers that this was not only worth money, but showcased some fantastic thrills, chills, and wonderful escapism. THE LADY VANISHES (1938) is not the directors' best film however, with a slow-paced first 20 minutes and the writing isn't as strongly composed as 39 STEPS. Some impressive action at the finale and a strident score almost make up for it's casual style.

Derived from Daphne Du Maurier's excellent novel by Philip MacDonald, REBECCA (1940) is possibly one of the most expertly crafted films ever made in the history of cinema, a rare perfect film that deserves 6 stars for its incredible style, music, and some gripping acting from veteran Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. SPELLBOUND and NOTORIOUS are equal in style and achievement, and the DVD extras are fantastic, including The Art of Film: Vintage Hitchcock, a Janus Films documentary, rare deleted scenes, restored image and sound, and some amazing screen, hair, makeup and costume tests with Vivien Leigh, Anne Baxter, Loretta Young and Joan Fontaine. Commentaries by film scholar Leonard J. Leff, author of Hitchcock and Selznick, Hitchcock on Rebecca, excerpts from his conversations with Francois Truffaut, phone interviews with Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson from 1986 and exclusive behind the scenes footage of the making of these classic masterpieces. If you don't have this already, buy it now and be thrilled by the master of suspense!

Correction.......2004-06-15

Amazon lists this as a five-disc set. Actually it includes six discs since Rebecca comes on two.

IMMACULATE(AND STILL AVAILABLE).......2004-04-28

When I read the reviews and saw that Amazon no longer carried this, I was disappointed. Only disappointed until I purchased this item new from a different vendor. I don't know why Amazon does not carry it.

In any event, when you get your opportunity pounce! The quality of these movies is amazing, the extras extraordinary and the price a steal. These movies are a feast for the eyes and ears. The images are beyond crisp and the sound is beyond clear. What more can be said. This set is a must have.

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