Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection (Psycho / Vertigo / Rear Window / The Birds / Shadow of a Doubt / Family Plot / Frenzy / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Marnie / Rope / Saboteur / Topaz / Torn Curtain / The Trouble with Harry)

Product Description

14 of the finest works from the universally acclaimed Master of Suspense come together for the first time in one collection. These captivating landmark films boast three decades of Hollywood legends, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery and Doris Day. The premium packaging and collectible book make Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection the must-own, definitive anthology of gripping works by a true genius.

System Requirements:

Running Time 1630 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Masterpiece indeed. With 14 films, each supplemented with numerous documentaries, commentaries, and other bonus materials, Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection will be the cornerstone for any serious DVD library. Packaged in a beautiful, conversation-starting velvet box, the individual discs inside come four to a case, decorated with original poster art.

No doubt opinionated fans will argue about what should fall under the rubric of "masterpiece" in Hitchcock's body of work, but with the bona fide classics Vertigo, Psycho, and The Man Who Knew Too Much, there's plenty of timeless movie magic here. Eye-popping transfers and gorgeous sound make this set one of the must-have releases of the year.

Should the Hitchcock fan have the energy for more after imbibing on the movies themselves, a bonus disc provides additional documentaries. These include a revealing interview in which the master of suspense discusses, among other things, how much he dislikes working with method actors, going so far as to name names (we're talking about you, Jimmy Stewart and Montgomery Clift). In an American Film Institute lifetime achievement ceremony, the master of suspense is praised by the likes of Stewart and Ingrid Bergman, and seems to be suffering from severe boredom as celebrities pile on the flattery. Then Hitchcock opens his mouth to accept the award, delivering an endlessly witty stream of perfect bon mots that prove once again that he was a master of high comedy as well. Revealing documentaries about the making of Psycho and The Birds round out the feast of extras. The 36-page booklet, filled mostly with stills and poster art, provides little new information about the films.--Ryan Boudinot

Films Included in Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection

Saboteur
Robert Cummings stars as Barry Kane, a patriotic munitions worker who is falsely accused of sabotage, in this wartime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Plastered across the front page of every newspaper and hated by the nation, Kane's only hope of clearing his name is to find the real villain. The script as a whole is a clever one--Algonquin wit Dorothy Parker shares a screenwriting credit, and her trademark zingers make for a terrific mix of humor and suspense. Saboteur is a pleasure whether you're a die-hard Hitchcock fan or just someone who likes a good nail-biter. --Ali Davis

Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock considered this 1943 thriller to be his personal favorite among his own films, and although it's not as popular as some of Hitchcock's later work, it's certainly worthy of the master's admiration. Scripted by playwright Thornton Wilder and inspired by the actual case of a 1920's serial killer known as "The Merry Widow Murderer," the movie sets a tone of menace and fear by introducing a psychotic killer into the small-town comforts of Santa Rosa, California. Through narrow escapes and a climactic scene aboard a speeding train, this witty thriller strips away the façade of small-town tranquility to reveal evil where it's least expected. And, of course, it's all done in pure Hitchcockian style. --Jeff Shannon

Rope
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller, Rope is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise. They hide the body in their large apartment, then throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered? Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the possibilities of the long-take style, decided to shoot this story as though it were happening in one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock had to be creative when it came time to change reels, disguising the switches as the camera passed behind someone's back or moved behind a lamp. James Stewart, as a suspicious professor, marks his first starring role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would lead to the masterpieces Rear Window and Vertigo. --Robert Horton

Rear Window
Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. At deeper levels, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. --Sam Sutherland

The Trouble with Harry
A busman's holiday for Alfred Hitchcock, this 1955 black comedy concerns a pesky corpse that becomes a problem for a quiet, Vermont neighborhood. Shirley MacLaine makes her film debut as one of several characters who keep burying the body and finding it unburied again. Hitchcock clearly enjoys conjuring the autumnal look and feel of the story, and he establishes an important, first-time alliance with composer Bernard Herrmann, whose music proved vital to the director's next half-dozen or so films. But for now, The Trouble with Harry is a lark, the mischievous side of Hitchcock given free reign. --Tom Keogh

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot. When their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet, they are caught between concern for him and the terrible secret they hold. When asked about the difference between this version of the story and the one he made 22 years earlier, Hitchcock always said the first was the work of a talented amateur while the second was the act of a seasoned professional. Indeed, several extraordinary moments in this update represent consummate filmmaking, particularly a relentlessly exciting Albert Hall scene, with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream. The Man Who Knew Too Muchis the work of a master in his prime. --Tom Keogh

Vertigo
Although it wasn't a box-office success when originally released in 1958, Vertigo has since taken its deserved place as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest, most spellbinding, most deeply personal achievement. James Stewart plays a retired police detective who is hired by an old friend to follow his wife (a superb Kim Novak, in what becomes a double role), whom he suspects of being possessed by the spirit of a dead madwoman. Shot around San Francisco (the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are significant locations) and elsewhere in Northern California (the redwoods, Mission San Juan Batista) in rapturous Technicolor, Vertigo is as lovely as it is haunting. --Jim Emerson

Psycho
For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. --Jim Emerson

The Birds
Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

Marnie
Sean Connery, fresh from the second Bond picture, From Russia with Love, is a Philadelphia playboy who begins to fall for Tippi Hedren's blonde ice goddess only when he realizes that she's a professional thief; she's come to work in his upper-crust insurance office in order to embezzle mass quantities. His patient program of investigation and surveillance has a creepy, voyeuristic quality that's pure Hitchcock, but all's lost when it emerges that the root of Marnie's problem is phobic sexual frigidity, induced by a childhood trauma. Luckily, Sean is up to the challenge. As it were. Not even D.H. Lawrence believed as fervently as Hitchcock in the curative properties of sexual release. --David Chute

Torn Curtain
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in what must unfortunately be called one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Still, sub-par Hitchcock is better than a lot of what's out there, and this one is well worth a look. Newman plays cold war physicist Michael Armstrong, while Andrews plays his lovely assistant-and-fiancée, Sarah Sherman. Armstrong has been working on a missile defense system that will "make nuclear defense obsolete," and naturally both sides are very interested. All Sarah cares about is the fact that Michael has been acting awfully fishy lately. The suspense of Torn Curtain is by nature not as thrilling as that in the average Hitchcock film--much of it involves sitting still and wondering if the bad guys are getting closer. Still, Hitchcock manages to amuse himself: there is some beautifully clever camera work and an excruciating sequence that illustrates the frequent Hitchcock point that death is not a tidy business. --Ali Davis

Topaz
Alfred Hitchcock hadn't made a spy thriller since the 1930s, so his 1969 adaptation of Leon Uris's bestseller seemed like a curious choice for the director. But Hitchcock makes Uris's story of the West's investigation into the Soviet Union's dealings with Cuba his own. Frederick Stafford plays a French intelligence agent who works with his American counterpart (John Forsythe) to break up a Soviet spy ring. The film is a bit flat dramatically and visually, and there are sequences that seem to occupy Hitchcock's attention more than others. A minor work all around, with at least two alternative endings shot by Hitchcock. --Tom Keogh

Frenzy
Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film, written by Anthony Shaffer (who also wrote Sleuth), this delightfully grisly little tale features an all-British cast minus star wattage, which may have accounted for its relatively slim showing in the States. Jon Finch plays a down-on-his-luck Londoner who is offered some help by an old pal (Barry Foster). In fact, Foster is a serial killer the police have been chasing--and he's framing Finch. Which leads to a classic Hitchcock situation: a guiltless man is forced to prove his innocence while eluding Scotland Yard at the same time. Spiked with Hitchcock's trademark dark humor, Frenzy also features a very funny subplot about the Scotland Yard investigator (Alec McCowen) in charge of the case, who must endure meals by a wife (Vivien Merchant) who is taking a gourmet-cooking class. --Marshall Fine

Family Plot
Alfred Hitchcock's final film is understated comic fun that mixes suspense with deft humor, thanks to a solid cast. The plot centers on the kidnapping of an heir and a diamond theft by a pair of bad guys led by Karen Black and William Devane. The cops seem befuddled, but that doesn't stop a questionable psychic (Barbara Harris) and her not overly bright boyfriend (Bruce Dern, in a rare good-guy role) from picking up the trail and actually solving the crime. Did she do it with actual psychic powers? That's part of the fun of Harris's enjoyably ditsy performance. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Necessarily flawed.......2007-09-14

The best this set rates is 3 stars, and not only for packaging issues previously mentioned.

It's unfortunate that a deal couldn't have been worked out with MGM/UA so that NORTH BY NORTHWEST might have been included here rather than the boring TOPAZ. Even better would be the inclusion of such great WARNER BROS. titles like DIAL M FOR MURDER instead of MARNIE, THE WRONG MAN rather than ROPE and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN as replacement for TORN CURTAIN.

Let's tell it plainly here. This is not so much a "masterpiece collection" as it is the best Hitchcock titles that UNIVERSAL/MCA has in their vaults (along with some less-than-great filler). With such a substantial project as this, perhaps the various studios owed it to Hitchcock to cooperate. And if they had, wouldn't the four substitutions suggested above TRULY make this DVD set Hitchcock's masterpiece collection?

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - SEASON THREE features some of the best TV episodes from the Master of Suspense.

A GREAT SET FOR THE PRICE! MISSING SOME GREAT FILMS!.......2007-09-08

I didn't have any of these films on DVD so,..... When I saw it on sale for around $65.00 I thought it was a great deal for 14 films with some extra material. I would have liked to see a few different films in this set,but they ended up putting most of those in another DVD set with the exception of "LifeBoat" and "Notorious". I think all "Hitches" missing films should be put into similar sets. This is a nice set, but wait to see it at the right price. These will be dropping way down before you know it. The transfers look very good!

Pick this along with the Signature Collection and you're done!.......2007-08-23

First things first - This collection is brilliant and the packaging is also good. Its a velvet box containing 4 DVD boxes, each box containing 4 or 3 discs/films and a booklet with a short writeup on each film.

When it arrived, one of the 4 sets was missing, and one was duplicated.
That is: I had 2 sets of the same films, and one set was missing.

I wrote back to the Amazon Customer Support and got an immediate reply saying they will replace it.

This set does not include certain must-have classics like
Strangers On A Train
North By North West
Dial M For Murder
Foreign Correspondent etc.

All this is available in the Signature Series which I picked up from here.

So if you buy these 2 box sets, you're done!!!

5 Stars for the movies, 1 Star for the packaging.......2007-08-13

I would love to have most of the DVDs in this collection, but I won't get it because of the poorly-designed packaging. I don't want 4 DVDs crammed into one case with the artwork reproduced one-quarter size and overlapping. I want each DVD in its own case with full-sized artwork on the cover. If the idea was to make it more compact, the space saved is insignificant. I think the real reason is corner-cutting to save a few bucks. The other Hitchcock set did it the right way- 1 DVD per case. This is very disappointing. For a lot of us, aesthetics count for a lot. Actually, my ideal preference would for all box sets to be packaged chronologically, in the order each film was released.

Poor packaging........2007-06-01

This is a great set minus the annoying packaging. As someone mentioned earlier the DVD cases are fitted to go in a certain order and if they don't go in in that order then they get stuck and the edges of the DVD cases get frayed. The corners of the cases get frayed anyway because the cases are a paper and cardboard-based binding with the plastic DVD holders glued on to them. So I put them in spine first now. Open and close them enough times and you get those white, worn edges on the spine. Another problem with the cases is that the plastic glued on part that hold the DVDs in place are notorious for getting de-glued. Yet another thing. . .one disc is now not holding in the case properly. How could I remedy this problem? Buy an entire new set??? The door on the velvet box doesn't snap shut in anyway so if you hold the wrong side down. . .the DVDs will fall out. So watch out. The velvet box looks and feels nice but it collects dust very easily and is not easily cleanable. I tried to brush off some of the dust and the silvery logos and such began to flake off.

Average customer rating:

Saboteur
A remake of The 39 Steps
Terrific wartime Hitchcock thriller
Where is Frank Fry?
Saboteur in Plain Sight

Saboteur
Starring: Priscilla Lane , Robert Cummings , Otto Kruger , Alan Baxter , and Clem Bevans
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000ECX0Q0
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Description

This riveting wartime thriller stars Robert Cummings as Barry Kane, a Los Angeles aircraft factory worker who witnesses a Nazi agent firebombing his plant. However, it is Barry who is accused of the fiery sabotage, and to clear his name he sets off on a desperate, action-packed cross-country chase that takes him from Boulder Dam to New York's Radio City Music Hall to the top of the Statue of Liberty. Hitchcock's first film with an all-American cast moves with breakneck speed toward its final heart-pounding confrontation and it remains a suspense classic.

Customer Reviews:

Saboteur.......2007-06-25

Scripted by the inimitable Dorothy Parker, Hitchcock's nerve-rattling wartime thriller takes a favorite theme--the wrongly accused man-- and gives it a strong, seditious twist. Terrific acting and a breakneck pace make this one of Hitch's most suspenseful movies, right up there with "North by Northwest" or "The 39 Steps." The cast is great, and the locations are used to brilliant effect. Kane's climactic scramble up the Statue of Liberty, a scene as tense and dramatic on repeated viewings as it is the first time around, is "Saboteur" 's unforgettable piece de resistance.

A remake of The 39 Steps.......2007-05-10

Hitchcock was the only director I can think of that remade his own work.

A wrongly accused man on a cross-country run ends up handcuffed to a hot blonde who's convinced he's guilty but ends up falling in love with him in the end. On this adventure, he walks right into the enemy's home and has to escape, and at one point, he has to improvise a speech to a roomful of people to stall for time. Sound familiar?

It should if you've seen The 39 Steps - Criterion Collection, which Hitch filmed in England before being imported to Hollywood by Selznick.

While Saboteur gets major cool points for having Dorothy Parker on its writing team, it isn't an improvement on the earlier British version. For starters, it's much more serious. It was released during WWII, so it explores wartime themes - patriotism, spies, what makes a good citizen, the rise of fascism, blah blah blah.

I have no problem with Hitchcock's work during WWII. He was a British citizen living in America, so he obviously had a vested interest in the success of the Allies. In the two years after Saboteur, Hitch directed Lifeboat, which was basically the story of the war in microcosm, and two French propaganda shorts. Some of his other films such as Notorious and Foreign Correspondent have elements of war themes as well.

What is amazing about this film is the final scene atop the Statue of Liberty. It makes for a very powerful conclusion to a solid film. (And calls to mind the end of North by Northwest, arguably another version of the same story.)

However, if you ask me, Hitchcock is at his best when he isn't taking himself quite so seriously. The 39 Steps has almost everything Saboteur has, and something saboteur doesn't - humor.

Terrific wartime Hitchcock thriller.......2007-04-28

The deft Hitchcock cinematographical touch is fully displayed in his sensational, underrated "Saboteur". Making excellent use of his filming locations which include Boulder Dam, Red Rock Canyon and Liberty Island, he is able to frame his drama which commences with an act of sabotage and murder.

Robert Cummings playing aircraft plant employee Barry Kane observes an act of arson at his plant, causing the death of his best friend, perpetrated by the wormy Frank Fry played by veteran character actor Norman Lloyd. Cummings is implicated as the saboteur and must flee for his freedom. Clues lead him to a California ranch owned by suave socialite Charles Tobin played by Otto Kruger. There he learns that Kruger is the leader of a Nazi spy ring attempting to wreck havoc across the American countryside abetting the German war effort.

Escaping from the clutches of Kruger and his minions, Cummings becomes allied with Pat Martin, a New York based model played by Priscilla Lane through the kindness of her reclusive uncle, who sheltered Cummings in his cabin. Together they embark on a trans-continental chase to try to find Fry and thwart the nefarious plans of the spy ring.

Hitchcock's directorial genius in readily apparent as Lane and Cummings find themselves at a gala hoi polloi formal ball hosted by a rich dame sympathetic to Kruger's cause. They are virtual prisoners among a group of military brass and big spenders as Kruger and his spy ring are mixed in the crowd keeping the pair checkmated.

The finale is memorable and actually a model for the memorable conclusion of the classic "North by Northwest" filmed at Mount Rushmore. The saboteur Lloyd is finally cornered atop the Statue of Liberty by the NYPD and Cummings and Lane. His demise is photographed brilliantly as he's hanging for his life on the statue's torch held by his suit sleeve by Cummings as stitch by stitch the needlework holding the sleeve together laggardly pops off.

While the film understandly tends to be somewhat propagandized and didactic, its 1942 date of release in the gloomy days of WW2, make that understandable.

Where is Frank Fry?.......2007-04-03

It is 1942; we are in the height of war. Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) and his best buddy are putting out a mysterious fire. They are assisted by a stranger Frank Fry (Norman Lloyd). When it turns out to be sabotage, naturally the authorities have to accuse Barry. Barry's only chance of survival is to follow clues across the country to find fry. On his travels he gets teemed up with Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane) who wants to do her patriotic duty and turn Barry in to the authorities. You can not tell the good guys from the bad guys until it is too late.

Can Barry convince Pat that he is innocent?
Can they ever find Fry?
Even if they do find Fry will the authorities ever believe that Barry is innocent?

Be prepared for a lot of long winded speeches from both

Saboteur in Plain Sight.......2007-04-02

This WWII espionage tale planted on American soil is a minor gem of filmmaking from Alfred Hitchcock. He uses his familiar theme of the wrong man on the run from the law. Implicated by those who are in fact guilty, our hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) must uncover the culprits before they carry out their next act of terror and destruction before he himself is apprehended. Simultaneously Kane must clear himself of the initial crime with the aid of Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane). Set against the backdrop of that familiar icon of freedom, The Statue of Liberty, our hero must undergo a death struggle both metaphorically and realistically demonstrating that we as Americans value our freedoms as well as all human life no matter how malevolent it be because it is in our nature to go the distance for all that is virtuous in the world. Jack Otterson's Art Direction and Joseph A. Valentine's Cinematography are standouts. John P. Fulton's un-credited Special Effects are impressive.

Average customer rating:

66 YEARS OLD AND STILL GOING!!!!
Brilliant Patriotic Espionage Tale with a Humanitarian Message
Wartime Hitchcock
hitchcock's wartime thriller has not lost any of its bite
I'm Barry-Mason.

Saboteur
Starring: Kathryn Adams (II) , Murray Alper , Alan Baxter , Clem Bevans , and Pedro de Cordoba
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000055Y10
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Amazon.com

Robert Cummings stars as Barry Kane, a patriotic munitions worker who is falsely accused of sabotage, in this wartime thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Plastered across the front page of every newspaper and hated by the nation, Kane's only hope of clearing his name is to find the real villain. If this sounds a bit like Hitchcock's later North by Northwest, it is. There are interesting echoes throughout, including a heart-stopping sequence on top of a national monument. But the most interesting thing about Saboteur is the frequency with which characters demonstrate their willingness to obstruct the police, going on nothing more than the fact that Kane seems like a stand-up guy. They do, again and again, apparently just because good people can spot other good people. Saboteur was made during the thick of World War II, so there are a few passages of heavy-handed jingoism to get through but they're relatively painless. The script as a whole is a clever one--Algonquin wit Dorothy Parker shares a screenwriting credit, and her trademark zingers make for a terrific mix of humor and suspense. Saboteur is a pleasure whether you're a die-hard Hitchcock fan or just someone who likes a good nail-biter. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

66 YEARS OLD AND STILL GOING!!!!.......2007-04-17

Hitchcock was so good that after all of these years (Decades Actually) his movies still amaze and, astound us ! Sure this little Gem has some hokey spots but we all do after 66 years! Watch it as if its a modern day re-creation and you will forget any minor flaws. After all don't modern directors include them in their new versions of Noir films intentionally! The EXTRAS are eye opening too!!!

Brilliant Patriotic Espionage Tale with a Humanitarian Message.......2007-04-02

This is a minor gem of filmmaking from Alfred Hitchcock. He uses his familiar theme of the wrong man on the run from the law implicated by those who are in fact guilty. In turn our hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) must uncover the culprits before they carry out their next act of terror and destruction before he himself is apprehended and in doing so clear himself of the crime. Set against the backdrop of that familiar icon of freedom, The Statue of Liberty, our hero must undergo a death struggle both metaphorically and realistically demonstrating that we as Americans value our freedoms as well as all human life no matter how malevolent it be because it is in our nature to go the distance for all that is virtuous in the world.

Despite the fact that Alfred Hitchcock stated that it would have been more suspenseful to have the hero dangling from The Statue of Liberty rather than the villain Fry (Norman Lloyd), this scene demonstrates the compassion for humanity that we as Americans hold dear and goes straight to the ideals of the fiber of our inner fortitude to preserve that way of life as Kane struggles to save Fry's life.

Wartime Hitchcock.......2006-06-11

This film and LIFEBOAT are Hitchcok's wartime films, and both are a bit heavy-handed and preachy. Fry is my favorite character in this one, one of Hitch's creepiest villians with his crooked smile and lopsided looks. Robert Cummins is a weak leading man -- he's a bit goofy -- and the film takes way too long to play out. Plus, the idea of a nest of sabotuers living in upperclass New York society is beyond far-fetched. Most interesting is how certain scenes pre-figure later Hitchcock classic moments -- like the last chase-scene on the Statue of Librerty. Oddly, there is no soundtrack during this scene. Perhaps Hitch hadn't met the right composer yet.

hitchcock's wartime thriller has not lost any of its bite.......2006-05-22

hitchcock is one of my favorite directors and even when he makes a bad movie it is better than somepeoples best. "saboteur" is a very good film and has a great job of acting by robert cummings(of t.v.'s love that bob,some of the "beach movies")! he was always the comic actor but his dramatic turn here is fantastic.
barry kane(cummings) does his bit for the war effort working in a plant making munitions. when he goes to lunch the plant has an exploision that kills many and leaves kane the prime suspect. his only hope of staying free is to run and find the real saboteur.
now if you hitchcock you know that is all he needs to make a great thriller and boy does he have a great one here. just call it a prequel to "north by northwest"!
and be sure to enjoy the ending atop the statue of liberty,talk about a cliffhanger!

I'm Barry-Mason........2006-03-30

This movie definitely was a forerunner of North by Northwest and in the same line as The 39 Steps.

The movie concerns the story of Barry Kane (Citizen Kane anyone?), who works at a company that makes planes for the military. While all the men are on lunch break, a fire is started and part of the plant is "sabotaged". Barry's friend is killed. They think he did it. He runs and meets various people (including the real culprit) and meets Pat (Priscilla Lane). It gallops to the end on the Statue of Liberty.

The movie is replete with irony. Kane at one point gives his name as Barry Mason. Perry Mason was probably just starting to get popular at this point in time. The truck drivers monologue early on is full of irony. And one of the saboteur's saying that sometimes his kid is naughty and he breaks his new toys. (Wonder where he gets it from?) And that delicious scene of contrast at the ball and the party (which Hitch uses in many other movies).

The movie seems to have many scenes that can be found in other Hitch movies.

The camera work is excellent. The dialogue is superb. Robert Cummings, while not Cary Grant, whom I like much better, was excellent. Actually, I think he portrayed "innocence" much better than Grant in North By Northwest.

Some complain that is replete with propaganda. That is not true. It is subtle, outside of the one brilliant "speech" by Kane. (By the way, that speech of Kane's is almost worth quoting.) It certainly does not ruin the picture; it may well elevate it.

It just lacks the kick that some of Hitch's films have. But still very much worth watching. It's better, I think, than The 39 Steps and in the same vein.

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Rear Window / Saboteur / Shadow of a Doubt / Rope (DVD)

Average customer rating:

A Good Hitchcock Starter Set

Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection - Rear Window / Saboteur / Shadow of a Doubt / Rope (DVD)

Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Of Human Bondage

ASIN: B000M2LR12

Product Description

Four Disc Set Each disc contains bonus features for each film

Customer Reviews:

A Good Hitchcock Starter Set.......2007-03-19

This is a terrific Hitchcock sampler that those unfamiliar with his films would especially enjoy. "Rear Window" is probably the most widely known of the four films and Hitchcock at his most entertaining. "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Saboteur" are great in their own right, however, and will surprise those who haven't seen them yet. "Rope" is the weakest of the set, in my opinion, but still is of interest for Hitchcock fans. The other three are truly special, however, and will stand up under repeated viewings.

REAR WINDOW

This terrific thriller from Alfred Hitchcock about our fear of intimacy and tendency toward voyeurism stars Jimmy Stewart and the lovely Grace Kelly and is one of his most entertaining films. There are no crop dusters or other devices to provide the tension this time and it works in the film's favor. Rear Window is a more character driven film and the suspense builds slowly to a fever pitch, a bonafide grab the edge of your seat nail-biter. Hitchcock understood that most people are more comfortable looking at the lives of others from a distance and explores this area of our personalities in a very enjoyable fashion.

Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) is a professional photographer laid up in a cast due to an accident while on assignment and Grace Kelly is his doting girlfriend. We should all be so lucky. But Jeff is feeling claustrophobic, not only about his situation but about his relationship with Lisa (Kelly), whose patience and elegant charm as she tends to his needs and waits for him to ask her to marry him are put to the test. The no nonsense practicality of his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) makes for great entertainment as Jeff is bored and begins watching his neighbors across the courtyard through the lens of his camera.

Jeff becomes involved in their lives like he is watching a daily soap opera, much to the disapproval of Lisa. He takes to heart their loneliness and finds pleasure in their finer moments. But something darker begins to take shape when Jeff begins to piece together what he has seen in one apartment and fears he may be spying on a killer. Both Lisa and his cop pal Lt. Doyle (Wendell Corey) think someone is letting their imagination run wild, at least in the beginning.

His own disbelief and Lisa's early scorn turns into an obsession that becomes evermore dangerous for all of them as Lisa begins to believe him and becomes his legs. But the man who may have murdered his wife may believe Jeff has seen too much, putting all their lives in danger. Hitchcock uses his own lens to show the voyeuristic climate Jeff has become comfortable with dangerously changing to a one on one confrontation.

This is wonderful entertainment. It moves deftly from a light and breezy beginning to a more concerned tone, graduating to heart pounding suspense. This is a teriffic and enjoyable film and one of Hitchcock's best. Raymond Burr as the possible murderer creates terror just by his glance across the courtyard at the spying Stewart. Kelly and Ritter give this film its footing, making the events completely believable.

But it is Jimmy Stewart who hits this one out of the park to dead center. He gives one of his finest performances, conveying the irritation of being in a cast and the emotional helplessness when he may not be able to escape the consequences of his own voyeurism because of it. You'll watch this one many times over. A great film to pop in the vcr late on a rainy night.

SABOTEUR

This is a fun to watch wartime thriller about an aircraft munitions worker forced to take it on the lam and find a Nazi saboteur named Fry when he is wrongly accused of the act of sabotage which killed his best friend. Hitchcock's films often get compared unfairly to each other, but taken on its own terms, this is a wonderfully entertaining suspense film with some genuinely memorable moments.

Robert Cummings is excellent as munitions worker Barry Kane, in constant danger both from the police and the bad guys, as he traces a network of saboteurs to a man named Tobin (Otto Kruger) at "Deep Springs Ranch." Tobin knows who Fry is but also knows no one will believe Kane. But as Kane narrowly escapes the police and the Nazi sympathizers he is aided by some along the way who can see he is a stand-up guy, wrongly accused.

One of those people is the blind father of Pat (Priscilla Lane), a billboard model who doesn't share her father's faith in Kane. She starts out doing everthing she can to turn him over to the police but ends up falling in love instead, and in just as much danger as he is. There is a particularly tense scene at a huge party as Kane confronts the cool and slimy Tobin but can't expose the house full of secret agents because Pat has been captured and will be killed if he does.

This film has some great moments of suspense. One such moment, is a plea for help written in lipstick from a trapped Pat, floating down a skyscraper in New York, waiting to be found. The troop of a circus sideshow play a part in the couple's plight also, as his quest to clear himself takes him from Boulder Dam to Rockefeller Center to the Statue of Liberty.

There is a tight and witty script from Dorothy Parker, among others, and Hitchcock's famous little touches keep this one interesting. Robert Cummings, who had proved himself in comedy the previous year in "It Started With Eve" with Deanna Durbin, showed his versatility in this film. Priscilla Lane, pretty and likable, gives another nice performance here.

Taken on its own merits, this is a really good film, a great popcorn movie for a rainy night or a lazy weekend. There's nothing wrong with that.

SHADOW OF A DOUBT

Teresa Wright truly shines in Hitchcock's tale of darkness and evil coming to stay in Santa Rosa, California. A story by Gordon McDonnell was adapted for the screen by Thorton Wilder, Alma Reville, and Sally Benson and this slice of Americana is played out perfectly by a wonderful cast.

Teresa Wright is the bored young daughter of Emma (Patricia Collinge) and Joseph (Henry Travers) Newton. Life for her in the small town of Santa Rosa has become boring for the wholesome American girl. Wright's "Charlie" is the picture of lovely innocence that matches her small town.

The change she desires to shake things up comes to town in the form of her namesake, Uncle Charle (Joseph Cotten). Hitchcock has shown the audience that something is not quite right for the charming Uncle Charlie, however. But the special bond between he and Charlie will not be broken easily. Their unusual connection is explored in the happy and charming moments after Cotten's arrival.

Charlie's adoration of her uncle borders on a crush and leaves her open and vulnerable to anything Charlie wants. Hitchcock creates some almost uncomfortable scenes as you get the feeling any moment Cotton might just take the smiling and adoring Charlie in his arms and kiss her. And Charlie might remain passive if he were to do so, unsure of her feelings.

But strange behavior in her uncle and the attentions of a government agent after him who falls in love with her will change everything and break Uncle Charlie's spell, revealing a warped and twisted view of the world. The tune he whistles is the key to what Charlie has become in the years he has been absent.

Hume Cronyn steals every scene he is in as Joseph's good pal and mystery lover, Herbie. Their long talks on the porch as the two attempt to devise the perfect murder plays in humorous contrast to the real evil right under their noses. Even once Charlie knows about her uncle she can not tell and destroy her weak mother. But she has Agent Jack Graham's (Macdonald Carey) number and may have to use it when Uncle Charlie realizes the only thing standing between he and the gallows is young Charlie.

This is both a beautiful portrait of small-town America and a suspenseful thriller. Cotten underplays his role to marvelous effect and Teresa Wright is simply wonderful in this Hitchcock masterpiece. You'll have hours of fun and become a Hitchcock fan for certain after viewing this fabulous sampler of one of the great directors.

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2 (Vertigo / The Birds / The Trouble with Harry / Frenzy / Marnie / Saboteur / Torn Curtain / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3)

Average customer rating:

Espionage, the Wrong Man and Things that Go Bump in the Night
An Overview of Hitchcock's Work, Part 2
Who doesn't like Hitchcock?
I love it
An impressive DVD box set showcases real talent

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2 (Vertigo / The Birds / The Trouble with Harry / Frenzy / Marnie / Saboteur / Torn Curtain / Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3)

Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000055Y19
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Customer Reviews:

Espionage, the Wrong Man and Things that Go Bump in the Night.......2007-04-03

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was trying to make a statement that we as moviegoers are voyeurs and are just as fanatically obsessed by the images on the screen as "Scottie" Ferguson is with Madeleine in VERTIGO. VERTIGO is in effect a movie about people who love the cinema and are captivated by it. Those people who do not like VERTIGO state that it is not realistic and too improbable. That is just the point. VERTIGO is about an artificial world and the fascination of that world. Those who like VERTIGO are drawn to it over and over because it is about something that is inside each of us that is ever so fleeting and will always remain unobtainable. Bernard Herrmann, the film's composer seems to have understood the essence of this film as he captured the erotic passion and ultimate hopelessness of its characters with his haunting score. Herrmann had always expressed his desire to be a symphony conductor, yet the lure of the cinema was more than just a means of collecting a paycheck for him. I think he had a great understanding of the cinema and its power over human emotions, yet it seems to have remained an enigma even for him.
THE BIRDS metaphorically plays out the frailties of the human heart as befuddled humans' fears are visually juxtaposed against hoards of birds gone on a destructive rampage. Humans rebel against nature and each other as the birds represent nature in harmony turned against human progenitors who stand to disrupt harmony. Rod Taylor's solid performance, as the steadfast Mitch Brenner who gradually realizes (but cannot fathom why) that things are beyond even his control, is pivotal to the progression of the story. The importance of Taylor's performance has been long overlooked. This film is a masterpiece full of vivid histrionics running the gamut of human emotions.
"She's wearing my necktie." That's what Alfred Hitchcock said in the trailer for FRENZY as he returned to the United Kingdom to film this movie. Again the wrong man is accused for crimes he did not commit. And so it goes. Barry Foster's mesmerizing performance is both disturbing yet charismatic far overshadowing would be hero Jon Finch. Also Alec McCowen as Chief Inspector Oxford has never been better. The opening shot of London accompanied by Ron Goodwin's score is an instant classic.
MARNIE is one of Hitchcock's masterpieces. It has been highly underrated and misunderstood by viewers and many critics alike. It is not a straightforward narrative as it deals with the compulsive and obsessive nature of its two main characters (Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery). The viewer has to become absorbed and drawn into the film's sights and sounds. The viewer has to elicit from what is seen and heard to fathom the motivations of the film's two main characters. Some of its images are just unforgettable and disturbingly haunting. Sound too plays an important part in the viewer's experience. In accompaniment is Bernard Herrmann's low-key score. I watched this film again several times over. Herrmann's score is always present, yet never intrusive. I used to think this score was somewhat repetitive, but it is quite diverse. It complements the images in such a way that it almost evokes some hidden and suppressed experience from the viewer that creates an emotional bond with the main title character of the film. I found the DVD print to be of exceptional quality and most pleasing in the wide-screen presentation (a prerequisite in this format).
TORN CURTAIN was Alfred Hithcock's 50th motion picture. This film marked a departure from his most recent bulk of films at that time, not in directorial style, but in the absence of many of his close-knit artistic-technical company he had been utilizing. Distinctively missing is collaborator-composer Bernard Herrmann. However, John Addison does a commendable job in Herrmann's absence, as his score seems to fit this film very well with the passage of time. This was a cold war drama set behind the Iron Curtain. The hero of the story as portrayed by Paul Newman is motivated less by personal staunchness for democratic idealism, but rather by his inner confrontation coming to grips with his own failure as a scientist. This very suspenseful film is really about his own redemption for his perceived failure. This film is has been highly underrated.
The Autumnal colors of New England seen in THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY are a beautiful backdrop to this dark comedy enhanced by Bernard Herrmann's reflective score. As life comes full circle the quirkily eccentricities of the human heart take on new meaning as an artist (John Forsythe) somehow, perhaps unwittingly, makes it all come into perspective. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is one of my favorite Hitchcock films.
SABOTEUR certainly looks like a forerunner of his NORTH BY NORTHWEST. This WWII espionage tale planted on American soil is an impressive bit of filmmaking from Alfred Hitchcock. He uses his familiar theme of the wrong man on the run from the law and implicated by those who are in fact guilty, our hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) must uncover the culprits before they carry out their next act of terror and destruction before he himself is apprehended. Simultaneously Kane must clear himself of the initial crime with the aid of Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane). Set against the backdrop of that familiar icon of freedom, The Statue of Liberty, our hero must undergo a death struggle both metaphorically and realistically demonstrating that we as Americans value our freedoms as well as all human life no matter how malevolent it be because it is in our nature to go the distance for all that is virtuous in the world. Despite the fact that Alfred Hitchcock stated that it would have been more suspenseful to have the hero dangling from The Statue of Liberty rather than the villain Fry (Norman Lloyd), this scene demonstrates the compassion for humanity that we as Americans hold dear and goes straight to the ideals of the fiber of our inner fortitude to preserve that way of life as Kane struggles to save Fry's life. Otto Kruger's performance as Charles Tobin is very stylistic and on the surface he seems more sophisticated than our earthy hero Kane but Tobin's eloquence is superficial in every sense of the word. Jack Otterson's Art Direction and Joseph A. Valentine's Cinematography are standouts. John P. Fulton's un-credited Special Effects are impressive.

An Overview of Hitchcock's Work, Part 2.......2005-12-23

Those who are fans of Alfred Hitchcock will naturally want to own copies of the films featured in this box set. This is the second of two sets issued by MCA home video that give the fan a wide-ranging overview of Hitchcock's work, not only chronologically, but in the type of film as well. Many people who are unfamiliar with his long career associate him and his fame with just one type of film. This set and its predecessor do a good job of scotching that notion.
There is far too much here to review in depth, others have done so already. I will just make a comment about each film and what I think of it.
1) Saboteur- A wartime patriotic film that undoubtedly buttressed government efforts to keep the public aware of potential fifth-columnists in their midst. The character of Frank Fry makes a great stereotype of the fifth-columnist bogeyman. Lots of suspense, good acting, and many ethical questions posed to make the audience think. Five stars.
2) The Trouble With Harry- To me, the story is just downright silly. I like the rural setting, but I did not care for the plot nor did I really like the cast. It was supposed to be darkly humorous, but it just left me cold. Two stars.
3) Vertigo- A classic. The story, the acting, the scenery, and the filming are all first rate. Lots of suspense, and a lot of romance. Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart make this one a film for the ages. Five stars.
4) The Birds- Another Hitchcock classic. Fear and terror strike an idyllic seaside community as its birds inexplicably go berserk. Tippi Hedren makes a great ice queen, but she doesn't take as long to thaw here as she does in Marnie. The scenery is spectacular, both the story and the acting are first-rate. Another of Hitchcock's finest. Though it is never said why the birds attacked, there is a possible hint early on in the film. See if you can catch it.
5) Marnie- A psychosexual story that features a frigid, kleptomaniac woman and a suitor who is determined to chip through her icy demeanor paying no heed to the costs. Tippi Hedren is Marnie the ice queen and Sean Connery plays her wealthy suitor who apparently likes a big challenge. Here again, ethical issues come into play as the viewer is forced to consider what he/she would do if in the position of Connery or of one of the many people Hedren had ripped off attempting to prove her worth to a mother she felt did not truly love her. By the way, the mother is a rather bitter and detestable shrew. Lots of drama, but Marnie is not one of my favorite Hitchcock films. Three stars.
6) Torn Curtain- The critics did not like this, but I did. To me, the film is very suspenseful and like its cousin Topaz, is a great cold-war film. The East Germans were regarded as a feared and successful vanguard of Soviet Communism and I think the characters who portrayed East German officials did a great job of doing so in the most unflattering light imagineable. While there is not a lot of romance in Torn Curtain, there is betrayal, violence, fear and at times there is hope and the selfless nobility of people who only want freedom for others as well as for themselves. Some reviews have said that Torn Curtain was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I don't think so, I think it was dead serious and Paul Newman's character reinforces that. Five stars.
7) Frenzy- Another gem. Set in London, the story exudes a great sense of place. The story line, the acting, and the camera work are all top-notch. And amid the suspense, there is always an undercurrent of droll humor. The sequence in the potato truck is a gut-buster. Five stars.
8) Alfred Hitchcock Presents #3- This contains four episodes from his television series. The best two are A Dip in the Pool and One More Mile to Go. Three stars.
I was fortunate in being able to pick this up at a reasonable price here just a few months ago. It seems the price is now roughly doubled. This set of course is recommended, but if you order Alfred Hitchcock-The Masterpiece Collection instead, you get nearly everything in both Volumes 1 and 2 of the Best of Alfred Hitchcock Collection at roughly half the price. I wish that I'd noticed that set first, I would have at least saved some money.

Who doesn't like Hitchcock?.......2005-09-30

I love the Hitchcock movies, and the Best of Collection Volumes takes most of his best known movies and puts them in an attractive packaging. I personally enjoyed Volume 1 better than Volume 2, but who can't laugh at the rubber birds in "The Birds"? And the Psycho Collectors Edition is a treasure to hang onto for years and years (or until the next multi-movie pack). However, why is there no inclusion of "To Catch A Thief" with Cary Grant? This is a terrific movie, and yet not in any Best of Collections! Anywho, if you are a fan of Hitchcock, you really can't get much better of a value than these collections.

I love it.......2005-09-01

I have this VOL 2 And I love it much,it deserves to be added in your Collection :)

An impressive DVD box set showcases real talent.......2005-06-29

This impressive Hitchcock DVD collection has seven of the master's finest film masterpieces in the early 40s and 50s to solid entertainment in the 70s. Peter Viertel brings SABOTEUR (1942) to life with a razor-sharp screenplay, while Priscilla Lane and Robert Cummings bring their well-written roles to the fore, creating a luminous blend of action and depth that Hollywood rarely sees these days. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is the oddity of the bunch, with the quaint little townspeople trying to decide what to do with Harry, a young man who dies mysteriously. Shot against a dreamy small-town backdrop in America, the cinematography is warm and fuzzy, and the musical score sets a nice tone for the film's story. The pace is a little slow at the beginning for a comedy, but released in 1955, almost all films were of the familiar style. There are laughs to be had here, with some great comedic moments between the actors. Repetitive and slow at times, it nevertheless is a fun little film and an interesting introspective on Hitch's opinions on life and death.

Misunderstood on its release, VERTIGO (1958) was Hitch's precious gem, a marvelous tale of a man driven to obsession, played to perfection from movie legend James Stewart. Possibly his best film, this was eventually hailed as an amazing cinematic triumph that still thrills audiences today. The bell tower scene is revolutionary filmmaking, but every scene is fantastically weaved. Like Steven Spielberg, Hitchcock knew the importance of color to represent a mood (Danger, warmth, obsession) The film in certain parts is swathed in sickly green hues, connecting Stewart's beautiful acting to Hitch's well-played camera techniques while simultaneously showing Hollywood how masterpieces were made. Bernard Herrman's fantastic score sets the tone of a film that shines in every respect. Directors like Martin Scorsese are huge fans of VERTIGO, and it is one of my personal favorites, along with REAR WINDOW. The follow-up after PSYCHO, THE BIRDS is a very interesting notch in Hitch's belt, a curio of a film that has some amazing special effects and minimal music, instead concentrating the sounds of squawking seagulls to heighten the tension. Tippi Hedren's convincing performance (She really did freak out on set, having live birds attached to her clothes to maximize the realism) carries the film, and a young Rod Taylor gives a ripping presentation. Every step of the way, the tension grows, until its almost unbearable and the finale is genuinely frightening.

Hitch's last great film MARNIE shows a softer side to the director while ushering into the cinema world a new slant to filmmaking. Produced in 1964, this complex character study of a frigid lady thief (Tippi Hedren) and the mysterious man (Sean Connery) who tries to cure both her hang-ups is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most stunning films, thanks in great part to Hedren's magnificent performance in the title role. Hedren, who became a star a year earlier in Hitch's THE BIRDS, delivers her most accomplished performance to date. TORN CURTAIN is an exceptional Alfred Hitchcock film that is for the most part intriguing, suspenseful, and entertaining. Paul Newman stars as an American scientist who appears to be defecting to Germany. Julie Andrews plays Newman's associate and girlfriend who tags along for the ride. "Torn Curtain" isn't as good as "Psycho", "The Birds" and "North by Northwest" but even though the movie moves a little slow at times, it's still very interesting and sometimes funny addition to Hitch's immense list of films. The only disappointment in this formidable collection is FRENZY, a nasty little rape/murder story that failed to interest audiences in the 70s, and some scenes are shockingly graphic. A long way from the stylish shower-curtain masterstroke of PSYCHO. But the score is reasonably cool, and some action scenes do wrack up the tension. And finally "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" has 4 of the 17 fantastic TV episodes directed by Hitchcock: "Poison," "The Perfect Crime," "A Dip in the Pool" and "One More Mile to Go" This is an essential collection for Hitchcock fans and movie buffs alike.

Average customer rating:

Diversant / the Saboteur (Russian)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007SV928

Product Description

The project is devoted to scouts-saboteurs. Action of film occurs in 1942. Young guys-graduates razvedshkoly, develop and carry out supercomplex operations in rear of the enemy. The theme lifted in film, has received completely new and ambiguous development and has left on essentially new art level, due to intense movement of a plot and irreproachable realization of a stylistic problem. Besides art the project "Saboteur" has the big political value.

The Saboteur / Diversant (2 DVD) - (Russian Import - PAL DVD)

Average customer rating:

The Saboteur / Diversant (2 DVD) - (Russian Import - PAL DVD)
Starring: Aleksei Bardukov , Vladislav Galkin , Kirill Pletnev , Vladimir Menshov , and Yekaterina Rednikova
Director: Andrei Malyukov
Manufacturer: The First Videocompany
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES and AUDIO!!! Brand New and sealed, Region free, Russian PAL 2 DVD SET (not playable on standard US DVD players) edition. Audio Tracks: original DD 5.1 RUSSIAN. ATTENTION: PAL is European video standard which WILL NOT play on regular R1 DVD player (multisystem PAL/NTSC compatible DVD player required). Please, get familiar with all details about DVD video standards and region coding to prevent any misunderstandings ............................................................SYNOPSIS: The project is devoted to intelligence agents involved in wreckage missions. The feature's action takes place in 1942. Young guys - the alumni of a spy school are involved in preparation and further accomplishment of difficult and dangerous missions at the enemy's rear. The story narrated in this movie is being represented in a new and rather controversial way. The artistic level of the feature is upscale due to the permanent suspense of the feature as well as its impeccable stylistic implementation.

Kansas Pacific (With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs try to prevent railroad construction from crossing Kansas to the frontier.)

Average customer rating:

Kansas Pacific (With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs try to prevent railroad construction from crossing Kansas to the frontier.)

Manufacturer: PDC Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

Built by bullets, dynamite, and blood-stained spikes! With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs try to prevent railroad construction from crossing Kansas to the frontier. John Nelson (Sterling Hayden), a military officer, is charged with the task of halting sabotage of the Kansas Pacific Railroad at the hands of Southern allies as it is extended west in the pre-dawning of the Civil Warjust after the South had seceded from the union. But Nelson finds more than aggressive destruction at the hands of the rebelswhen he meets Barbara, the railroad foremans daughter, Nelson also finds love.

Average customer rating:

Saboteur / Diversant (in Russian)

Manufacturer: Pervaya Videokompaniya
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000A09IXU

Product Description

Dejstvie fil'ma razvorachivaetsja v poslednie gody vojny. Zadanie osoboj vazhnosti poluchaet gruppa razvedchikov proniknut' v tyl vraga i vypolnit' sekretnuju missiju... Proekt posvjashhen razvedchikam-diversantam. Dejstvie fil'ma proishodit v 1942 godu. Molodye rebjata - vypuskniki razvedshkoly, razrabatyvajut i vypolnjajut sverhslozhnye operacii v tylu vraga. Tema, podnjataja v fil'me, poluchila sovershenno novoe i neodnoznachnoe razvitie i vyshla na principial'no inoj hudozhestvennyj uroven', blagodarja naprjazhennomu dvizheniju sjuzheta i bezukoriznennoj realizacii stilisticheskoj zadachi. Pomimo hudozhestvennogo, proekt "Diversant" imeet bol'shoe obshhestvenno-politicheskoe znachenie.

Average customer rating:

The Progenitors of Evil Walk amongst Us
Where is Frank Fry?

Saboteur [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00005EAX6

Customer Reviews:

The Progenitors of Evil Walk amongst Us .......2007-04-03

A forerunner of his NORTH BY NORTHWEST, this WWII espionage tale planted on American soil is an impressive bit of filmmaking from Alfred Hitchcock. He uses his familiar theme of the wrong man on the run from the law and implicated by those who are in fact guilty, our hero Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) must uncover the culprits before they carry out their next act of terror and destruction before he himself is apprehended. Simultaneously Kane must clear himself of the initial crime with the aid of Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane). Set against the backdrop of that familiar icon of freedom, The Statue of Liberty, our hero must undergo a death struggle both metaphorically and realistically demonstrating that we as Americans value our freedoms as well as all human life no matter how malevolent it be because it is in our nature to go the distance for all that is virtuous in the world. Otto Kruger's performance as Charles Tobin is very stylistic and on the surface he seems more sophisticated than our earthy hero Kane but Tobin's eloquence is superficial in every sense of the word. Jack Otterson's Art Direction and Joseph A. Valentine's Cinematography are standouts. John P. Fulton's un-credited Special Effects are impressive.

Where is Frank Fry?.......2006-10-07

DVD:

DVD

DVD