Hitchcock Collection, The: 7 Disc Box Set (UK)

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Review of Hitchcock Collection, The: 7 Disc Box Set
added by
Mike Mclaughlin

Contains his most famous titles from 1942 to 1960
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 703 mins
Retail Price: £99.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
Seven of the legendary Alfred Hitchcock`s best known movies are brought together in this great value box set by Universal Studios, including the original Psycho, and Hitchcock`s personal favourite Shadow Of A Doubt.

Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock`s masterpiece of the macabre stars Anthony Perkins as the troubled Norman Bates, whose old, dark house and adjoining motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. No one knows that better than Janet Leigh, the film`s ill-fated heroine, who is victimized in the now notorious shower scene. Vera Miles, Martin Balsam, John Gavin and John McIntire co-star in Hitchcock`s most compelling and terrifying film. Screenplay by Joseph Stefano.

It`s been written that no film made before or since has equalled Psycho`s ability to scare people out of their wits and leave irremovable splinters of disquiet in their memories. A landmark of suspense cinema, this Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece shattered attendance records in 1960 and had people fleeing up the theatre aisles.

Rear Window
Alfred Hitchcock playfully explores the role of the voyeur in one of his best-loved suspense thrillers.

After breaking his leg during a shoot, photo-journalist L.B. `Jeff` Jeffries (James Stewart) is forced to spend a humid summer recuperating in his Greenwich Village apartment. The wheelchair-bound Jeff whiles away his time observing his neighbours through a telephoto lens, bestowing them with nicknames and growing familiar with their daily routines.

However, his society girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) is exasperated and then alarmed when Jeff becomes obsessed with the notion that Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), who lives in the apartment opposite, has murdered his wife.

Shadow Of A Doubt
Hitchcock thriller. Young `Charlie` Newton (Teresa Wright) longs for something exciting to happen to brighten her dull existence in Santa Rosa with parents Joseph (Henry Travers) and Emma (Patricia Collinge). The arrival of her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) seems to be just what she needs: urbane, witty and charming, the elder Charlie has announced that he wishes to quit New York to spend some time with his family.

Uncle Charlie soon makes himself at home, but his suspicious behaviour begins to unsettle his niece. When police detective Macdonald Carey (Jack Graham) tells Charlie that he believes her uncle to be none other than the Merry Widow murderer, she begins to question whether she really knows Uncle Charlie at all.

Saboteur
Factory worker Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) finds himself branded an industrial saboteur after a fire breaks out in the workplace. The extinguisher he handed to his colleague and best friend itself burst into flame, and Kane is now on the run, determined to find the real culprit and so prove his innocence.

The only person who believes his story is Patricia Martin (Priscilla Lane), who aids him in his flight from the authorities. Alfred Hitchcock`s suspenseful chase film, a contribution to America`s wartime propaganda, can be seen as a precursor to his later success `North by Northwest`.

The Trouble With Harry
Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock directs this black comedy, which he listed as one of his personal favourites.

When Harry Rogers` dead body is discovered one autumnal day in Vermont, several people try to keep it a secret. Among them is Captain Albert Wiles (Edmund Gwenn), who mistakenly believes himself to be responsible for Harry`s death, Harry`s widow, Jennifer (Shirley MacLaine), painter Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe) and local spinster Miss Graveley (Mildred Natwick). Their attempts to rid themselves of the troublesome corpse lead to further misunderstandings and several disinterments.

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Dr Ben McKenna (James Stewart) is on holiday in Morocco with his wife, former singer Jo (Doris Day), and son Hank when he meets friendly but mysterious Frenchman Louis Bernard (Daniel Gelin). The McKennas are also befriended by the Draytons, an English couple who take them to the local bazaar. There Ben is confronted by an Arab who, after being shot in the back, whispers a dying message to him. It transpires that the Arab is in fact a disguised Bernard, and that he has entrusted Hank with the identity of a British politician who is due to be assassinated.

After being questioned by the police Ben and Jo return to their hotel, only to discover that the Draytons have checked out and taken Hank with them in order to ensure Ben`s silence.

Rope
Believing themselves to be intellectually superior to their contemporaries, flatmates Brandon (John Dall) and Philip (Farley Granger) murder their friend David Kentley purely to see if they can get away with it. They then throw a cocktail party, serving food from the top of the trunk where they have hidden David`s body. Their guests include both David`s father and fiancee, as well as college lecturer Rupert Cadell (James Stewart), who becomes increasingly suspicious as the evening wears on.

Director Alfred Hitchcock constructed the film out of ten continuous reels, making no use of his usual montage technique and keeping cuts to a minimum.