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Hitchcock - The British Years [1925]


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British Hitchcock
Review date: 2008-07-24 Rating: 8 out of 10

First and foremost, one must acclaim the release of this boxed set - not least for it contains the first DVD release of either The Pleasure Garden or Downhill in either Britain or America as far as I am aware. What's more this set, together with the one from Optimum, collects together the vast majority of the pre-Hollywood Hitchcock's in generally excellent quality, especially when compared to the public domain releases we have had to put up with for so long.

Also on the plus side, there are some nice interviews with Hitchcock from the 1960s and some archival footage from both the 1930s and the shooting of 1972's Frenzy. The "to camera" introductions by Charles Barr are both concise and illuminating, giving enough information and opinions to please those familiar with this material and yet it is not done in technical or academic lingo that is likely to go over the heads of someone with no knowledge of film studies. It is also good to see Charles Barr giving a more positive view of the films most often maligned from this period, such as Downhill. Many of the prints look and sound very good indeed (particularly the later ones).

However, there are a number of downsides to this particular boxed set. I had "aquired" from sources not to be mentioned, copies of The Pleasure Garden and Downhill in the years that it was unavailable, and it is a pity to see here that neither of these films appear to have been restored. The Pleasure Garden, although watchable, is in the worst shape, with Downhill fairing slightly better. However, both Downhill and the restored version of The Lodger are here with no musical soundtrack, which seems a ludicrous state of affairs in a boxed set that retails for £50 and from a reputable label such as Network. Ironically, the "archive" version of The Lodger (also included) does have music. Even a cobbled together classical score would have been something, but selling 90 minute silent films that play IN SILENCE is just inexcusable in 2008. Buyers deserve and expect better than this.

The packaging also leaves a little to be desired. Although the slip-case idea is fine, it is made of very thin card and easily damaged. Sadly the booklet is also very small and contains just a very short essay (in very large writing) by Charles Barr. An essay is fine, but a longer one could have gone into more detail about why these films are worth our attention, as well as a more general overview of Hitchcock's "British years".

The essay does note that there is no good quality print of Easy Virtue known to exist. This may be the case, but it would have been nice if either this or the Optimum set had included the print that WAS available, even if it is the same one that has been released on the so-called Public Domain releases, if only as a bonus. These two sets should generally be applauded, but we are now left with a handful of Hitchcock's British films in limbo-land. Neither set includes Easy Virtue, Elstree Calling, Juno And The Paycock, the silent version of Blackmail, the German version of Murder (Mary) or Waltzes In Vienna. I understand that Waltzes is now available in in English in France - but not here! It would be a great shame if this handful of films are not made available to those who want to own all films of Hitchcock, but none of them have the commercial clout that might be necessary to trigger the production of a "what's left" box and that is a crying shame.

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Reviews


THRILLED.... AND DISAPPOINTED
Review date: 2008-03-11 Rating: 6 out of 10

I had been waiting for years for the release in decent presentations of some of these great films, particularly The Lodger, available so far on DVD only in terrible transfers of very poor copies. So I was thrilled when I heard of this box-set and ordered a copy immediately. I won't repeat what previous customers wrote about the films and contents of this package, because I generally agree with them. But I must say I am very disappointed with the disc of The Lodger, for me the main attraction of this set. The picture looks very good in the new BFI restoration, considering the state of the film elements available, but how on earth Network and Granada considered acceptable for this release on DVD a mute presentation (with no soundtrack at all) of this gem o a film? Silent films were never silent! Was so expensive to record at least a simple piano score with out of copyright material? This is sloppy if not shameful. You only have to watch the archival copy of the film, included as a bonus, with much poorer picture and just a mediocre soundtrack, to realize how music improve the enjoyment of a silent film. I guess I'll have to wait for Eureka or any other responsible company to give The Lodger the treatment it deserves. Also, the box and all five individual cases share the same rush and cheap looking design. I cannot give this release more than 3 stars. What a shame.

Behold! McGuffins a plenty: Hitchcock - The British Years
Review date: 2008-02-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a DVD box set of Hitchcock's earliest films. Indeed it bridges his first, 1925's The Pleasure Garden and his last Jamica Inn. And between these two films are some genuine delights, and a notable exception. There are spruced up versions of most of the films here, notably Hitchcock's calling card, The Lodger, which also has the archival version. Hitch's third film, The Lodger deals with Hitchockian themes, mainly, blondes, murder, and an innocent man on the run (see also Young & Innocent, The 39 Steps, etc). On first look, The Lodger still seemed a bit ropy, (especially compared to Eureka's Masters of Cinema version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis - a film of similar age with a bitingly clear transfer), but viewing it against the previous available copy there is a marked difference. Ivor Novello stars as a suspicious character who could be a Jack the Ripper-type killer, but being as Norvello was the biggest matinee idol of the day... Although this box set spans the whole of his British out put, there is one notable exception, and that is the film that cemented his reputation as a maker of thrillers, the seminal Blackmail. Downhill, the follow up to The Lodger also stars Ivor Novello.
Also included are, Sabotage, based on the Joseph Conrad novel, The Secret Agent, the film The Secret Agent based on a story by Somerset Maughan, The Man Who Knew Too Much featuring Peter Lorre in an early role (hot from starring in Fritz Lang's M), the classic, and template for a lot of following Hitchcock films, The 39 Steps [first of three versions and the best!] starring the great Robert Donat and the sexy Madeleine Carroll. The under appreciated, but a firm favourite of mine, Young and Innocent, with attractive leads and a great innocent-man-accused-of-murder chase story. One of Hitch's finest comedy-thrillers, The Lady Vanishes, about mysterious goings-on in Europe, a whistled code, the cricket loving pair Charters and Caldicott...and a vanishing lady!

The DVDs are presented two per jewell case, and all five cases are collected in a cardboard slipcase - a digipack would have been better, but at least they all share the same design and actually look like a proper box set and not just a collection of films bunged together. Extras include an introduction to every film, two Cinema programmes from the sixties [not full programmes but rough cuts - the second only has Hitch's responses, no questions!, a 25 minute docu on the making of his British films before going to Hollywood on the eve of war, a short but informative booklet written by Charles Barr, who also gives the to camera intros to the films, an Aquarius programme from the early seventies, made at the time Hitch was filming Frenzy, and picture galleries. All in all a worthy set from Network (shame about the missing Blackmail, though) of an important period not only in Hitchcock's career but in that of British Film.

should be an excellent set
Review date: 2007-12-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

The set will contain the following British films, all licensed from Granada International:
- The Pleasure Garden (1925)
- The Lodger (1927)
- Downhill (1927)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
- The 39 Steps (1935)
- Secret Agent (1936)
- Sabotage (1936)
- Young and Innocent (1937)
- The Lady Vanishes (1938)
- Jamaica Inn (1939)

According to the Network website, the extras will include:
- Digitally restored versions of "The Lodger", "The 39 Steps", "Sabotage", "Young and Innocent", "The Lady Vanishes" and "Jamaica Inn"
- "Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock" - unseen for forty years, Mike Scott interviews Hitchcock about his life and career
- "Aquarius: Alfred the Great" - taken from the 1972 arts programme, this show includes candid photography of Hitchcock filming "Frenzy" in London
- "Charles Barr On..." - a series of featurettes in which film historian Charles Barr introduces and analyses each of the ten films contained within this set
- "On Location" featurettes for both "Sabotage" and "The 39 Steps", introduced by Robert Powell
- Original theatrical trailer for "The Lady Vanishes"
- "Hitchcock: The Early Years" - 25 minute documentary covering Hitchcock's pre-war career
- Script PDFs for "The 39 Steps", "The Lady Vanishes" and "Jamaica Inn"
- Image Galleries
- Introductory booklet written by Charles Barr

Product Details/Specifications


Director(s):

Recording label: Network
Manufacturer: Network
EAN: 5027626274146
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 10
Format: Box set, Black & White, PAL, Special Edition,
Release date: 2008-02-25
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 810 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1925
Language: English (Unknown)

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