It’s been a while since I last updated the Hitchcock DVD Site, so it’s high time for a bit of news! To be honest, if I’d realised that there’d be well over 500 separate Hitchcock related DVD releases out there by 2006, I’m not entirely sure I would have started the site in the first place :-)
To anyone thinking of buying the new region 2 release of Psycho, my advice would be… …don’t bother! To be honest, I’m getting utterly tired of the way Universal UK is treating Hitchcock fans and this release is just another shining example of how little the UK branch of the company cares. First of all, the film transfer is exactly the same one they used for the original 1999 release in the UK – the… (read more)
It hardly seems two minutes since the centenary in 1999, but it was 106 years ago today that Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, London. As all good Hitchcock fans will know, that means tomorrow marks the 106th anniversary of the birth of Hitchcock’s future wife, Alma Lucy Reville, in Nottingham. For those of you in the UK, don’t forget that BBC2 and BBC4 are broadcasting three Hitchcock films today (“Dial M”, “Mr &… (read more)
Whilst we wait to find out if the “AFI Salute” contained in the upcoming “Masterpiece Collection is full length or just edited highlights, I’ve unearthed a bit more info about the “Masters of Cinema” extra contained on the 15th DVD. I think most of us had assumed it would be a new documentary, but it looks like it’s actually a couple of archive interviews with Hitchcock from 1972 that were broadcast as part of CBS’s… (read more)
There’s still no formal announcment from Universal regarding their UK version of the Masterpiece Collection, however… Amazon.co.uk are now listing the box set for release on October 17th, with a RRP of £99.99. Assuming we’re getting exactly the same content as the US release, then that works out at £7.14 per film – not bad, eh? Well, at today’s exchange rate, the RRP of the US box set is only £67.50 – that’s just £4.82… (read more)
Just got an email from the BBC! :-) Hi there I just wanted to let you know that we are showing Hitchcock’s classic film Blackmail on BBC Four on Saturday 13 August at 10pm: www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/blackmail.shtml It is accompanied by a new documentary based on Matthew Sweet’s book about early British cinema, Shepperton Babylon: www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/shep-bab.shtml I thought that your users might be interested in both programmes. Best wishes BBC Four webteam I’d spotted that Blackmail was… (read more)
October just keeps getting better for Hitchcock fans! Universal have just officially announced the region 1 “Hitchcock Presents: Season One” box set. (image courtesy of DVD Times) Hopefully we’ll have an announcement soon from Universal about the possible UK release of the set on October 31st. So, that now means the following are potentially going to be released in October 2005: Hitchcock: The Complete Box Set (UK) Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One (USA) Alfred Hitchcock:… (read more)
Many thanks to Mr_Lowery for spotting the following DVDs that have just appeared on play.com: Hitchcock: The Complete Box Set (03/10/2005) Psycho: 45th Anniversary Edition (17/10/2005) Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season 1 (6 Discs) (31/10/2005) If play.com have got the details correct, then October is going to be a very expensive month (R1 “Lifeboat” is due on 18th, and the remastered R1 “Masterpiece” collection is out on the 4th). Paolo emailed me to say that Sony… (read more)
It looks like Fox are finally going to release Lifeboat on DVD. The unconfirmed release date is October 18th. I’ve also got hold of a pile of US budget releases from Westlake Entertainment Group. I’ve yet to add screen grabs to the site, but the transfers appear to be similar to the old Laserlight/Delta releases. I’m not sure if these count as some of the cheapest Hitchcock DVDs to date, but they only cost $0.89… (read more)
Universal have announced a new box – “Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection“. Initial reports suggested that it would simply be a repackaging of the 14 existing region 1 releases, along with a bonus 15th disc of new material. However, a new press releases has confirmed that although the DVDs will still contain the previously releases extras, the film transfers will be new digitally re-mastered versions. Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD… (read more)
