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What our customer's say!

"good", Has alot of good Hitchcock movies but not the most famous ones. For hardcore fans.

"Great selection", Good collection of Hitchcock movies!
We "killed them" all off, in just a little over a week!

"Great Set", I got this set for my father for Christmas. I don't think he has moved from in front of the TV since he opened them LOL. He LOVES all of them!

"Love Hitch", I can't get enough Hitchcock. He was a brillant director. If you are a fan this is a great collection. It also has a little book with interesting tid-bits. Almost as good as the movies are the extras, fantastic.

"9 CLASSIC GEMS FROM THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE!", "Alfred Hitchcock: The Signature Collection" gathers nine classic films from the director best known for his suspense and film noir expertise!

"Strangers On A Train" (1951) (2 disc Special Ediiton)
Psychotic mother's boy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) meets famous tennis professional Guy Haines (Farley Granger) on a train. Guy wants to move into a career in politics and has been dating a senator's daughter, Ann Morton, (Ruth Roman) while awaiting a divorce from his wife, Miriam (Kasesy Rogers). Bruno wants to kill his father, but knows he will be caught because he has a motive. Bruno dreams up a crazy scheme whereby he and Guy exchange murders. Guy takes this as a joke, but Bruno is serious and takes things into his own hands. Classic Hitchcock suspense has everything that suspense fan could ask for- great script, perfect cast, and an over-the-top finale! It even co-starred Hitchcock's own daughter, Patricia Hitchcock as Ruth Roman's on screen sister, Barbara Morton. It's also nice to see Marion Lorne (Aunt Clara from TV's "Bewitched") playing Robert Walker's on screen Mother. Each performance here is solid and gives the film a true sense of believability as the tension builds in each scene. The film's finale takes place in an amusement park and is still one of the best ever!

"North By Northwest" (1959)
New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is kidnapped by a gang of spies led by Philip Vandamm, (James Mason) who believes Thornhill is CIA agent George Kaplan. Thornhill escapes, but must find Kaplan in order to clear himself of a murder it is believed he committed. Following Kaplan to Chicago as a fugitive from justice, Thornhill is helped by beautiful Eve Kendall. (Eva Marie Saint) In Chicago, she delivers a message to Kaplan that almost costs Thornhill his life when a crop-dusting plane thrillingly chases him across a cornfield! One of the crown jewels of the Hitchcock suspense films and justly so, with standout performances by Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The infamous "Mount Rushmore" chase scene is still quiet breathtaking to behold!

"Dial `M' For Murder" (1954)
Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) learns that his wife, Margo (Grace Kelly) had an affair but even though it's over, he decides to kill her but chooses to bid his time. He waits until Mark Halliday, (Robert Cummings) his wife's lover, returns to town. He then begins to put his plan into play. He summons a man, who he is sure, will carry out his plan, for he recalls him from his college years. Explaining what he believes to be `the perfect murder,' he gets the man to agree to kill his wife. The night of his wife's murder is played out brilliantly and the suspense factor goes from 0 to 100 as Margo fights for her life and in the struggle takes the life of her would-be-killer! Tony, trying to cover everything up, decides then to make it appear that Margo had an ulterior motive for killing the man. And it appears to be working except Halliday doesn't believe she's guilty and the police uncover a few anomalies. Truly one of the underappreciated Hitchcock classics with Milland, Kelley, and Cummings in top form! The leading Scotland Yard Detective Hubbard, is played brilliantly by British actor John Williams, who gives "Dial M For Murder" an extra shot of class! It's really clever how each piece of the murder puzzle is discovered throughout the film and makes you want to see it again, just to see it all unfold once more!

"Foreign Correspondent" (1940)
Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea) is an action reporter on a New York newspaper. The editor appoints him European correspondent because he is fed up with the dry, reports he currently gets. Johnny's first assignment is to get the inside story on a secret treaty agreed between two European countries by the famous diplomat, Mr. Van Meer. (Albert Bassermann) An assassination of a foreign government official begins the spiraling espionage that Johnny finds himself submerging in, taking the viewer along for the ride! Johnny enlists the help of a young woman, Caroll Fisher (Laraine Day) to help track down a group of spies as the story progresses into one of Hitchcock's best espionage adventures!

"Suspicion" (1941)
Johnny Aysgarth (Cary Grant) is a handsome gambler who seems to live by borrowing money from friends. He meets shy Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine) on a train whilst trying to travel in a first class carriage with a third class ticket. He begins to court Lina and before long they are married. It is only after the honeymoon that she discovers his true character and she starts to become suspicious when Johnny's friend and business partner, Beaky (Nigel Bruce) is killed mysteriously. The story builds with suspense as you keep guessing, along with Lina, could Johnny truly be a cold-hearted murderer or am I just imagining things? "Suspicion" is Joan Fontaine's second Hitchcock film, following her brilliant performance in 1939's "Rebecca." Cary Grant is, as always, suave and debonair, bringing his character to the front as either cunningly evil or simply misunderstood. Joan Fontaine had a quality about her that made you want to protect her from the menaces on the screen, and I believe that this is what endured her to movie audiences in films like "Rebecca" and `Suspicion." Another great suspense film from the master of suspense, however, I would have preferred the original ending to "Suspicion," as I'm sure Mr. Hitchcock would have preferred as well.

"The Wrong Man" (1956)
The true story of Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda), a musician unjustly accused of armed robbery. In classic Hitchcock form, Balestrero vehemently protests his innocence but acts thoroughly guilty, leading a host of policemen and witnesses to finger him as the thief. The trial goes badly for Manny, but life is worse for his wife, Rose (Vera Miles), who falls apart under the strain of his ordeal. With intense and heartbreaking performances from both Fonda and Miles, "The Wrong Man" is more of a testament to what can happen when a person is submerged in a case of "mistaken identity." Hitchcock brings Manny's story to life with great camera angle shots and the b&w cinematography is top notch throughout. Not your typical Hitchcock suspense film, but essential for its star's performances and Hitchcock's dead on direction.

"Stage Fright" (1950)
Eve Gill (Jane Wyman), an aspiring young actress, shelters a fellow acting student, Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd), from the police. He is suspected of murdering the husband of his mistress, Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich), a famous singer. Jonathan claims that he became implicated when he tried to help Charlotte destroy the evidence. Eve's eccentric father, Commodore Gill (Alastair Sim), agrees to hide Jonathan in his house while she proves his innocence. To do this, Eve becomes Charlotte's temporary maid. Eve's Father devises a plan to force Charlotte to confess in front of the inspector investigating the case, Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding). When the plan doesn't work, Eve tries blackmailing Charlotte into a confession while the police listen outside her dressing room. Charlotte agrees to pay, but insists that Jonathan is the real killer. "Stage Fright" has that spark of suspense, which captures you from the very beginning. Jane Wyman brings a Nancy Drew-like character to her role, as the energetic Eve. In search of both romance and redemption for the innocent, Eve takes charge in this fun and thought provoking Hitchcock classic!

"I Confess" (1953)
In Quebec City, Father Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift) is accused of killing a well-known lawyer. The priest knows the murderer, but he can't reveal his identity because the man confessed the crime to him in the confessional. So begins Hitchcock's "I Confess," with stellar performances throughout and top notch suspense as Father Logan is set to unravel the web of deceit and murder that he has found himself caught up in. In true Hitchcock fashion, "I Confess" takes its audience on a well-rounded ride of suspense with criminals caught up in their sins of murder and persecuting the innocent. In this case, a Catholic priest, who is at odds with being able to tell the identity of the real murderer in court or keeping his vows to the Church and not revealing the confessional which was told to him by the true killer!

"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (1941)
Sophisticated New York couple David (Robert Montgomery) and Annie Smith (Carole Lombard) have an unusual marriage with an inordinate number of rules and regulations. One rule entitles them to ask each other one question per month, which the other must answer completely and honestly. Annie asks David if he would marry her again if he could do it over again and David confides that he misses his freedom and so he probably wouldn't. Later that day, an official from the town where they got married calls to see David. He explains that owing to a state boundary dispute, all couples married between 1936 and 1939 in the county were not legally married. David decides to have fun with this fact, but unbeknown to him, the county official calls to see Annie too and disaster results. Not at all your typical Hitchcock film! "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" is more on the lighthearted, romantic comedy category, than anything obtaining to suspense whatsoever. It's inclusion here is purely of the fact that it was directed by Hitchcock and therefore rounded out the `box set.' Still an enjoyable picture with Montgomery and Lombard giving fine performances as love struck newlyweds having a bit of a squabble. A rare film from the Master of suspense, indeed!

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Alfred Hitchcock", This was a gift to my son, he was thoroughly excited about it, he said he loved it.

"A Tangled Web of Deception", I Confess, 1953 film
The film takes place in Quebec, and shows a body on the floor. A man is shown walking down the street. A priest sees a man enter the church who then makes a confession for his sin of murder during a burglary. He wanted $2,000 to start a new life. Father Michael Logan heard Keller's confession, and cannot reveal this secret. We see the legislature discuss political questions like equal pay for women teachers. Two young girls saw a priest (a man wearing a cassock) leaving Mr. Villette's house, but can't identify the man. The police investigate to find who had been out late Tuesday night. Father Logan had been in the war and won the Military Cross. He alone can't give an alibi for his time that night. Inspector LaRue now has a suspect!

We learn there was a romantic triangle where a wife was in love with Father Logan. She meets him in a public place, and offers to give him an alibi. But this would break up an indissoluble marriage! Father Logan chose to be what he is and can't marry her. Mrs. Ruth Grandfer was being blackmailed by that murdered lawyer, who knew of her past association with Michael Logan, and the amazing coincidences with that murdered man. Mr. Villette was threatening to reveal her past. Ruth had told this to Father Logan before the death. [Ruth seems to bring trouble to her male companions.] The scene at the rectory shows a pre-1977 Canada where anyone can own a pistol (their crime rate was lower).

The trial shows the testimony of the witnesses. The pieces of the puzzle are placed together. The prosecutor suggests the relationship between Father Logan and Ruth provided a motive for murder. The all male jury returns a not guilty verdict due to the lack of evidence! The judge uses English Law to declare his opinion of the verdict. The crowd shows their disbelief in the verdict, being swayed by their emotional need for a sacrificial victim. Otto's wife Ann goes to talk to Father Logan, but her husband shoots her! Now the police realize there is another suspect. Otto is cornered, and shot by the police, but has time for his last confession.

There is no mention of the resulting scandal. Someone found not guilty will always be suspect by many (Lizzie Borden, OJ Simpson, Robert Blake). Wrongful convictions are almost always due to mistaken eyewitness identification, and that is all they had in this case. (No fingerprints? No traced money?) The motive is created in the minds of the police. But Father Logan was a likely suspect. [This case of an accused killer who can't tell of his alibi reminds me of Joe Hill.] Even those with an alibi aren't always believed. They are often with friends and family whose testimony is suspect. A cynic might wonder if Father Logan used the German refugee (knowing his past) to eliminate a blackmailer by suggesting he work for Mr. Villette. The intellectual puzzles in this film might have prevented commercial success in those days.


"Great Value", Not even 9 bucks a film you can't go wrong. I only wanted 3-4 titles, but each individually would be more than the value of this set - Dial M, North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, and The Wrong Man are must have themselves and would cost about $80 individually, so this set's a GREAT VALUE - it's like saving a few bucks on a few classic Hitchcocks you want to buy and getting 5-6 other films for free almost - never even knew of some of these until buying this set, great way to spend a rainy/boring night.

"Excellent value!!", Hey, it's Hitchcock. What else do you need to know? But buying these movies in a set for only $70 is fantastic compared to $15-$20 individually. If you love Hitch, then pick up this set today!

"A wonderful assortment of some of his best along with some lesser known works", The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection includes 9 different movies. These are not his nine best, but several are, and most rank near the top of his legendary career. Here are the reviews for the each movie:


NORTH BY NORTHWEST

North by Northwest is a timeless classic involving action, adventure, drama, suspense and even some well-timed comedy, all rooted from a simple case of mistaken identity. Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue executive, who is accidentally mistaken for a secret government agent named George Kaplan. Thornhill's main adversary is a spy for a foreign government named Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). Along the way, Thornhill meets a beautiful blond named Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) who adds a lot of sex appeal along with several surprises to this wild and wonderful plot.

The movie is masterpiece for numerous reasons. The first reason is because of the some of the unforgettable action shots including Grant being attacked by a crop dusting plane in a remote cornfield and then being chased across the face of Mount Rushmore. But beyond just the action, there many brilliant scenes where Grant either alludes the people tracking him or simply just outsmarts them and does some impressive detective work on his own. The script oozes with witty and clever lines with many visually memorable scenes as well. Another strength of the movie is a powerful music score that accentuates every crucial moment in the film. Furthermore, Grant and Mason give outstanding performances, perhaps their best. The movie also breaks out of the old Hollywood overly restrained romance situations with some very forward dialogue and some sexually suggestive scenes between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint (but still extremely tame by today's standards). Finally, the widescreen color presentation is nothing short of spectacular. Not only is this Hitchcock's best, but from my personal viewpoint, it ranks #4 on my list of the greatest movies ever made behind Casablanca and The Godfather I & II. I have watched this movie at least six times over the past 25 years (now for the first time on DVD) and it still hasn't lost its edge.

As mentioned, the DVD quality is utterly fantastic for a film this old. The widescreen color transfer is completely immaculate, and rich in color and sharpness - rivaling movies made today. The sound is also outstanding for a film this old. There many bonuses, but the best is the making of the film with a cross the country diary of how and where the movie was shot. There is also a very good commentary by the Earnest Lehman who wrote the screenplay.

Movie: A+

DVD Quality: A+



SUSPICION

The movie opens on train where Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant) sits down in a private first class compartment with a frumpy young woman named Lina (Joan Fontaine). Johnnie makes an excuse that he was in another first class car but couldn't stand the smoke. When the conductor collects the tickets, he finds that Johnnie doesn't have a first class ticket or enough money to cover the difference in fare. With some slick salesmanship, Johnnie gets Lina to pay the additional fare. This is a foreshadowing of things to come. They meet again and have a whirlwind romance and get married. Lida quickly finds out that Johnnie has champaign tastes on a beer drinker's budget and uses a lot of charm and shrewd chicanery to obtain money without doing an honest day's work. As time goes on, Lida losses trust in Johnnie but later develops legitimate fears that he may go as far as committing murder for financial gain. This sets up the remainder of the film with plenty of suspense and drama finding out who the real Johnnie is and how far he'll go with his money scheming shenanigans.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for many reasons, but mainly because of the two leading actors: Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. Not only were their individual performances terrific, but also the chemistry between the two was astounding. The Johnnie Aysgarth character was a spellbinding enigma throughout the entire film. Alfred Hitchcock masterfully directed the acting so that it was hard to tell if Johnnie was a charming, but irresponsible child in a man's body or deadly sociopath. Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance as the emotionally tortured wife. Nigel Bruce also did a great job in a supporting role as Johnnie's old friend 'Beaky'. Another wonderful thing about this movie is that there is a clear comical element to the film - especially when Johnnie assumes that his newly wedded wife has lots of money but finds out she doesn't. The way Johnnie wiggles his way out several tight spots is a fascinating display of his creative and spontaneous ingenuity. All in all, it's a terrific suspense film with virtually no wasted moments in the entire movie. The ending is slightly controversial only because we find out in the commentary that the ending was change at the last minute. Some people would have undoubtedly preferred the original ending. I'm fine with the released version.

The DVD picture quality is nearly perfect for a movie this old. The transfer is sharp and blemish-free, with only a few grainy scenes. The sound was fine and DVD includes a bonus commentary segment about "Suspicion".

Movie: A

DVD Quality: A



STAGE FRIGHT

The movie 'Stage Fright' opens with Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd) and Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) fleeing London in a car. As they are driving off eluding the police, Jonathon tells Eve of the mess that he's in. His story in a nutshell is that a famous actress named Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) killed her husband in their home and splattered blood on her dress and came to Jonathon's apartment for help. Jonathon explains that he ended up going back to the murder scene to get Charlotte a clean dress but was seen, thus making him the primary suspect. From this point on Eve does a number of things to protect and exonerate him including working as an operative so that she can find evidence to convict Charlotte of the murder.

The film uses some shameless chicanery to misdirect the audience. To avoid spoiling the plot, my problem wasn't so much that a subterfuge was used, but that it carried on this charade for just about the entire movie (until the final few minutes of the film). But that wasn't the biggest flaw for me. My bigger problem with the film is that its obvious that Jonathan is grossly infatuated or in love with Charlotte, and this becomes crystal clear to Eve, yet she still does everything possible to help him get out of this mess. Another significant problem is that Eve, who lives in London and has British parents speaks with an American accent except when she's a spy.

But in spite of these problems, Marlene Dietrich gives a mesmerizing performance that's truly Oscar-worthy. Even beyond her radiant beauty, she exudes confidence and poise in every scene she's in. Alastair Sim, who plays Eve's father in a supporting role, gives a very witty and extremely entertaining performance. If you get past the American accent, Jane Wyman does a decent job too. The movie is still very entertaining and fun to watch - again mainly due to Marlene Dietrich.

The B&W picture quality of this DVD is sharp but the presentation is marred by specs of film deterioration throughout the film. Sadly, a severe vertical scratch appearing for at least 6 or 7 seconds severely distracts the final scene of the movie. The sound was good for a film this old. The only worthwhile bonus on the DVD is a short commentary about the film `Stage Fright'.

Movie: B+

DVD Quality: B



DIAL M FOR MURDER

The movie 'Dial "M" for Murder' is film adapted from a successful play. Alfred Hitchcock directed this picture and since almost all of the movie takes place in one setting, it really does have the look of a play put on film. But that does not in anyway denegrate the quality nor entertainment value of this movie. On the contrary, because of a brilliantly conceived story, coupled with superb acting, the film is terrific.

The story is set in London and involves a love triangle between a retired tennis pro Tony Wendice (Ray Milland), his wealthy and beautiful wife Margot (Grace Kelly), and an American novelist Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings). Halliday returns to London after an extended absence and Tony knows about this affair and concocts a brilliant plot to murder his wife. He develops what seems like a perfect murder plan by blackmailing an old college friend Charles Swann (Anthony Dawson), into committing the murder so that Tony has a perfect alibi. This sets up the remainder of the film where a death occurs and an investigation is opened by the police, and Tony, Halliday and the police detectives match wits figuring out what really happened.

The film is rather simple in format and even though there are several twists, the real magic of the movie is how well Tony Wendice, Halliday and the police intellectually involve themselves in the murder plot. Another major strength of the movie is the performance of Ray Milland, who plays a smooth, charming and very cunning mastermind of what seems like the perfect murder. His cool compsure from beginning to end in all sorts of troubled spots is an amazing sight to watch. When he confronts Swann with his plan, Swann seems like a trapped animal and appears to have no choice to commit the crime since Wendice has him between a rock and a hard spot. But the murder seems so well thought out that the risks appear to be minimal. Once the police are involved, Chief Inspector Hubbard played by John Williams shines as well with superb detective work figuring out how and why this killing really occurred. Grace Kelly also does a fine acting job in this film. Overall, its a great movie, but clearly a lesser challenging film for Hitchcock's cinematic brilliance. This was originally filmed in 3-D, so the movie exploits a lot of foreground/background subjects instead of showing characters and props mostly equal distant to the camera.

The DVD transfer is top notch. There is virtually no film deterioration present and the full-screen color is vibrant. The sharpness is very good, but not great and there were a few times some of the subjects seems out of focus, but that's probably attributed to the 3-D technology of that era. Overall, its still an excellent visual presentation of the movie. The sound was fine also. The extras include a short documentary analysis of the film plus a very short segment on the history of 3-D.

Movie: A

DVD Quality: A



I CONFESS

I've been a big fan of Hitchcock since I saw the movie "The Birds" in the late 1960's and since then I thought I'd seen all of his movies on either video, TV or the big screen at some movie festivals. I recently bought the nine DVD "Signature Collection" and had seen all but two movies, one of which was "I Confess". I really didn't know what to expect and was a bit disturbed with the artwork which shows a priest holding a beautiful woman.

The storyline involves an immigrant named Otto Keller (O.E. Hasse) who works as a maintenance man in a Catholic Church in Quebec. One night Otto comes into the cathedral and sees a priest named Father Logan (Montgomery Clift) and asks the priest hear his confessions. Otto confesses to Father Logan that he killed someone earlier that night. Father Logan goes to that house of the murdered man the following morning, but the police have already arrived and Logan also runs into Ruth Grandfort (Ann Baxter), a woman he knows. The police have only one lead and it appears that some witnesses saw a priest leave the scene of the crime. The plot thickens intensely as Father Logan becomes a primary suspect, and his credibility is challenged since he appears to be involved with a married woman yet because of his oath as a priest, he cannot divulge the confessions of the killer. This sets up the rest of the movie for plenty drama and suspense.

This was one of those movies that sticks with you long after you watch it and gives you a lot to think about. There could be many parallels made to the life of Jesus who served and sacrificed his life for the sake of the sinners of the world (although Father Logan is in no way a Messiah). Other allegories include being ridiculed and scorned for acts he never committed or for being compassionate and forgiving for those who've harmed him. In all, its a story of compassion, sacrifice and love, but perhaps most of all staying true to your oath and calling, even in the face of death. The acting was nothing extra special, but I would say Karl Maldon was the best of the bunch. The script was superb and the picture certainly had that "Hitchcock look", especially in the opening segment at night. In case anyone cares, I'm not a Roman Catholic, but a Christian who attends a protestant church, yet I found this movie very inspiring. It was also refreshing to see a movie that wasn't trying to viciously scandalize the church as many movies do today. This film may be more for acquired tastes, but for myself, I was thoroughly pleased with the story, and was more challenged than entertained.

The DVD quality is nearly perfect for a movie this old. The transfer is sharp and blemish-free, but seemed a tad grainy in some scenes. The sound was fine and there were a few bonus features including a commentary segment about "I Confess".

Movie: A

DVD Quality: A-



FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

The story takes place in the late 1930's where an American newspaper reporter named Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea) is assigned to go to Europe to report on the possibility of a pending global war. His editor emphasizes that he doesn't want correspondence - he wants news. So Jones goes first to England and later to Holland where he witnesses an apparent assassination of a Dutch diplomat. This starts the beginning of a wild and dangerous investigation where Jones tries to uncover all the details and people responsible for this incident.

There are several things that I liked about this movie. The settings in Europe, especially the windmills in Holland, made a great backdrop to a very good plot. The underlying theme of foreign espionage with several surprising twists was also a major asset to the film. The acting was excellent and so was the cinematography. My only minor turnoff with the film was the noticeable complacency of the characters in very life threatening situations. Overall, it was an extremely relevant film, especially considering it was released shortly before America entered World War II. For me it was a very good movie but not a great one.

The B&W picture quality of this DVD is sharp and crisp but the film was clearly un-restored due to tiny specs of film deterioration showing up sporadically throughout the movie. The sound was very satisfactory. The only bonuses on the DVD include a trailer and a short feature entitled "Foreign Hitchcock".

Movie: B+

DVD Quality: B



STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

'Strangers on a Train' is Alfred Hitchcock's first American movie and certainly one of his better ones. The storyline involves a young tennis player named Guy Haines (Farley Granger), who sits with another man named Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker) on a several hour train ride. Guy is somewhat of a celebrity and Bruno seems to know a lot about his turbulent personal life. At one point Bruno proposes a scheme where he could murder Guy's estranged wife in exchange for murdering Bruno's tyrannical and wealthy father. The plot appears foolproof since the each murderer in theory would be nearly impossible to track down. Guy is greatly disturbed by this proposal, yet through Bruno's distorted perspective, he seems convinced that the agreement to this devious plot is mutual. Not too long after this meeting, Bruno tracks down Guy's separated wife and murders her and reveals his so called end of the bargain to Guy. This sets up the remainder of the movie where Guy is put in a very precarious position by not only the police who view him as the primary suspect, but from Bruno who expects Guy to perform his end of the deal.

This movie is a lot of fun, mainly because Robert Walker does such an outstanding job as this devious sociopathic killer. His performance as the cool and calculated murderer masked by his wealthy, refined and well-educated appearance is extraordinary. His persistence of involving himself by in effect blackmailing and stalking his pseudo partner is also well done. Another fine performance is by Marion Lorne who plays Bruno's mother. Her naiveté and constant denial of her son's clear psychological problems is a real treasure to watch. There is also some terrific camera work in this movie, clearly due to the creative genius of Alfred Hitchcock. I was slightly unimpressed with the ending, but overall, its a very entertaining movie.

The DVD quality is a pristine full screen B&W transfer. The contrast and sharpness are superb for a movie this old. The DVD comes with plenty of bonuses including a second "preview" version of the film and lots of commentaries and documentaries.

Movie: A-

DVD Quality: A



THE WRONG MAN

This movie is in effect a real life documentary of man being arrested and tried for crimes he did not commit. Henry Fonda stars as Manny Balestrero, a New York nightclub bass player who is arrested for a series of armed robberies. Balestrero has a wife named Rose (Vera Miles) and two sons, so his surprise arrest puts a huge financial and emotional burden on this family. The movie is very detailed as it goes through the entire legal process of his interrogation, arrest, arraignment, legal counseling and finally his trial.

This is a very serious movie and it's a clear departure from other mid-50's Hitchcock American films. The movie is shot in full-screen black and white, and has a very noir-type look. The soundtrack also doesn't sound like it's from a studio orchestra but rather a jazz band with it's very prominent score as opposed to being just background music. I liked the movie, but didn't love it. It seemed like Hitchcock went through the motions on this one but it does have a very strong ending. Overall, the film is emotionally draining and uses very little artistic creativity, but it's obvious that Hitchcock did not intend to entertain his audience but rather send a sobering message regarding how fragile life is. To it's credit, the film also reveals a message of divine intervention when we turn to God in our time of deepest pain.

The DVD transfer very sharp but some tiny deterioration was noticeable periodically throughout the film. The sound is excellent as the music soundtrack sets an important tone to the movie. The extras include a short documentary analysis of the film.

Movie: B

DVD Quality: B+



MR. & MRS. SMITH

This was Hitchcock's first and last attempt of directing a comedy. 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' is a comical farce about a married couple named Anne (Carole Lombard) and David Smith (Robert Montgomery) who clearly have some relationship issues since Anne has an established pattern of spending days at a time in bed anytime she has a disagreement with her husband. After making up from their latest tiff, Anne asks David, "If given the chance to go back in time would you marry me again"? His instant response is "No", but then realizes he's made a terrible gaff and unsuccessfully tries to cover his tracks, but at least does enough damage control to keep them together. Shortly after David learns that through a legal snafu, their marriage is void. When Anne learns about this legal wrinkle, she separates and this sets up a cat and mouse game between the two seeing if they can salvage their relationship.

As much as I like Hitchcock and Carole Lombard, both Hollywood legends in their own right, I can't say this movie worked magic for me. I do know that films like this were very popular in their day, but I didn't find any of it laugh-out-loud funny, although some of scenes put a smile on my face. I did like the slice of life look of the film as it showed many interesting backdrops including several original interior shots plus scenes at an amusement park and a ski resort. If you like screwball comedies from this era, you will probably be very entertained with the film. If you don't like that type of humor, or hope to find lots of Hitchcock's creative artistry and cinematic brilliance, you will probably be disappointed with the film.

The B&W picture quality of this DVD is sharp and crisp but tiny specs of film deterioration showed up sporadically throughout the movie. The sound was very satisfactory for a film this old. The only bonus on the DVD is a short commentary about the film.

Movie: C

DVD Quality: B+