sirdizzy
03-02-2008, 08:17 PM
So I decided its about damn time I finish my Hitchcock collection that I started like three years ago. I understand its quite the undertaking as he made 52 films and some of his earlier stuff is a hard to find outside of large collections. But I was already at 33 when I stopped looking for them a year ago. I did get lucky and find a nice 10 movie pack that included almost half of his London work a few years back and managed to get two more from a family dollar double pack.
So last Friday I bought four more off Amazon, all from that awesome Masterpiece collection they released a few years back (I wanted it but I had six of the fourteen films and thats a lot of double dipping). Frenzy, the Trouble with Harry, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt which brought my grand total to 37 and only 15 to go.
So I am researching the final fifteen on Amazon and god damn there is nary a good release of any of his London stuff. The six films I am still missing from his Hollywood years will be fairly easy as four of them are still from the masterpiece collection (Marnie, Topaz, Torn Curtain and Topaz) and Under Capricorn and the Paradine Case look pretty easy to find in a good transfer (except for the fact that Paradine case runs for almost $35).
But then the nine films I am missing from his London years look either like really bad transfers or impossible to obtain. Some of them sadly run for as little as a penny (which doesn't bound well for their quality). But there was three I could not find including his very first film The Pleasure Garden outside of very large collections similar to the ten pack I bought. The other two being Downhill and Waltzes From Vienna.
So I started to look at the five films Criterion released for him and holy mother of god the three I own go for outrageous sums. Rebecca fetches $90 (which I was aware of as I had to pay $40 for mine), Notorious gets $80 and Spellbound goes for $75. I am so glad I have those three, the other two criterions they released of his work the Lady Vanishes and the 39 Steps, I own but just not the criterion versions. Although now I am tempted to upgrade to criterions of both of those as can be gotten for around $30 and if there value is anything relevant to the out of print ones then I should get them before they go out of print as well (I paid $30 for both my Spellbound and Notorious). I am not a big Criterion nut like some people here as I only own eight total but I love them as they are always definitive versions of the films.
So why doesn't Criterion go back and do some more Hitchcock films, I mean the Pleasure Garden seems like a perfect choice as its almost impossible to find and its his first film.
Its kind of frustrating, so close but I seem just as far as away as ever. Even if I manage to get to 48 or 49 i am going to be stumped by those last 3 or 4 (number seventeen I could only find two packed with the Ring and I have the Ring but its only a 2 pack so it wouldn't bother me that much)
Anyone else have a definitive collection of any director (and I am not talking directors like Tarrantino even though I own every film he has been involved with even if it was just story by like in the case of From Dusk til Dawn or even Kevin Smith and I have all his Evening With's as well). I am talking directors like Hitchcock, Steven Speilberg, Frank Capra, Woody Allen, Brian De Palma, robert Altman or Martin Scorsese that have 30 years and 30 films under their belts. A collection that takes time to build and has obstacles and difficulties in building.
So last Friday I bought four more off Amazon, all from that awesome Masterpiece collection they released a few years back (I wanted it but I had six of the fourteen films and thats a lot of double dipping). Frenzy, the Trouble with Harry, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt which brought my grand total to 37 and only 15 to go.
So I am researching the final fifteen on Amazon and god damn there is nary a good release of any of his London stuff. The six films I am still missing from his Hollywood years will be fairly easy as four of them are still from the masterpiece collection (Marnie, Topaz, Torn Curtain and Topaz) and Under Capricorn and the Paradine Case look pretty easy to find in a good transfer (except for the fact that Paradine case runs for almost $35).
But then the nine films I am missing from his London years look either like really bad transfers or impossible to obtain. Some of them sadly run for as little as a penny (which doesn't bound well for their quality). But there was three I could not find including his very first film The Pleasure Garden outside of very large collections similar to the ten pack I bought. The other two being Downhill and Waltzes From Vienna.
So I started to look at the five films Criterion released for him and holy mother of god the three I own go for outrageous sums. Rebecca fetches $90 (which I was aware of as I had to pay $40 for mine), Notorious gets $80 and Spellbound goes for $75. I am so glad I have those three, the other two criterions they released of his work the Lady Vanishes and the 39 Steps, I own but just not the criterion versions. Although now I am tempted to upgrade to criterions of both of those as can be gotten for around $30 and if there value is anything relevant to the out of print ones then I should get them before they go out of print as well (I paid $30 for both my Spellbound and Notorious). I am not a big Criterion nut like some people here as I only own eight total but I love them as they are always definitive versions of the films.
So why doesn't Criterion go back and do some more Hitchcock films, I mean the Pleasure Garden seems like a perfect choice as its almost impossible to find and its his first film.
Its kind of frustrating, so close but I seem just as far as away as ever. Even if I manage to get to 48 or 49 i am going to be stumped by those last 3 or 4 (number seventeen I could only find two packed with the Ring and I have the Ring but its only a 2 pack so it wouldn't bother me that much)
Anyone else have a definitive collection of any director (and I am not talking directors like Tarrantino even though I own every film he has been involved with even if it was just story by like in the case of From Dusk til Dawn or even Kevin Smith and I have all his Evening With's as well). I am talking directors like Hitchcock, Steven Speilberg, Frank Capra, Woody Allen, Brian De Palma, robert Altman or Martin Scorsese that have 30 years and 30 films under their belts. A collection that takes time to build and has obstacles and difficulties in building.