Alfred Hitchcock Collection: Part 1

In celebration of me reaching 999 posts and my new purchase of the 14 DVD Hitchcock boxset I’m going to start reviewing them in chronological order.  The excellent set of films includes only some basic extras but it’s the films that are the focus. So in chronological order the set includes, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot. The core films are absolute classics and of the ones I’ve seen only Torn Curtain a recall being a dud.

Unfortunately for Hitchcock fans while it contains all of his Universal productions, a few Paramount films, and a couple of others, there are some very notable omissions. The films it misses most are North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, The 39 Steps, Lifeboat, To Catch a Thief, Rebecca, Notorious, The Lady Vanishes, Dial M for Murder, and anything pre-1940s.  I suppose they can be saved for the next box set.

And so I begin with two films to start with, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt.

I actually forgot I had seen Saboteur until it started, it’s actually Hitchcock’s 4th American film, but he seems to still be finding his feet with the bigger budgets.

Barry Kane is working in an aircraft plant during WWII.  When a fire starts in the factory he and a friend are one of the first to get there. Soon afterwards the fire rages out of control killing his friend.The police suspect sabotage and Barry becomes the prime suspect.

We’re now into favourite Hitchcock wrong man territory. A conspiracy far beyond Kane starts to emerge and having escaped from the police he follows the culprit’s slim trail across the country joined.  Occasionally the film is hampered by wordy unnatural dialogue and there are a few key scenes that devolve into a protracted debate about motivations (something certainly not exclusive to this Hitchcock), but generally it moves with a quick pace.  Some strikingly shot moments help draw you in to the drama.

Much of the film revolves around episodic encounters with different members of the public and how they react to our man on the run. As with virtually all Hitchcock films (even the weaker ones) the core of the film are a few key sequences so here’s two that unlike much of the rest of the film won’t be forgotten.  6.5/10

Defining Moments:

A credit sequence sees the ominous shadow of a man in a hat approach the corrugated hanger door.

The climax on top of the Statue of Liberty brings things to a close.

Shadow of a Doubt is 1 of 5 in the collection that I’ve never seen before.  Released less than a year after Saboteur this is a very different film.  The film begins with Charlie waking fully clothed lying on his bed.  Some men have been asking around about him and he makes up his mind to leave New York (continuity or using up some extra location shots from the last one ) he heads West to stay with his Sister’s family.  He and his sister’s daughter (named Charlie after him) share a close relationship and seemingly a common nihilistic view of the world.  When she starts to suspect he is in trouble however, she starts to see the differences between them.

Like Psycho the film begins with the city but quickly redirects us to a new locale for the rest of the film, but unlike the ominous Bates Motel this is small town America which as plenty of filmmakers have realised since makes a great setting for unsettling drama.

I finished my saboteur review before I watched this and completely contradicting what I said about Hitchcock films this is a film with no real memorable set pieces.  The focus is the drama between the two Charlies.  It avoids much of the striking cinematography of his other films, there is little dramatic lighting here, suburban America is well lit and its secrets much more hidden.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one a nice change of pace. 8/10