'Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection' Blu-ray Review

A pricey but top-notch showcase of the talents of the "Master of Suspense."

As part of Universal Studios' 100th anniversary celebration, the studio is following up its magnificent Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection by releasing this similarly awe-inspiring Blu-ray set of Alfred Hitchcock films. The Masterpiece Collection includes 15 movies from the "Master of Suspense," ranging from 1942 to 1976: Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot. Thirteen of the 15 pics are making their Blu-ray debuts here, and each has a range of extras -- typically a trailer, photos and at least one documentary, plus commentaries, interviews, screen tests, storyboards, lobby cards and alternate scenes. The highlight of the 15 hours of special features is the brand new documentary The Birds, Hitchcock’s Monster Movie. Also included is a 58-page booklet featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs and more.

There's no doubt Universal released the bulk of Hitchock's best and most popular films, but since he also worked for other studios during his career -- including Warner Brothers and RKO -- this set doesn't include favorites like Dial M for Murder, Strangers on a Train, Notorious and Rebecca. Still, that's a minor cost for the privilege of seeing classics like Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo and The Birds in gorgeous high definition. That quartet is the highlight of the horror/suspense portion of The Masterpiece Collection -- a good portion of the others is more in the spy thriller vein -- but there are also some very enjoyable entries that are lesser known to the average viewer: the cat-and-mouse game Rope, the darkly humorous The Trouble With Harry, the twisted Frenzy and one of my favorites, Shadow of a Doubt, which inspired the upcoming Nicole Kidman pic Stoker.

The Blu-rays

Special features include documentaries, filmmaker commentaries, interviews, screen tests, storyboards, lobby cards, alternate scenes and trailers.

Movies: A
Discs: A

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the distributor. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.