Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (2012)

Bad Transferring of two movies mars this Hitchcock Collection
The four stars are an accurate rating of the transfer quality of most of the films in this collection. A few rate five stars ("Vertigo", "The Birds" and "Rear Window", for example).

But there are real defects in two of the titles in this set: Both "Marnie" and "Family Plot" were given slipshod transfers. "Marnie" particularly (a film I consider one of Hitchcock's masterpieces) has visual specks throughout, and some scenes of "weak" color. If you don't believe me, just go to a scene mid-way in the film and freeze the frame on a closeup. You'll see what seems a shabby grill on the faces. The images aren't clear and seemingly form a grill pattern. ("Frenzy" also exhibits flaws but not as seriously as those two.) These problems are obviously due to a lack of quality control in mastering these discs. To see the difference compare these two titles to "The Birds" or "Rear Window" and check the clarity and brightness of their color images in a freeze-frame. This crappy...

Great Films with Hi-Def Transfers That Vary Considerably in Quality
There are three absolutely gorgeous new transfers contained in this set of 15 Hitchcock films:
1. Rear Window
2. The Trouble with Harry
3. Vertigo [the color issues discovered in the pre-release copies have been corrected, and the U.S. edition does have a fine sounding mono option]

The two transfers that have had previous releases and are still available as "stand alones" are also stellar:
1. North by Northwest (despite some color issues)
2. Psycho

Seven of the transfers are acceptable high definition upgrades from their previous standard def releases:
1. Saboteur
2. Shadow of a Doubt
3. Rope
4. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) [This one really needs a restoration--but the problem here, isn't the transfer per se]
5. Torn Curtain
6. Topaz
7. Frenzy [The problem with the credits that were discovered in pre-release copies has been corrected]

That leaves us with three very problematic...

14 films in the UK; 15 in the US (Including NbNW)
Just wanted to point out, as it's not immediately evident in the "most helpful" reviews (though it can be found in the comments) that the UK box does not contain "North By Northwest." Given the difference in pricing between US and UK sets, this may not be a deal-breaker for many people, but it is a pretty significant omission.

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