Full Article Text
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
APRIL 5, 2009
www.TheGodMovie.com Feedback - Ads by Google
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO
COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE
Make HuffPost Your HomePage
Get Email Alerts
Twitter: Follow Us
BIG NEWS : Angelina Jolie | Madonna | Chris Brown & Rihanna | Paul McCartney | More...
LOG IN | SIGN UP
Michael Giltz | BIO | I'M A FAN OF THIS BLOGGER
Email
Print
Be the First to
Submit
This Story to DiggDVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
Posted November 20, 2007 | 03:31 PM (EST)
Read More: Alfred Hitchcock , Bruce Willis , Cuba , Documentary , Dvds, Eric Clapton ,
Film Noir , Hairspray , Helvetica , Korea , Led Zeppelin , Movies, Musicals, Nirvana ,
Russia, TV Shows , Breaking Entertainment News
Alfred Hitchcock made so many wildly entertaining films that picking out your favorite can be
difficult. But if I break it down between his UK and US career, I can start to get a grasp on it. Myfavorite from his British era is The Lady Vanishes. It's a pure delight and wouldn't be matched for
comic elan till North By Northwest. Criterion has outdone its previous edition from nearly a
decade ago with this marvelous version ($39.95). You get a newly remastered print of the film (it'sslightly sharper and steadier than the previous very good print), a scholarly commentary, a shortdocumentary on Hitchcock, an entire 1941 feature called Crook's Tour featuring the movie's
breakout comic relief charcters Charters and Caldicottt (it proves they should have remainedsidekicks but is fun to have) and best of all brief excerpts from Francois Truffaut's legendary 50hours of audio interviews with Hitchcock. Now if only Criterion would get the rights to the entireset of tapes and release that on DVD complete with stills from the movies they're talking about.Also out this week is Ingmar Bergman's early theatrical drama Sawdust and Tinsel ($39.95;
Criterion).
I Am Cuba: The Ultimate Edition ($44.95; Milestone) is an appropriately jaw-dropping boxed set
in the shape of a cigar box. Russian director Mikhail Kalatozov's stunning ode to Communist Cuba
is filled with enough bathing beauties, gorgeous scenery, hip-shaking music and remarkably fluid,head-spinning camera shots to turn even Bill O'Reilly into a fellow traveler. It's as if LeniRiefenstahl had discovered sex. Truly a terrific midnight movie and you also get a half hourdocumentary about the making of the film and a two hour look at Kalatozov's entire career,including his masterpiece The Cranes Are Flying.
Helvetica ($24.98; PlexiFilm) is a very good
documentary film about the modest font that has
taken over the world. Like a classic New Yorker
article, it tackles an offbeat subject you had no
particular interest in, shows it to be fascinating and
engages you completely for its just-right 80 minute
running time.
UK director Shane Meadows delivers This Is England ($19.95; IFC), another impressive film about
the underbelly of society. This time he looks at the racist nationalists that flourished during
Popular Stories on HuffPost
Fashion Face-Off!
Michelle Obama And
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Finally Meet In
France (VIDEO,
PHOTOS, POLL)
*Video, poll and slideshow
(to...
Levi Johnston TalksSafe Sex With Tyra
Banks (VIDEO)
***UPDATE*** 8:30pm:
People.com is reporting
that Sarah Palin hasissued...
Oscar de la RentaSlams Michelle
Obama's Buckingham
Outfit As MajorDesigners Feel
Ignored
While Michelle Obamahas made lesser...
Verena von Pfetten 7
Lessons To BeLearned From Carla
Bruni
So here's the thing.There's no shortage ofarticles dedicated to that
certain je ne...
Huff TV Arianna
Discusses MichelleObama's "Fantastic"
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
US Lawmakers In
Cuba For Talks
With...
As a Punishment for
My Blog, I...
SNL: Madonna And
Angelina In
Weekend Update...
Reality Star Jade
Goody Buried In
Lavish...Maggie Thatcher's glory days of the early 80s. Meadows blindsides you by showing the genuine
warmth, the desperate need for belonging that brought these young misfits together in makeshiftfamilies better than their own - all without sugarcoating the ugliness. Despite a too pat symbolicending, it's one of the best of the year.
Now a clutch of music-oriented titles: Hairspray ($34.98 for the deluxe edition; New Line) has
gone from a movie to a stage musical back to a movie and unfortunately lost something every step
of the way. It's painless fun but a flick that used to gently mock racism and "message" movies hasnow become a message movie itself. And why oh why didn't they cast Harvey Fierstein? Nirvana:Unplugged In New York ($19.98; Geffen) is just as historic as you remembered and presented
perfectly with the entire concert (including two extra songs) plus the broadcast version and evenrehearsal footage. Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same ($20.97; Warner Bros.) sounds
sonically overwhelming (as it should) and has fun extras like a press conference about the band'smoney getting nicked from their hotel in New York -- the Drake -- and a Cameron Crowe radio
piece on the movie that sounds more like an ad. Best of all, you can avoid the fantasy scenes and
home life bits and skip to the concert segments, though really nothing captures the 70s quite like
seeing Robert Plant playing "Lord of the Rings" in a Welsh forest by dressing up in ancient garb,
carrying around a sword, picking wild mushrooms and staring up thoughtfully at the sky. Colma:
The Musical ($27.98; Lionsgate) has a nice DIY feel and it's good to see low-budget indies tackle
musicals but it would be nice if the pleasant cast could sing better. Mika: Live In Cartoon Motion
($14.98; Universal Republic) is a live concert from the UK dance-pop singer who could give
Freddie Mercury lessons in flamboyance. Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 ($29.99;
Rhino) documents his latest guitar jam featuring virtually every name guitarist you can think of
and climaxes with his Blind Faith buddy Steve Winwood.
Finally, Film Noir: Five Classics From The Studio Vaults ($49.95; Kino) collects some corkers,
especially an early Powell-Pressburger wartime suspenser called Contraband (1942) and a
terrifically good, hard-boiled post-war British noir about gangsters with the can't-be-improved title
They Made Me A Fugitive (1947). (Don't worry; they'll pay for it.)
Also out this week: Nosferatu: The Ultimate DVD Edition ($29.95; Kino), beautifully restored with
loads of extras; Live Free or Die Hard ($29.99; Fox), the Bruce Willis franchise taken to a
satisfying if ludicrous conclusion; Hudson Hawk Special Edition ($19.94; Sony), a woebegone
Willis flop at the time that has a genuine cult following among folk who think it's the Buckaroo
Banzai of its day (and if you don't know that movie you best stay away); In Between Days ($29.95;
Kino), a quiet gem about a South Korean girl living in a northern American city and giving first lovean uncertain whirl with a high school buddy and sometime thief; Hearts Of Darkness: AFilmmaker's Apocalypse ($24.99; Paramount), the acclaimed documentary about the making of
Apocalypse Now; Star Trek Season One ($194.99; Paramount) which combines both the DVD and
HD-DVD formats in one deluxe set though surely anyone with HD-DVD doesn't want regular DVDand anyone with regular DVD won't want to spend so much more to get a version they can't watchyet; Monsieur Hire ($29.95; Kino), a gem of an erotic mystery muted in tone but not in emotional
impact; Mission: Impossible The Third Season ($49.99; Paramount), which is so fun it reminds
you how far off the mark the movies have really been; The Universe: The Complete First Season($44.95; A&E), the solid science series on the History Channel -- I can't wait to see how it turnsout; and the 2008 Video Playmate Calendar ($19.99; Image) and I can't wait to see how that turns
out either.
So tell me, what's your favorite Hitchcock film? Is there one you just don't get? Me, I love Rear
Window and - scandalously - am not a huge fan of Vertigo (though it does have one of the all-time
great scores). What about you?
Comments for this post are now closed
Email
Print
More in Entertainment...
HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now
Style On CBS'
"Washington
Unplugged"
Arianna was on CBS'
"Washington...
Huff TV Arianna
Appears on ABC's
"This Week"
Roundtable With
George
Stephanopoulos(VIDEO)
Arianna was a guest this
morning on...
"BRUNO" TRAILER!Calamity, African
Babies, Chase
Scenes And More
(NSFW VIDEO)
IT'S HERE! The trailer forthis July's Sacha Baron
Cohen...
NATO Leaders Focus
On Afghanistan, ButMost Reject Obama's
Plea For Troops
(SLIDESHOW)
STRASBOURG, France— On the eve of the
NATO...
First Lady Fashion At
Friday's NATO
Concert (PHOTOS)
Another night, another
fashion opportunity for
NATO leaders and their
spouses! See...
Diana Palin, Sarah
Palin's Sister-In-Law,
Arrested For
Breaking Into Home
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov....
John Oliver Explains
The Real Reason YouNever Touch TheQueen (VIDEO)
Jim Cramer Declares
The Depression"Over" (VIDEO)
On Thursday's episode of"Mad Money" host Jim
Cramer declared that the
depression...
New Jay Leno Show
Rejected By NBC
Affiliate In Boston
BOSTON — Boston'sNBC affiliate says it will aira local newscast instead
of...
Ice Bridge Ruptures
In Antarctic (VIDEO)
An ice bridge linking ashelf of ice the size of
Jamaica to two islands in
Antarctica has
Scientists FindRocket Fuel
Chemical In Infant
Formula
ATLANTA — Traces of a
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
Michelle Obama's Clothing
Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts
Cenk Uygur: Have WeReached the Tipping Pointon Guns?
RICHARD POPLAWSKI,Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden?
Comments 32 Pending Comments 0
Buy a link here Sponsored Links
"My Teeth Are so White"
Read the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white.
CathysTeeth.com
Spine Surgery Advancement
NO Hospital, NO Gen Anesthesia. Get Your Life Back NOW!
www.LaserSpineInstitute.com
I'm Happy I Lost My Job
After I got laid off, I found a easy way to make $7k a month online...
http://coreyhasmoney.com/ca
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being
approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
View Comments: Newest
First Expand All
raker See Profile I'm a Fan of raker permalink
I love all Hitchcock's "wrong man" movies, like The Wrong Man, North by Northwest, Saboteur, and
The Man Who Knew Too Much. Love Rear Window, but don't love Vertigo.
justanartist See Profile I'm a Fan of justanartist permalink
Best would be North by Northwest - but close is "To Catch a Thief". Grace Kelly is perfect in it, as shewas in Rear Window - cool, beautiful, perfect timing.
brueso See Profile I'm a Fan of brueso permalink
Never cared for "Vertigo". It's almost easy to take "Psycho" for granted, but it was so cutting edge at thetime (no pun intended). Always loved "Rear Window", "North by Northwest", "Shadow of a Doubt" and"Strangers on a Train". A friend recently turned me onto "Lifeboat" which I enjoyed a great deal.
I wish Criterion would spend more energy getting something like "The Magnificent Ambersons" out on
DVD vs. making better versions of some of the things they've already put out.
tjkreidler See Profile I'm a Fan of tjkreidler permalink
I love all of Hitchcock's movies with the exception of Marnie, which I never quite got.
travy See Profile I'm a Fan of travy permalink
Computers
India
Barack
Obama
Michelle
Obama
Sports
Olympics
Housing
Crisis
Fox News
Cars
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES
»
Books by this author
A cabin of one's own: New
England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Alfred Hitchcock
Bruce WillisCubaDocumentaryDvdsEric ClaptonFilm NoirHairsprayHelveticaKoreachemical used in rocket
fuel were found in
samples of...
HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
Bloggers Index
Read All Posts by
Michael Giltz
Related Tags
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 07:43 PM on 11/22/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 06:01 AM on 11/22/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 11:53 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 11:22 AM on 11/21/2007This Blogger's Books from
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
Comments are closed for this entrynot my fave, but just caught 'notorious' again on tcm and greatly enjoyed it...
3fingerbrown See Profile I'm a Fan of 3fingerbrown permalink
I'm partial to Hitchcock's films of the '40s. Someone already mentioned "Notorious," a superior
entertainment with a standout performance by Claude Raines as one of the most complex "villains"ever. At a time when other directors were turning out unabashed flag-wavers with good guys and badguys clearly defined, Hitchcock's genius for perversity led him to make a film where the good guys(working for the Allies) were not particularly virtuous and the bad guy (working for the Nazis) was, inthe end, a tortured and pitiable figure.Also from this period is "Shadow of a Doubt," a near-perfect thriller with another great villain, played byJoseph Cotten. He's rarely mentioned today in the same breath with other top leading men of the era,but Cotten was an excellent performer who turned up in many great films of the '40s--beginning thedecade with "Citizen Kane" and ending it with "The Third Man." Cotten's time on the A-list was relativelybrief, but the body of work he compiled while he was hot is quite impressive.
unemployedprogressive See Profile I'm a Fan of unemployedprogressive permalink
For me it is a toss up betweem Rear Window & North by Northwest. I admire Psycho and The Birds fortheir unrelenting creepyness, but that just isn't as entertaining as the others.
mtreder See Profile I'm a Fan of mtreder permalink
Of the British period, my favorite is The 39 Steps, with The Lady Vanishes as a close second.Ultimately, though, nothing beats Vertigo as both stunning drama and masterful film-making. But Iagree that it's hard to narrow the list with Hitchcock; I mean, what about Psycho? Or Strangers on aTrain? Or Notorious? Or...? Etc.
LanceJetson See Profile I'm a Fan of LanceJetson permalink
OK I give....when I was a child there was *The Birds*, and of course *Psycho* that scared me to death.But as I grew older and knew more about the composition of film and the director's role I wasintroduced to Hitchcock's earlier works. Films like *Rebecca* and later *Strangers on a Train*introduced me to the tricks of the trade that Hitchcock invented, the viewpoints, the atmospherics, theattention to clue-yielding objects, not to mention his themes of identity and memory: "Who are we,really?" In that vein I'd have to say *Spellbound* remains my favorite and could be used as a "textbook"example of masterly directorial technique.
SamanthaJaneSalem See Profile I'm a Fan of SamanthaJaneSalem permalink
I want to say "Vertigo" is my favorite because it zooms in on an obsession with so much intensity--through color, shape, movement, music-- that it epitomizes Hitchcock's genius.
But heck I love Cary Grant running away from the plane in the cornfield. "North By Northwest" changes
directions so many times, it seems to be a movie about one thing and then it shifts to another thing,
and then again to something else. U.N.-- train-- Mt. Rushmore.
I-- scandalously-- don't care as much for "Psycho" with it's pseudo-psychological writing at the end,
after the characters take turns going back to the motel, as well as the absence of Hitch's usual glamor.
BettyG See Profile I'm a Fan of BettyG permalink
I agree about Rear Window, I watch it every time it's on TV. I'm also not in love with Vertigo -- JamesStewart's obsession gets a bit hard to take. I love "To Catch a Theif" too. It's fun, and I guess I like Grace Kelly best as the heroine.
You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in or
Led Zeppelin
Movies
Musicals
Nirvana
Russia
TV Shows
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 10:53 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 07:45 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:36 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:10 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:06 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:03 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 03:56 PM on 11/20/2007
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE
ARCHIVE
Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us
Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
APRIL 5, 2009
www.TheGodMovie.com Feedback - Ads by Google
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO
COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE
Make HuffPost Your HomePage
Get Email Alerts
Twitter: Follow Us
BIG NEWS : Angelina Jolie | Madonna | Chris Brown & Rihanna | Paul McCartney | More...
LOG IN | SIGN UP
Michael Giltz | BIO | I'M A FAN OF THIS BLOGGER
Be the First to
Submit
This Story to DiggDVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
Posted November 20, 2007 | 03:31 PM (EST)
Read More: Alfred Hitchcock , Bruce Willis , Cuba , Documentary , Dvds, Eric Clapton ,
Film Noir , Hairspray , Helvetica , Korea , Led Zeppelin , Movies, Musicals, Nirvana ,
Russia, TV Shows , Breaking Entertainment News
Alfred Hitchcock made so many wildly entertaining films that picking out your favorite can be
difficult. But if I break it down between his UK and US career, I can start to get a grasp on it. Myfavorite from his British era is The Lady Vanishes. It's a pure delight and wouldn't be matched for
comic elan till North By Northwest. Criterion has outdone its previous edition from nearly a
decade ago with this marvelous version ($39.95). You get a newly remastered print of the film (it'sslightly sharper and steadier than the previous very good print), a scholarly commentary, a shortdocumentary on Hitchcock, an entire 1941 feature called Crook's Tour featuring the movie's
breakout comic relief charcters Charters and Caldicottt (it proves they should have remainedsidekicks but is fun to have) and best of all brief excerpts from Francois Truffaut's legendary 50hours of audio interviews with Hitchcock. Now if only Criterion would get the rights to the entireset of tapes and release that on DVD complete with stills from the movies they're talking about.Also out this week is Ingmar Bergman's early theatrical drama Sawdust and Tinsel ($39.95;
Criterion).
I Am Cuba: The Ultimate Edition ($44.95; Milestone) is an appropriately jaw-dropping boxed set
in the shape of a cigar box. Russian director Mikhail Kalatozov's stunning ode to Communist Cuba
is filled with enough bathing beauties, gorgeous scenery, hip-shaking music and remarkably fluid,head-spinning camera shots to turn even Bill O'Reilly into a fellow traveler. It's as if LeniRiefenstahl had discovered sex. Truly a terrific midnight movie and you also get a half hourdocumentary about the making of the film and a two hour look at Kalatozov's entire career,including his masterpiece The Cranes Are Flying.
Helvetica ($24.98; PlexiFilm) is a very good
documentary film about the modest font that has
taken over the world. Like a classic New Yorker
article, it tackles an offbeat subject you had no
particular interest in, shows it to be fascinating and
engages you completely for its just-right 80 minute
running time.
UK director Shane Meadows delivers This Is England ($19.95; IFC), another impressive film about
the underbelly of society. This time he looks at the racist nationalists that flourished during
Popular Stories on HuffPost
Fashion Face-Off!
Michelle Obama And
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Finally Meet In
France (VIDEO,
PHOTOS, POLL)
*Video, poll and slideshow
(to...
Levi Johnston TalksSafe Sex With Tyra
Banks (VIDEO)
***UPDATE*** 8:30pm:
People.com is reporting
that Sarah Palin hasissued...
Oscar de la RentaSlams Michelle
Obama's Buckingham
Outfit As MajorDesigners Feel
Ignored
While Michelle Obamahas made lesser...
Verena von Pfetten 7
Lessons To BeLearned From Carla
Bruni
So here's the thing.There's no shortage ofarticles dedicated to that
certain je ne...
Huff TV Arianna
Discusses MichelleObama's "Fantastic"
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
US Lawmakers In
Cuba For Talks
With...
As a Punishment for
My Blog, I...
SNL: Madonna And
Angelina In
Weekend Update...
Reality Star Jade
Goody Buried In
Lavish...Maggie Thatcher's glory days of the early 80s. Meadows blindsides you by showing the genuine
warmth, the desperate need for belonging that brought these young misfits together in makeshiftfamilies better than their own - all without sugarcoating the ugliness. Despite a too pat symbolicending, it's one of the best of the year.
Now a clutch of music-oriented titles: Hairspray ($34.98 for the deluxe edition; New Line) has
gone from a movie to a stage musical back to a movie and unfortunately lost something every step
of the way. It's painless fun but a flick that used to gently mock racism and "message" movies hasnow become a message movie itself. And why oh why didn't they cast Harvey Fierstein? Nirvana:Unplugged In New York ($19.98; Geffen) is just as historic as you remembered and presented
perfectly with the entire concert (including two extra songs) plus the broadcast version and evenrehearsal footage. Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same ($20.97; Warner Bros.) sounds
sonically overwhelming (as it should) and has fun extras like a press conference about the band'smoney getting nicked from their hotel in New York -- the Drake -- and a Cameron Crowe radio
piece on the movie that sounds more like an ad. Best of all, you can avoid the fantasy scenes and
home life bits and skip to the concert segments, though really nothing captures the 70s quite like
seeing Robert Plant playing "Lord of the Rings" in a Welsh forest by dressing up in ancient garb,
carrying around a sword, picking wild mushrooms and staring up thoughtfully at the sky. Colma:
The Musical ($27.98; Lionsgate) has a nice DIY feel and it's good to see low-budget indies tackle
musicals but it would be nice if the pleasant cast could sing better. Mika: Live In Cartoon Motion
($14.98; Universal Republic) is a live concert from the UK dance-pop singer who could give
Freddie Mercury lessons in flamboyance. Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 ($29.99;
Rhino) documents his latest guitar jam featuring virtually every name guitarist you can think of
and climaxes with his Blind Faith buddy Steve Winwood.
Finally, Film Noir: Five Classics From The Studio Vaults ($49.95; Kino) collects some corkers,
especially an early Powell-Pressburger wartime suspenser called Contraband (1942) and a
terrifically good, hard-boiled post-war British noir about gangsters with the can't-be-improved title
They Made Me A Fugitive (1947). (Don't worry; they'll pay for it.)
Also out this week: Nosferatu: The Ultimate DVD Edition ($29.95; Kino), beautifully restored with
loads of extras; Live Free or Die Hard ($29.99; Fox), the Bruce Willis franchise taken to a
satisfying if ludicrous conclusion; Hudson Hawk Special Edition ($19.94; Sony), a woebegone
Willis flop at the time that has a genuine cult following among folk who think it's the Buckaroo
Banzai of its day (and if you don't know that movie you best stay away); In Between Days ($29.95;
Kino), a quiet gem about a South Korean girl living in a northern American city and giving first lovean uncertain whirl with a high school buddy and sometime thief; Hearts Of Darkness: AFilmmaker's Apocalypse ($24.99; Paramount), the acclaimed documentary about the making of
Apocalypse Now; Star Trek Season One ($194.99; Paramount) which combines both the DVD and
HD-DVD formats in one deluxe set though surely anyone with HD-DVD doesn't want regular DVDand anyone with regular DVD won't want to spend so much more to get a version they can't watchyet; Monsieur Hire ($29.95; Kino), a gem of an erotic mystery muted in tone but not in emotional
impact; Mission: Impossible The Third Season ($49.99; Paramount), which is so fun it reminds
you how far off the mark the movies have really been; The Universe: The Complete First Season($44.95; A&E), the solid science series on the History Channel -- I can't wait to see how it turnsout; and the 2008 Video Playmate Calendar ($19.99; Image) and I can't wait to see how that turns
out either.
So tell me, what's your favorite Hitchcock film? Is there one you just don't get? Me, I love Rear
Window and - scandalously - am not a huge fan of Vertigo (though it does have one of the all-time
great scores). What about you?
Comments for this post are now closed
More in Entertainment...
HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now
Style On CBS'
"Washington
Unplugged"
Arianna was on CBS'
"Washington...
Huff TV Arianna
Appears on ABC's
"This Week"
Roundtable With
George
Stephanopoulos(VIDEO)
Arianna was a guest this
morning on...
"BRUNO" TRAILER!Calamity, African
Babies, Chase
Scenes And More
(NSFW VIDEO)
IT'S HERE! The trailer forthis July's Sacha Baron
Cohen...
NATO Leaders Focus
On Afghanistan, ButMost Reject Obama's
Plea For Troops
(SLIDESHOW)
STRASBOURG, France— On the eve of the
NATO...
First Lady Fashion At
Friday's NATO
Concert (PHOTOS)
Another night, another
fashion opportunity for
NATO leaders and their
spouses! See...
Diana Palin, Sarah
Palin's Sister-In-Law,
Arrested For
Breaking Into Home
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov....
John Oliver Explains
The Real Reason YouNever Touch TheQueen (VIDEO)
Jim Cramer Declares
The Depression"Over" (VIDEO)
On Thursday's episode of"Mad Money" host Jim
Cramer declared that the
depression...
New Jay Leno Show
Rejected By NBC
Affiliate In Boston
BOSTON — Boston'sNBC affiliate says it will aira local newscast instead
of...
Ice Bridge Ruptures
In Antarctic (VIDEO)
An ice bridge linking ashelf of ice the size of
Jamaica to two islands in
Antarctica has
Scientists FindRocket Fuel
Chemical In Infant
Formula
ATLANTA — Traces of a
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
Michelle Obama's Clothing
Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts
Cenk Uygur: Have WeReached the Tipping Pointon Guns?
RICHARD POPLAWSKI,Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden?
Comments 32 Pending Comments 0
Buy a link here Sponsored Links
"My Teeth Are so White"
Read the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white.
CathysTeeth.com
Spine Surgery Advancement
NO Hospital, NO Gen Anesthesia. Get Your Life Back NOW!
www.LaserSpineInstitute.com
I'm Happy I Lost My Job
After I got laid off, I found a easy way to make $7k a month online...
http://coreyhasmoney.com/ca
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being
approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
View Comments: Newest
First Expand All
raker See Profile I'm a Fan of raker permalink
I love all Hitchcock's "wrong man" movies, like The Wrong Man, North by Northwest, Saboteur, and
The Man Who Knew Too Much. Love Rear Window, but don't love Vertigo.
justanartist See Profile I'm a Fan of justanartist permalink
Best would be North by Northwest - but close is "To Catch a Thief". Grace Kelly is perfect in it, as shewas in Rear Window - cool, beautiful, perfect timing.
brueso See Profile I'm a Fan of brueso permalink
Never cared for "Vertigo". It's almost easy to take "Psycho" for granted, but it was so cutting edge at thetime (no pun intended). Always loved "Rear Window", "North by Northwest", "Shadow of a Doubt" and"Strangers on a Train". A friend recently turned me onto "Lifeboat" which I enjoyed a great deal.
I wish Criterion would spend more energy getting something like "The Magnificent Ambersons" out on
DVD vs. making better versions of some of the things they've already put out.
tjkreidler See Profile I'm a Fan of tjkreidler permalink
I love all of Hitchcock's movies with the exception of Marnie, which I never quite got.
travy See Profile I'm a Fan of travy permalink
Computers
India
Barack
Obama
Michelle
Obama
Sports
Olympics
Housing
Crisis
Fox News
Cars
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES
»
Books by this author
A cabin of one's own: New
England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Alfred Hitchcock
Bruce WillisCubaDocumentaryDvdsEric ClaptonFilm NoirHairsprayHelveticaKoreachemical used in rocket
fuel were found in
samples of...
HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
Bloggers Index
Read All Posts by
Michael Giltz
Related Tags
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 07:43 PM on 11/22/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 06:01 AM on 11/22/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 11:53 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 11:22 AM on 11/21/2007This Blogger's Books from
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
Comments are closed for this entrynot my fave, but just caught 'notorious' again on tcm and greatly enjoyed it...
3fingerbrown See Profile I'm a Fan of 3fingerbrown permalink
I'm partial to Hitchcock's films of the '40s. Someone already mentioned "Notorious," a superior
entertainment with a standout performance by Claude Raines as one of the most complex "villains"ever. At a time when other directors were turning out unabashed flag-wavers with good guys and badguys clearly defined, Hitchcock's genius for perversity led him to make a film where the good guys(working for the Allies) were not particularly virtuous and the bad guy (working for the Nazis) was, inthe end, a tortured and pitiable figure.Also from this period is "Shadow of a Doubt," a near-perfect thriller with another great villain, played byJoseph Cotten. He's rarely mentioned today in the same breath with other top leading men of the era,but Cotten was an excellent performer who turned up in many great films of the '40s--beginning thedecade with "Citizen Kane" and ending it with "The Third Man." Cotten's time on the A-list was relativelybrief, but the body of work he compiled while he was hot is quite impressive.
unemployedprogressive See Profile I'm a Fan of unemployedprogressive permalink
For me it is a toss up betweem Rear Window & North by Northwest. I admire Psycho and The Birds fortheir unrelenting creepyness, but that just isn't as entertaining as the others.
mtreder See Profile I'm a Fan of mtreder permalink
Of the British period, my favorite is The 39 Steps, with The Lady Vanishes as a close second.Ultimately, though, nothing beats Vertigo as both stunning drama and masterful film-making. But Iagree that it's hard to narrow the list with Hitchcock; I mean, what about Psycho? Or Strangers on aTrain? Or Notorious? Or...? Etc.
LanceJetson See Profile I'm a Fan of LanceJetson permalink
OK I give....when I was a child there was *The Birds*, and of course *Psycho* that scared me to death.But as I grew older and knew more about the composition of film and the director's role I wasintroduced to Hitchcock's earlier works. Films like *Rebecca* and later *Strangers on a Train*introduced me to the tricks of the trade that Hitchcock invented, the viewpoints, the atmospherics, theattention to clue-yielding objects, not to mention his themes of identity and memory: "Who are we,really?" In that vein I'd have to say *Spellbound* remains my favorite and could be used as a "textbook"example of masterly directorial technique.
SamanthaJaneSalem See Profile I'm a Fan of SamanthaJaneSalem permalink
I want to say "Vertigo" is my favorite because it zooms in on an obsession with so much intensity--through color, shape, movement, music-- that it epitomizes Hitchcock's genius.
But heck I love Cary Grant running away from the plane in the cornfield. "North By Northwest" changes
directions so many times, it seems to be a movie about one thing and then it shifts to another thing,
and then again to something else. U.N.-- train-- Mt. Rushmore.
I-- scandalously-- don't care as much for "Psycho" with it's pseudo-psychological writing at the end,
after the characters take turns going back to the motel, as well as the absence of Hitch's usual glamor.
BettyG See Profile I'm a Fan of BettyG permalink
I agree about Rear Window, I watch it every time it's on TV. I'm also not in love with Vertigo -- JamesStewart's obsession gets a bit hard to take. I love "To Catch a Theif" too. It's fun, and I guess I like Grace Kelly best as the heroine.
You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in or
Led Zeppelin
Movies
Musicals
Nirvana
Russia
TV Shows
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 10:53 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 07:45 AM on 11/21/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:36 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:10 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:06 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 04:03 PM on 11/20/2007
Favorite
Flag as abusive Posted 03:56 PM on 11/20/2007
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hitchcock's Best Movie
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hitchcocks-best-mo_b_73546.html [4/5/2009 8:26:48 PM]
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE
ARCHIVE
Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us
Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type