Topic: Alfred Hitchcock Marathon

[Najemikon]

 

 I hope you enjoy this marathon!

[Dragonfire]

I somehow completely forgot that I had this other Hitchcock set.  I found it at WalMart in the bargin bin for $5.00.  So now I have some more I can watch.  I have newer versions of a few of them, but there are still a bunch of others on here.



This is what is in the set - taken from the back of the case.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: THE CHANNEY VASE - An elderly woman finds herself a prisoner in her own home. Starring Darrin McGavin (1955-1962) B&W 24 Minutes Unrated

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE - A young drifter is befriended by a carnival magician and his beautiful assistant, who don't realize who they've gotten themselves involved with. Starring Brandon De Wilde (1955-1962) B&W 24 Minutes Unrated

BLACKMAIL - A shopkeeper's daughter seeks to keep her involvement in a murder away from her Scotland Yard detective boyfriend. Starring Anny Ondra (1929) B&W 84 Minutes Unrated

CHAMPAGNE (SILENT) - A wealthy Wall Street philanthropist is exasperated with his daughter's behavior so he looks to teach her a lesson. Starring Betty Balfour (1928) B&W 86 Minutes Unrated

EASY VIRTUE (SILENT) - A woman has an affair with an artist painting her portrait and is subsequently caught by her boorish husband, who drove her into the artist's arms due to his lack of attention. Starring Isabel Jeans (1926) B&W 79 Minutes Unrated

THE FARMER'S WIFE (SILENT) - A lonely widowed farmer is looking for a new bride, not realizing the housekeeper helping him with his search is secretly in love with him. Starring Jameson Thomas (1928) B&W 98 Minutes Unrated

JAMAICA INN - A gang of ship wreckers using the local inn as their base of operations must try to keep their activities hidden from a gang member's niece and also a Lloyd's of London investigator who have recently arrived. Starring Charles Laughton (1939) B&W 93 Minutes Unrated

JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK - A mother of a family of Dublin tenement dwellers tries to hold the family together in spite of the chaos surrounding her. Starring Marie O'Neil (1930) B&W 95 Minutes Unrated

THE LADY VANISHES - During a transcontinental train trip in Europe, a young woman is alarmed to discover a passenger has disappeared. Starring Margaret Lockwood (1938) B&W 97 Minutes Unrated

THE LODGER (SILENT) - In Alfred Hitchcock’s first thriller, the city of London is in the grips of fear as a killer known as "The Avenger" murders young blonde women during foggy evenings. Starring Ivor Novello (1926) B&W 80 Minutes Unrated

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH - A vacationing British businessman and his family find themselves in great danger when they witness the murder of a French secret agent. Starring Peter Lorre (1934) B&W 76 Minutes Unrated

THE MANXMAN (SILENT) - A romantic tale of intrigue involving a love triangle concerning three residents of the Isle of Man. Starring Carl Brisson (1926) B&W 83 Minutes Unrated

NUMBER SEVENTEEN - A group of visitors at a vacant house finds they all have some connection to a jewel heist. Starring Leon M. Lion (1932) B&W 63 Minutes Unrated

RICH AND STRANGE - A couple living in a working-class section of town that receives an inheritance and decides to use their windfall to take a cruise. While abroad ship, the couple ends up losing all of their funds. Star: Henry Kendall (1932) B&W 83 Minutes Unrated

THE RING (SILENT) - A fighter boxes in small venues and his marriage is eroding, due to the advances of a champion fighter upon her. Star: Carl Brisson (1927) B&W 89 Minutes Unrated

SABOTAGE - The classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller centers upon the operator of a local cinema who also works with a group of sabotages and hides his secret life from his wife and brother-in-law. Staring Oskar Homolka (1936) B&W 76 Minutes Unrated

SECRET AGENT - Set during World War I, a British author is recruited to assassinate a German spy operating our of Switzerland. Starring John Gielgud (1936) B&W 86 Minutes Unrated

THE SKIN GAME - A land use dispute comes to the English countryside and pits a land speculator and his family against the tradition-bound local landowner and his family. Starring C.V. France (1931) B&W 77 Minutes Unrated

THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS - The classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller tells the story of a Canadian gentleman visiting London, who gets mixed up with some foreign espionage. Starring Robert Donat (1935) B&W 83 Minutes Unrated

YOUNG AND INNOCENT - A writer accused of murdering his girlfriend escapes police custody with a young woman in tow and the two fugitives attempt to find the real killer to prove the man's innocence. Starring Derrick DeMarney (1937) B&W 80 Minutes Unrated

[Tom]

I somehow completely forgot that I had this other Hitchcock set.  I found it at WalMart in the bargin bin for $5.00.  So now I have some more I can watch.  I have newer versions of a few of them, but there are still a bunch of others on here.

I have updated the list. I hope you don't mind, but I left off the "ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS..." episodes.

[Najemikon]

I've just watched the documentary that Paul Merton did on Hitchcock's early British career. It was excellent and very insightful, but has given me cause to issue a warning to those of you diving into this period. There's a period of rubbish! 

I'm not too familiar with a lot of these. Of course Hitch started in silent films, before creating the first British talkie in Blackmail. Through these you'll see him developing all sorts of visual flair that would come to characterise his films. But after Blackmail, he seemed to "go backwards", as Merton put it. There are still moments of note, especially fantastic model work at the end of Number 17 for a train chase. However, it's The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934 that can be marked as the first recognisably Hitchcock film.

Essentially then, it's anything between 1930 and 1934. Looking at the set Dragonfire posted, I think you should be aware that these might be a bit of a chore:

JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK - A mother of a family of Dublin tenement dwellers tries to hold the family together in spite of the chaos surrounding her. Starring Marie O'Neil (1930) B&W 95 Minutes Unrated

NUMBER SEVENTEEN - A group of visitors at a vacant house finds they all have some connection to a jewel heist. Starring Leon M. Lion (1932) B&W 63 Minutes Unrated

RICH AND STRANGE - A couple living in a working-class section of town that receives an inheritance and decides to use their windfall to take a cruise. While abroad ship, the couple ends up losing all of their funds. Star: Henry Kendall (1932) B&W 83 Minutes Unrated

THE SKIN GAME - A land use dispute comes to the English countryside and pits a land speculator and his family against the tradition-bound local landowner and his family. Starring C.V. France (1931) B&W 77 Minutes Unrated

Hopefully you'll find them wonderful and this post is a waste of time! Number 17 is at least notable for being Hitch's only whodunnit (I think it was that one Merton said); in most of his films involving crime, he makes the viewer complicit.

[Dragonfire]

I have updated the list. I hope you don't mind, but I left off the "ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS..." episodes.

I don't mind at all.  I just included those to show everything that is on the set.

[Dragonfire]

I've just watched the documentary that Paul Merton did on Hitchcock's early British career. It was excellent and very insightful, but has given me cause to issue a warning to those of you diving into this period. There's a period of rubbish! 

I'm not too familiar with a lot of these. Of course Hitch started in silent films, before creating the first British talkie in Blackmail. Through these you'll see him developing all sorts of visual flair that would come to characterise his films. But after Blackmail, he seemed to "go backwards", as Merton put it. There are still moments of note, especially fantastic model work at the end of Number 17 for a train chase. However, it's The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934 that can be marked as the first recognisably Hitchcock film.

Essentially then, it's anything between 1930 and 1934. Looking at the set Dragonfire posted, I think you should be aware that these might be a bit of a chore:

JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK - A mother of a family of Dublin tenement dwellers tries to hold the family together in spite of the chaos surrounding her. Starring Marie O'Neil (1930) B&W 95 Minutes Unrated

NUMBER SEVENTEEN - A group of visitors at a vacant house finds they all have some connection to a jewel heist. Starring Leon M. Lion (1932) B&W 63 Minutes Unrated

RICH AND STRANGE - A couple living in a working-class section of town that receives an inheritance and decides to use their windfall to take a cruise. While abroad ship, the couple ends up losing all of their funds. Star: Henry Kendall (1932) B&W 83 Minutes Unrated

THE SKIN GAME - A land use dispute comes to the English countryside and pits a land speculator and his family against the tradition-bound local landowner and his family. Starring C.V. France (1931) B&W 77 Minutes Unrated

Hopefully you'll find them wonderful and this post is a waste of time! Number 17 is at least notable for being Hitch's only whodunnit (I think it was that one Merton said); in most of his films involving crime, he makes the viewer complicit.

I've never heard of most of the ones in this set, but I knew at least a few of them were supposed to be good, so I figured it was worth the $5. 

[Tom]

As I have bundled my latest Hitchcock order with a preorder Blu-ray to save the shipping cost, it will arrive later than usual (end of March). Except if Amazon decides to ship it seperately anyway.
Therefore I would be able to start my marathon beginning of April with "The 39 Steps". So it is up to you guys who are watching the 12 movies before that, when to start and how to set the pace for the first bunch.

[Najemikon]

I've never heard of most of the ones in this set, but I knew at least a few of them were supposed to be good, so I figured it was worth the $5. 

Definitely. Even a bad Hitchcock is better than most and always worth seeing.

As I have bundled my latest Hitchcock order with a preorder Blu-ray to save the shipping cost, it will arrive later than usual (end of March). Except if Amazon decides to ship it seperately anyway.
Therefore I would be able to start my marathon beginning of April with "The 39 Steps". So it is up to you guys who are watching the 12 movies before that, when to start and how to set the pace for the first bunch.

That's fine with me. Looks like Dragonfire sets the pace so far!

[Dragonfire]

I've never heard of most of the ones in this set, but I knew at least a few of them were supposed to be good, so I figured it was worth the $5. 

Definitely. Even a bad Hitchcock is better than most and always worth seeing.

As I have bundled my latest Hitchcock order with a preorder Blu-ray to save the shipping cost, it will arrive later than usual (end of March). Except if Amazon decides to ship it seperately anyway.
Therefore I would be able to start my marathon beginning of April with "The 39 Steps". So it is up to you guys who are watching the 12 movies before that, when to start and how to set the pace for the first bunch.

That's fine with me. Looks like Dragonfire sets the pace so far!

I do?  Well..I'll have to go look at the list again and figure out when to get started. I may go ahead and start soon then.

[Achim]

I made it through February without any purchases

So, I guess it's time to compensate and order the Hitchcock sets plus some Blu-rays... If things go to plan (meaning the items are In Stock) I should be ready by early April as well.

[Dragonfire]

So should I start on some of the early ones soon or wait a bit?  Either is fine.

[Najemikon]

I think mark was the only other one who had some really early stuff, but essentially, whatever's easiest! Looks like most are aiming for early April, me slightly sooner because I have The Man Who Knew Too Much.

[MEJHarrison]

I think mark was the only other one who had some really early stuff...

And I'm not sure I'll have time for this.

[Tom]

Doesn't anybody want to begin?
Does anyone mind, that we start the general marathon in the first week of April beginning with "The 39 Steps (1935)"?

[Dragonfire]

I just wasn't sure when everyone else wanted to start. 
That should work ok for me.  I'll try to get through some of the older ones I have before then.