Strangers on a Train: $12.99 at Costco.

In my opinion, there are only three, 4-star movies in the Hitchcock
Signature Collection, in no particular order:

Strangers on a Train

North by Northwest

Foreign Correspondent

With a growing number of once-watched and never-watched DVDs, I have
become more discriminating in what I purchase and what I rent. The best
deal that I found on the Signature Collection was $69.94 from Amazon,
with free shipping and no sales tax (in California, anyway.)

All the same, _Strangers on a Train_ has a list price of $26.99, so
Costco's $12.99 price is 52% off. Costco also has _Foreign
Correspondent_ for $12.99, but this is only 35%-off of its $19.97 list
price. I already had _North by Northwest_, so I was able to single out
only 2 of the 9 disks in the Signature Collection for purchase.

Then I added the following titles to my Netflix queue:

Suspicion

I Confess

Stage Fright

By the way, _Strangers on a Train_ looks and sounds great. Even if you
already have the original release, the new double-disk special edition
will be a very worthwhile upgrade. _Foreign Correspondent_ has also been
made to look and sound better than ever before. And, of course, the
video part of _North by Northwest_ is of near-reference quality.

So, is there anyone else who is content to purchase only a couple of the
new Hitchcock titles?

One-Shot Scot

I picked up Foreign and Strangers yesterday at Costco. Great price.

Thursdaynighters

"Thursdaynighters" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I picked up Foreign and Strangers yesterday at Costco. Great price.


Yeah, but where were the rest of the titles? Local Costcos had only 5 of
the titles. Local Best Buys will be selling the individual titles (with
the exception of _North by Northwest_) online only.

Another local retailer initially broke open three box sets, shrink
wrapped the individual titles and priced them at 10% under their
individual list prices. Apparently, the 9-title box set is available to
dealers for around $60, so the cost of the individual titles would be
$6.67 each. With the list price of 8 of the titles at $20 and the
double-disk _Strangers on a Train_ at $27, the whole set could be parted
out with a combined list price of $187. Then, the dealer will re-order
only the most popular titles individually. I suggested that he re-order
_Strangers on a Train_ immediately, because that title is the highlight
of the set.

One-Shot Scot

"One-Shot Scot" <> wrote:

> In my opinion, there are only three, 4-star movies in
> the Hitchcock Signature Collection, in no particular order:
>
> Strangers on a Train
>
> North by Northwest
>
> Foreign Correspondent

Different strokes. I wouldn't call FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT a
"4-star" movie. I'd put DIAL M FOR MURDER, THE WRONG MAN,
and MR & MRS SMITH over it.

> With a growing number of once-watched and never-watched DVDs,
> I have become more discriminating in what I purchase and what
> I rent. The best deal that I found on the Signature Collection
> was $69.94 from Amazon, with free shipping and no sales tax
> (in California, anyway.)
>
> All the same, _Strangers on a Train_ has a list price of
> $26.99, so Costco's $12.99 price is 52% off. Costco also
> has _Foreign Correspondent_ for $12.99, but this is only
> 35%-off of its $19.97 list price. I already had _North by
> Northwest_, so I was able to single out only 2 of the 9
> disks in the Signature Collection for purchase.

I wanted all of the films in the set. I already had NORTHWEST
and the earlier release of TRAIN, but the deal for the boxed
set was too good to pass up. I picked one up at Best Buy for
$80, which -- leaving aside the duplicate of NORTHWEST --
came to $10 a piece.

> _Foreign Correspondent_ has also been made to look and
> sound better than ever before.

Perhaps "better than ever before", but it's no great shakes.
The worst of the lot (in terms of the condition of the source)
is STAGE FRIGHT.

-- jayembee

jayembee

"One-Shot Scot" <> wrote:

>> I picked up Foreign and Strangers yesterday at Costco.
>> Great price.
>
> Yeah, but where were the rest of the titles? Local Costcos
> had only 5 of the titles.

One of my local Costcos had all nine. However, NORTH BY
NORTHWEST and DIAL M FOR MURDER were apparently only
available together as a 2-pack.

-- jayembee

jayembee

<<So, is there anyone else who is content to purchase only a couple of the
new Hitchcock titles?>>

Content to buy only Dial M for Murder and keep my 1 disk Strangers.

BubbCoop

"BubbCoop" <> wrote in message
news:...
> <<So, is there anyone else who is content to purchase only a couple of
>the new Hitchcock titles?>>
>
> Content to buy only Dial M for Murder and keep my 1 disk Strangers.


I have simultaneously compared the old and new preview versions of
_Strangers on a Train_ and the new one is VASTLY superior to the old
one. I think the old version came from a LaserDisc master.

The new version has excellent black level, superb detail and an improved
soundtrack -- the music is no longer loud and screechy. In the opening
train sequence, the old version makes everything, including Robert
Wagner's pinstripe suit look blurred, fuzzy and indistinct. In the new
version, the black level and detail are nearly perfect. This picture
improvement continues for the rest of the movie.

If you really like this movie, the new version will be a necessity.

One-Shot Scot

"jayembee" <> wrote in message
"One-Shot Scot" <> wrote:

>> I picked up Foreign and Strangers yesterday at Costco.
>> Great price.
>
> Yeah, but where were the rest of the titles? Local Costcos
> had only 5 of the titles.

<<One of my local Costcos had all nine. However, NORTH BY NORTHWEST and
DIAL M FOR MURDER were apparently only available together as a
2-pack. -- jayembee>>


I don't know how this disparity in distribution could have happened. The
two local Costcos that I went to had only 5 of the titles. Maybe they
are packed in boxes which say only "Warner DVD" and some stores get both
and some stores get only one variety. Or maybe, the stores display them
one box at a time and when one set of titles is sold out, the next box
with the other titles is put on display.

In any event, yesterday, all of the _Strangers on a Train_ disks were
gone from the box that contained _Suspicion_, _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_,
_Foreign Correspondent_ etc.

One-Shot Scot

"jayembee" <> wrote in message
news: m...
"One-Shot Scot" <> wrote:

> In my opinion, there are only three, 4-star movies in
> the Hitchcock Signature Collection, in no particular order:
>
> Strangers on a Train
>
> North by Northwest
>
> Foreign Correspondent

<<Different strokes. I wouldn't call FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT a "4-star"
movie. I'd put DIAL M FOR MURDER, THE WRONG MAN, and MR & MRS SMITH over
it.>>


I have since bought _Dial M for Murder_, although its staginess does not
lend itself to the repeat viewing that I have given to _Strangers on a
Train_. But with Grace Kelly in the flick, it is hard to resist.


<<I wanted all of the films in the set. I already had NORTHWEST and the
earlier release of TRAIN, but the deal for the boxed set was too good to
pass up. I picked one up at Best Buy for $80, which -- leaving aside the
duplicate of NORTHWEST -- came to $10 a piece.>>

> _Foreign Correspondent_ has also been made to look and
> sound better than ever before.

<<Perhaps "better than ever before", but it's no great shakes. The worst
of the lot (in terms of the condition of the source) is STAGE FRIGHT. --
jayembee>>


I have not seen _Stage Fright_, because Netflix has it on "Very Long
Wait." However, don't you think that the image on _Dial M for Murder_ is
a little bit fuzzy and blurred? I found the outlining around people and
objects to be a little bit distracting at times. Could this be caused
because the movie was done originally in 3-D? It seems to me that either
the left or right half of the film could have been used for the
transfer. Was this movie originally done in the 3-strip Technicolor
process? Maybe that's the problem.

One-Shot Scot

<<If you really like this movie, the new version will be a necessity.>>

No, I'm done buying the same movie multiple times. I'm sick of the damn studios
milking more and more money from the same movies. I've purchased 2001: A Space
Odyssey twice and there's a third version coming out soon. Then the Amadeus
Director's Cut. Casablanca Special Edition. Bourne Identity Explosive Edition
which they couldn't trick me into buying. I had to replace my old Fear and
Loathing w/ the Criterion version. I replaced my 1 disc Great Escape with the 2
disc. Got rid of my Lawrence of Arabia to get the Superbit and there's nothing
but the movie. Had to get rid of The Professional to get Leon, the the audio
was messed up and I had to get the corrected one. Luckily I didn't buy the
first Momento DVD and got the 2 disc. I had to get rid of Rebecca and Notorious
to get the Criterions. Replaced Rain Man w/ Rain Man 2-disc. Now there's a new
Saving Private Ryan, and a new Shawshank Redemption which I won't buy. There
have been 3 version of Terminator 2. I stopped after the second. I know of 3
versions of Time Bandits. At least 3 versions of Usual Suspects, and I have the
newest. And I'm still waiting for watchable versions of Batman and Blade runner
to come out.

BubbCoop