Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Blu-Ray Collection Includes Psycho, Rear Window, And More

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Universal has been celebrating its 100-year anniversary with new Blu-ray editions of many of their very best films, including upcoming titles such as Born on the Fourth of July, Jaws, Double Indemnity, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The bar has been raised, however, with the announcement of a 15-film box set entitled Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection. This is looking to be a damn-near-definitive Hitchcock release, with 13 of the 15 films never having had a Blu-ray release before. The line-up includes Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Vertigo, and more, but mark your calendar for the September 25th release date – this set will only be available for a limited time.

The films have all been digitally restored and remastered in 1080p, with DTS-HD Master Audio. In addition to the bonus features on each film (specified below), the set will also include a 50-page collectible book filled with "storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, and much more." The set will list for $299.98, but you can pre-order a copy right now from Amazon for $209.99 (a 30% discount). That's a decent chunk of change, but then again this is a pretty damned impressive set. If you're looking to fill that Hitchcock-shaped hole in your Blu-ray collection, you'll be hard pressed to do better than this collection.

Here's a look at the film line-up and bonus features for the Masterpiece Collection, which span Hitch's career from 1942 through 1976. If you'll excuse me, I need to update my Amazon wish list…

Saboteur (1942)

Saboteur: A Closer Look
Storyboards: The Statue of Liberty Sequence
Alfred Hitchcock’s Sketches
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Beyond Doubt: The Making of Hitchcock’s Favorite Film
Production Drawings by Art Director Robert Boyle
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer

Rope (1948)

Rope Unleashed
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer

Rear Window (1954)

Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary
A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of The Master
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
Hitchcock-Truffaut Interview Excerpts
Masters of Cinema
Feature Commentary with John Fawell, author of Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer
Re-Release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart
Blu-ray exclusives: BD Live, Pocket Blu

The Trouble with Harry (1955)

The Trouble with Harry Isn’t Over
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much
Production Photographs
Trailers

Vertigo (1958)

Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock’s Masterpiece
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock’s Collaborators
Hitchcock / Truffaut Interview Excerpts
Foreign Censorship Ending
The Vertigo Archives
Feature Commentary with Associate Producer Herbert Coleman, Restoration Team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz, and Other Vertigo Participants
Feature Commentary with Director William Friedkin
100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
Theatrical Trailer
Restoration Theatrical Trailer
BD Live, Pocket Blu (Blu-ray Exclusive)

North by Northwest (1959)

Feature Commentary by screenwriter Ernest Lehman
The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style
Cary Grant: A Class Apart
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest
Music-only audio track
Stills gallery
Theatrical trailers and TV spot

Psycho (1960)

The Making of Psycho
Psycho Sound
In The Master’s Shadow: Hitchcock’s Legacy
Hitchcock-Truffaut Interview Excerpts
Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho
The Shower Scene: With and Without Music
The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass
The Psycho Archives
Posters and Psycho Ads
Lobby Cards
Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer
Re-release Trailers
Feature Commentary with Stephen Rebello (author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho)

The Birds (1963)

Deleted Scene
Original Ending
The Birds: Hitchcock’s Monster Movie -- New! (Blu-ray Exclusive)
All About The Birds
Storyboards
Tippi Hedren’s Screen Test
Hitchcock-Truffaut Interview Excerpts
The Birds Is Coming (Universal International Newsreel)
Suspense Story: National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)
Production Photographs
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
100 Years of Universal: The Lot
Theatrical Trailer
BD Live, Pocket Blu (Blu-ray Exclusive)

Marnie (1964)