Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 13, 2025

1934 seems to be some kind of invisible dividing line between Alfred Hitchcock's more recognized output and some of his arguably lesser remembered earlier films. The first version of The Man Who Knew Too Much was released that year, and was followed in relatively short order by at least a couple of Hitch's best remembered British productions like The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, but aside from those titles and maybe one or two others (i.e., The Lodger), even diehard film fans may be relatively unacquainted with other early (or at least earlier) films of one of the most celebrated directors in the annals of cinema. Studio Canal is helping to rectify that lack of renown with an appealing collection that aggregates ten early Hitchcock films, including one that has often been cited (rightly or wrongly) as the first British feature length sound production.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

The Ring Blu-ray review

The Farmer's Wife Blu-ray review

Champagne Blu-ray review

The Manxman Blu-ray review

Blackmail Blu-ray review

Juno and the Paycock Blu-ray review

Murder! Blu-ray review

The Skin Game Blu-ray review

Rich and Strange Blu-ray review

Number Seventeen Blu-ray review

Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. Additionally the set comes with a Bonus Blu-ray offering:

• Becoming Hitchcock (HD; 1:11:41) is a really engaging look at Hitch's early career and how he slowly but surely molded his image and eventually filmography to create the reputation most of us are familiar with.

While Studio Canal sent check discs for purposes of these reviews, online pictures of packaging (including here at this site) indicate this also has an insert booklet, with everything stored in a slipbox.

Hitchcock: The Beginning Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a fantastic if unavoidably "uncharacteristic" array of Hitchcock films, at least for those who tend to associate Hitch with his later oeuvre. There are a number of rather interesting and in some ways groundbreaking productions offered here, along with a couple of frankly odder outings which some may understandably feel are misfires. On the whole, technical merits are solid, especially in the restorations overseen by Silver Salt, and the supplements are very appealing. Recommended.