I finished the last disk of the Mill Creek Alfred Hitchcock Legend Series.
The sound on a couple of movies from that disk was garbled. The movies were watchable but the fuzzy sound detracted somewhat from my ability to follow the plot. "The Number Seventeen" from that disk was confusing to me. The plot seemed needlessly convoluted and complicated.
For example, it starts with a group of people meeting in a vacant house at the pitch of midnight so they could get on a ship many miles away. Now WHY didn't they simply meet at the dock??? Many other "whys" for me in this movie. OK, OK, I'll eat my popcorn...
On the whole I enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock's Legend series and highly recommend it. Not bad at all for $.5.00. The disk ends with the theater promotions for Alfred Hitchcock's movies. A treasure trove of entertainment.
Thanks Alfred.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
More from Alfred Hitchcock Legend Series DVD
I am still enjoying this series and have now watched all but the last disk.
Disk two: Rich and Strange, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Secret Agent, Champagne and Blackmail. Disk three: Easy Virtue, Jamaica Inn, The Lodger, The Ring, Young and Innocent
All these movies are watchable though a few had some "noise"; flecks and scratches which I guess could not be avoided.
About half these movies are silent. It takes longer to convey an idea with no sound I notice and I found my mind wander off now and then. Sometimes the music and exaggerated facial expressions such as eye popping and eyebrow raising seem contrary to the actual mood. Interesting, for the movies are actually filled with intrigue, betrayal and real suspense.
I especially enjoyed Jamaica Inn with Maureen O'Hara. It is a thriller that deals with a criminal element whose modern counterpart can easily be imagined. How did the cops survive before cell phones and radios! They were pretty much on their own and so very vulnerable with no way to call for back-up!
On the last disk: Juno and the Paycock, Sabotage, The Skin Game, Number Seventeen, The Man Who Knew Too Much
Disk two: Rich and Strange, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Secret Agent, Champagne and Blackmail. Disk three: Easy Virtue, Jamaica Inn, The Lodger, The Ring, Young and Innocent
All these movies are watchable though a few had some "noise"; flecks and scratches which I guess could not be avoided.
About half these movies are silent. It takes longer to convey an idea with no sound I notice and I found my mind wander off now and then. Sometimes the music and exaggerated facial expressions such as eye popping and eyebrow raising seem contrary to the actual mood. Interesting, for the movies are actually filled with intrigue, betrayal and real suspense.
I especially enjoyed Jamaica Inn with Maureen O'Hara. It is a thriller that deals with a criminal element whose modern counterpart can easily be imagined. How did the cops survive before cell phones and radios! They were pretty much on their own and so very vulnerable with no way to call for back-up!
On the last disk: Juno and the Paycock, Sabotage, The Skin Game, Number Seventeen, The Man Who Knew Too Much
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
DVD: Alfred Hitchcock Legends Series
Every once in a while I add to Mike's DVD collection. Last week I found "Alfred Hitchcock The Legend Begins" from the Mill Creek Legend series. It was in the $5.00 bin at WalMart. This set has 20 movies for five bucks! There are four disks with five movies each. They average 1hr. 45min in length.
The first movie: "The Lady Vanishes" was enjoyable and watchable. It was about an hour and forty five minutes.
The next two movies on disk one: "The Farmer's Wife" and "The Manxman" were silent movies and sadly, unwatchable. They are broken up in many spots with pixels and cause the player to freeze. With a lot of fussing I was able to get the gist of "The Farmer's Wife". When I saw "The Manxman" would be more of the same I gave it up.
The "Chaney Vase" and "the Sorcerer's Apprentice" are both from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" show. I was a die hard fan of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which aired between 1955-1962. Those are only 24 minutes each. Did the advertising only go on for 6 minutes?! I dont remember.
That is all from disk one.
I do hope the rest will be watchable too as I hate getting what I pay for when I did not pay much.
The first movie: "The Lady Vanishes" was enjoyable and watchable. It was about an hour and forty five minutes.
The next two movies on disk one: "The Farmer's Wife" and "The Manxman" were silent movies and sadly, unwatchable. They are broken up in many spots with pixels and cause the player to freeze. With a lot of fussing I was able to get the gist of "The Farmer's Wife". When I saw "The Manxman" would be more of the same I gave it up.
The "Chaney Vase" and "the Sorcerer's Apprentice" are both from the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" show. I was a die hard fan of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" which aired between 1955-1962. Those are only 24 minutes each. Did the advertising only go on for 6 minutes?! I dont remember.
That is all from disk one.
I do hope the rest will be watchable too as I hate getting what I pay for when I did not pay much.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
One Million Years B.C.
This is a story set in Earth’s fantastical pre-pre history when man and dinosaur walked the Earth together.
Raquel Welch wears the iconic fur bikini to play Loana, of the Shell People. The Shell People appear to be adept at surviving in an extremely hostile environment. Thanks to
Ray Harryhausen super sized amphibians and dinosaurs roam the land. Loana’s Shell People care for those who are weak or injured. They are guided by a wise, elderly man. They have learned how to fish; make tools including stone spear points and bone needles. They also appear to bathe regularly.
Somewhere near them live the Rock People; the people of Tumak. The Rock People leave their wounded behind. They hunt with sharpened sticks; apparently their only tools. and they don’t seem to bathe, or at least not often.
They are dominated by their strongest hunter of the moment. Another hunter can challenge him for rank. Tumak tried but was bested and expelled from the tribe for his troubles. He wanders far and escapes many dangers. His wandering ends when he collapses in the Shell People’s territory. Loana takes a shine to him and convinces her people to take him in and nurse him back to health.
But cultures clashed back in pre-pre-history just as they do today. Tumak is expelled from this tribe too!! But he does not leave alone this time. Love sick Loana trails him struggling to keep up but determined to follow. Tumak seems oblivious to her. Bad boy ways win the fair maiden in pre-pre-history as they so often do today.
Raquel Welch wears the iconic fur bikini to play Loana, of the Shell People. The Shell People appear to be adept at surviving in an extremely hostile environment. Thanks to
Ray Harryhausen super sized amphibians and dinosaurs roam the land. Loana’s Shell People care for those who are weak or injured. They are guided by a wise, elderly man. They have learned how to fish; make tools including stone spear points and bone needles. They also appear to bathe regularly.
Somewhere near them live the Rock People; the people of Tumak. The Rock People leave their wounded behind. They hunt with sharpened sticks; apparently their only tools. and they don’t seem to bathe, or at least not often.
They are dominated by their strongest hunter of the moment. Another hunter can challenge him for rank. Tumak tried but was bested and expelled from the tribe for his troubles. He wanders far and escapes many dangers. His wandering ends when he collapses in the Shell People’s territory. Loana takes a shine to him and convinces her people to take him in and nurse him back to health.
But cultures clashed back in pre-pre-history just as they do today. Tumak is expelled from this tribe too!! But he does not leave alone this time. Love sick Loana trails him struggling to keep up but determined to follow. Tumak seems oblivious to her. Bad boy ways win the fair maiden in pre-pre-history as they so often do today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
