Goth Chick News: The Route to My Little Black Heart
I had to go check to discover the last time I mentioned Mr. Goth Chick here in my weekly posts was back in 2012. It isn’t that I avoid mentioning him. Instead, it has everything to do with the adage that “opposites attract” and somehow, I ended up with someone who has little to no interest in anything scary. For the entirety of spooky season Mr. Goth Chick has always been conveniently busy during any of my typical celebratory events. Though he has indulged my desire to visit cemeteries while on vacation, and has accompanied me on the occasional ghost hunt, he is more than happy to send me off with Black Gate Photog Chris Z, along with his, Mr. GC’s, heartfelt thanks.
Between us, I can tell you Mr. GC absolutely hates a jump scare, leading my mother to speculate that it was nothing short of black magic which brought us together.
But even though he loves hot temperatures and direct sunlight, Mr. GC still understands that “my time of year” must be celebrated – mostly with nights out and presents – and this year he outdid himself.
This week Universal Pictures Home Entertainment sent out a press release announcing Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection, which will collect six of Hitchcock’s classics on 4K Ultra HD + Digital: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. And though this collection isn’t releasing until November 26th, it’s available now for preorder on Amazon, which is precisely what Mr. GC did especially for me.
*Sigh*
According to that press release, here is all the wonderfulness that will be included in the collection, in addition to the films themselves, and I’m admittedly freaking out a little; especially having just returned from my pilgrimage to Universal Studios Hollywood.
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
Masters of Cinema
Production Photographs
Theatrical Trailer
Re-release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart
Feature Commentary with John Fawell, Author of Hitchcock’s Rear Window: the Well Made Film
To Catch a Thief (1955)
Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on To Catch a Thief
Behind the Gates: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (2009)
Commentary by Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Film Historian, and more!
VERTIGO (1958)
Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life of Hitchcock’s Masterpiece
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock’s Collaborators
Foreign Censorship Ending
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Feature Commentary with Film Director William Friedkin
Theatrical Trailer
Restoration Theatrical Trailer
100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
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Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection (Studio Distribution Services, November 26, 2024)
North by Northwest (1959)
North by Northwest: Cinematography, Score, and the Art of the Edit
Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest
The Master’s Touch: Hitchcock’s Signature Style
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
A Guided Tour with Alfred Hitchcock
Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman
Psycho (1960)
Psycho Uncut
The extended version of the movie as seen in theaters in 1960 is exactly as intended by Alfred Hitchcock.
The Making of Psycho
Psycho Sound
In The Master’s Shadow: Hitchcock’s Legacy
Hitchcock/Truffaut
Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho
The Shower Scene: With and Without Music
The Shower Sequence: Storyboards by Saul Bass
The Psycho Archives
Posters and Psycho Ads
Lobby Cards
Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
Production Photographs
Psycho Theatrical Trailers
Psycho Re-release Trailers
Feature Commentary with Stephen Rebello, author of “Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho“
The Birds (1963)
The Birds: Hitchcock’s Monster Movie
All About The Birds
Tippi Hedren’s Screen Test
Deleted Scenes
The Original Ending
Hitchcock/Truffaut
The Birds Is Coming (Universal International Newsreel)
Suspense Story: National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)
Theatrical Trailer
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
100 Years of Universal: The Lot
Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection is limited to 5,150 pieces, well 5,149 now thanks to Mr. GC’s creative holiday gift-giving.
And that, ladies, is what we refer to as “a keeper.”
Yes, Mr. GC does sound like a winner, even with his preference for sunny days and warm climes. He does wear some black lipstick and eyeliner, hopefully.
Speaking of jump scares, one of the all-time best (or cruelest) is in The Birds, with the scene of Tippi Hedren racing up the stairs to look out of the window. Hitch told her to “look out and pretend to see something scary off in the distance”. Without telling her that 2 crew would be standing just out of sight, swinging the bird props that smash into the window, inches from her face. Her scream was very real.
ER: That is a great story from The Birds and another example of the sometimes frightening dynamic between Hedren and Hitch. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check out the movie The Girl based partially on Hedren’s memoir. Still, The Birds is one of my all time favs.
Did not know about the Tippi Hedren movie, “The Girl” (2012, BBC/HBO). I will look for it!
A++? Would keep again? 🙂
While I’ve never watched The Birds, one of our Hitchcock DVDs had a trailer of sorts for it that was hilarious. Rather than clips from the movie, it was Hitchcock talking about it in his deadpan, “oblivious to how horribly he’s talking about treating birds” way. It ends with the birds gathering to attack.
North by Northwest is my second-favorite Hitchcock, after The Trouble with Harry. (You may not consider that one to be in the spirit of the season.) We haven’t watched NbNW in a decade, but we have seen it many, many times. I enjoyed To Catch a Thief, but Vertigo didn’t do much for me. I don’t think I’ve seen Psycho in its entirety. After NbNW, I go to two earlier Hitchcock’s: Number 17 and The 39 Steps.
S-man: This is the perfect time of year to watch Psycho. It’s an excellent example of a horror film that doesn’t rely on gross-out violence and CGI. Hopefully that funny trailer is included in the Universal collection.
HItchcock was a genius.
M: Absolute truth.