I'm getting more and more interested in getting the Hitchcock set. The only Hitchcock films I've seen is Psycho, Rebecca, Notorious and Dial M for Murder. I don't know if I wanna blow 225 on blind buys thou, I'm sure they'll be the safest blind buy ill ever get. I might just wait to see how the transfers look before I decide if ill get it. I am glad I held off on getting North by Northwest thou, that way I won't have to double dip. It's a pretty great deal thou, 15 films. That comes out to about 14 a film.

It would be nice if Criterion would release Tokyo Story on blu soon!

I dunno about that. I can take or leave most of his later stuff. I certainly wouldn't mind giving Marnie or Torn Curtain another look but they're far from autobuys. I feel somewhat the same way about his pre-Rebecca days too.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great set and I'm sure I'll jump on it when the price is right. But don't be surprised if there are more than a few films in there that you could have lived without buying.

Don't give it another thought;)

I'm very close to just giving up and grabbing the UK releases of both this and Rififi.

I think it's a fine choice, though my favorite Ozu is Late Spring. On the whole I largely prefer the critics' list though.

Hey, here's a random question that's not Hitchcock or even Blu-Ray related. How did Criterion get the rights to release Hoop Dreams if Warner Bros. owns it?

i want to blind buy on some those films included by getting the set but its too expensive for me, aside from the fact that the shipment would cost me a lot

Get the UK set. It is considerably less expensive.

Thanks for the reply, I found Lady Vanishes to be more than acceptable so sounds like it won't be a problem. I didn't have the criterion dvd but I bought the ITV copy, awful, as you say I'm sure it will be miles better than that!

I belatedly found out that the Criterion Blu-ray of The Third man was much better than the Studio canal release. Do you think I should still get the Criterion release?

The DVD beaver comparison does not show much difference.

Warner Bros don't own it

With the release earlier this week of "those top 50 lists", Ozu seem to be suddenly very popular. Seen post here and there asking if "they" should see Tokyo Story. I never really care much about these list because at then end of it all, it's nothing more than a bunch of people's opinions. Sure it's professionals but it's still opinions, no more valid then my own. The one good thing I do see from these list is that it might make a few curious enough to get out of their comfort zone and see different style of movies.

I do not think it's worth paying what the Criterion version is now going for. I have small regret myself because I did not get it before going OOP but Studio Canal version is really not so bad from my point a view. Most of the hardcore "bad reviews" come from too much fanaticism for Criterion

Agree. The perceived PQ difference between the Criterion and Studio Canal versions is grossly overstated. I wonder how many of the Criterion fanatics would accurately identify the CC and SC versions in a blind viewing test.

I'm thrilled that Ozu is finally getting some recognition by the film community. For all intents and purposes, he is the father of Japanese cinema and influenced the directors in Japan that came after him.

That is a decent price...but I've got the UK version on preorder (and owning the digi of NXNW made that decision even easier). For those purchasing this set, which version at you opting for and what is your reason (price is a valid reason)? ;)

The BFI version of Tokyo Story is worth the purchase...I think Criterion will eventually release it, but it might be quite a while. I will likely double dip on it, as the supplements will be worth it, including a great commentary by Donald Ritchie. I plan to support BFI as much as I can on the Ozu films.

I prefer Late Spring as well..but I can see why they pushed Tokyo Story. A real tear jerker that was heavily influenced by Leo McCarey's "Make Way For Tomorrow". Ozu was really influenced by American directors, especially the likes of McCarey and John Ford.

I would take Make Way for Tomorrow over Tokyo Story *hides*

It seems both Ozu and Hitchcock have both become very popular recently. Hitchcock wasn't/isn't as big a surprise as Ozu, though. Very happy to see him get his due with the masses. I hope this will push CC, BFI, and MoC to get ALL the films that they have the rights to released. BFI has his gangster films coming out in December/next year (depending on who you believe...as Amazon UK claims it will be next April).