HITCHCOCK: THE EARLY YEARS released by Optimum releasing is out on a 9 disc Special Edition DVD on February 26th.

This special boxset brings together some of Hitchcock's early gems for the first time. The Ring, Champagne, The Farmer's Wife & The Manxman have been fully re-mastered and feature Brand New and Exclusive Soundtracks. Other key extras include an alternative ending to Murder!, scenes from the original, silent version of Blackmail, and a documentary on Hitchcock's early work, featuring Claude Chabrol and Bernard Eisenschitz.

Born in London in 1899 and Jesuit educated, Alfred Hitchcock‚s first job was with an electrical company where art school training enabled him to draw technical advertisements.  He subsequently designed title cards for silent films when he joined the fledgling industry in the early twenties.
 
Hitchcock rapidly acquired a thorough grounding in all aspects of early film making, including writing, design and direction.  From the age of sixteen he had taken a serious interest in cinema and found himself most influenced, both technically and visually by the early masters of silent film; Griffiths, Murnau and Fritz Lang.
 
Alfred Hitchcock directed his first feature film, The Pleasure Garden in Germany in 1925 and received immediate critical acclaim.  By the age of twenty-seven with several successes behind him he was regarded as one of the mot promising young film directors in all Europe, with a reputation for being a patient, polished, highly intelligent director who showed more subtlety and imagination in his work than most of his contemporaries.

Special features:
Re-mastered with new soundtracks for The Ring, Champagne, The Farmer‚s Wife and The Manxman
Alternative ending to Murder!
Introductions to all films by Director / Film Historian Noel Simsolo
Blackmail: Takes with Anny Ondra (Hitchcock's first Blonde)
52-minute documentary: Hitchcock's Early Works with Claude Chabrol and Bernard Eisenschitz
Scenes from the original silent version of Blackmail
Picture galleries for all films

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THE RING (1927)
Hitchcock's first film at British International Pictures is one of the finest of his silent films. Written & directed by Alfred Hitchcock (and adapted by his wife Alma Reville, uncredited), this silent boxing drama is a love triangle set in the world of boxing. The title refers not just to the boxing ring, but to the wedding ring which unites up-and-coming contender Jack 'one round' Sander and his girlfriend Mabel. It also features some fine performances from Danish lead Carl Brisson and Lillian Hall-Davis. (HT)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 111 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: 2.0 Stereo
English Language

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CHAMPAGNE (1928)
The rebellious and spoiled daughter of a millionaire decides to marry a penniless man against her father's will. This movie is a departure from the usual who-dun-its from the Master. Hitchcock himself is quoted as hating it "…probably the lowest ebb in my output...There is no story!". There are some funny moments such as when a drunk staggers from side to side on a ship; when the ship starts to roll, though, the drunk walks straight and everybody else staggers. Hitchcock fills the screen with a lot of details in this one. Minor fare maybe, but the use of subjective camera and expressionist fantasy are fascinating. The special effects are quite incredible as well. (HT)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 86 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: 2.0 Stereo
English Language

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THE FARMER'S WIFE (1928)
This is a gem of a film. Written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock (based on a play by Eden Philpotts), this silent comedy begins with the death of the farmer's wife, following his pursuit of several eligible ladies in the community. The quality of Hitchcock's directing is impressive. We already see the master at work, pulling away from intertitles to concentrate on visual storytelling. In fact, Hitchcock's directing looks and feels modern. The acting is surprisingly strong, subtle, emotive and very funny. The quality of the print is striking. The Farmer's Wife looks like it's been shot just yesterday. The print is very clean. The stock in excellent condition. The piano score compelling. The Farmer's Wife is a must see for any Hitchcock fan. (HT)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 129 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: 2.0 Stereo
English Language

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THE MANXMAN (1928)
Hitchcock's silent melodrama of a lowly fisherman Pete leaving his village to make his fortune in hopes of marrying Kate, is rumoured to have been killed. Meanwhile Kate falls in love with Pete's best friend Philip and to are planning to wed. When Pete returns unharmed, Philip tells Kate that she must keep her promise to Pete for his sake. The Manxman departs from Hitchcock' usual touches from his early talkies suck as Murder, Blackmail and the silent The Lodger. Again, Hitchock limits the use of intertitles to concentrate on visual storytelling. Carl Brisson and Anny Ondra give solid performances. However, beware of some incomplete plotlines, and one rather important element left unsaid in the story's ending. But The Manxman is still required viewing, if a little atypical of his later films. (HT)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 90 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: 2.0 Stereo
English Language

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BLACKMAIL (1929)
Released in 1929, Blackmail was hailed as 'the first British all-talkie film', and as such is a landmark in British cinema. In fact, the film began production as a silent movie, yet Hitchcock, showing remarkable foresight, sensed that he would soon be asked to remake it with sound, and so meticulously planned the initial shoot so that much of the original version could be recycled for the 'talkie' version. It is also notable for many elements that would come to be known as 'Hitchcockian': a blonde heroine in jeopardy, an unexpected killing, some brilliantly manipulated suspense sequences, and a last-reel chase around a familiar public landmark (in this case the British Museum). There's also a cameo appearance by the Director himself, as a harassed traveller on the London Underground.  One of the films most celebrated sequences shows how Hitchcock was immediately able to make flamboyant and imaginative use of sound and dialogue. As Alice, who has accidentally stabbed a man to death, sits down to breakfast with her shopkeeper father, a customer gossips idly about the murder round the corner. We hear through Alice's ears: all other words are drowned out by her guilt as that incriminating word 'knife', is repeated over and over. Quite apart from the technical innovations, Blackmail contains a startingly amoral ending, in which the guilty are left unpunished and an innocent man is blamed for murder. The burden of guilt is the only punishment for Alice and her policeman lover. (GA)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery / Takes with Anny Ondra (Hitchcock‚s first ŒBlonde‚) / Scenes from the original silent version of Blackmail

Running time: 84 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: Mono
English Language

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MURDER! (1930)
After the success of The Lodger and Blackmail, Hitchcock returned to the genre that would define his career – the thriller - for this 1930 early talkie. However, unlike many of Hitchcock's thrillers in which we know from the start who the guilty party is, Murder! is notable for the fact it is a 'whodunnit'.  Diana is an actress, wrongly convicted of a woman's murder on circumstantial evidence. However Sir John Menier, a jury member, is convinced of her innocence and sets out to prove it by finding the killer. What could have been a routine picture is enlivened by Hitchcock's direction of actors. Herbert Marshall, a genuine World War One hero, who had an artificial limb after losing a leg in active service, memorably plays Sir John. Hitchcock's customary invention is apparent in the scene where Sir John shaves and the audience are privy to his interior monologue. For this sequence, Hitchcock actually had an orchestra playing behind the set, while a recording of Sir John's monologue also played, giving Marshall's performance added verisimilitude in this difficult scene. Familiar Hitchcock tropes such as desire, crime and sexual transgression are also evident, in admittedly embryonic forms. Another contemporary success, Murder proves fascinating as a further example of Hitchcock's bourgeoning early career. (GA)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Alternative ending / 52-minute documentary: Hitchcock‚s Early Works with Claude Chabrol and Bernard Eisenschitz / Picture gallery
 
Running time: 104 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: Mono
English Language

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THE SKIN GAME (1931)
Adapted by Hitchcock, from the stage play by John Galsworthy, with a scenario by Alma Reville, The Skin Game is a rural melodrama of class conflict and a grudge match between two feuding families. The film has often been dismissed as too theatrical. By this stage in his career, Hitchcock was becoming frustrated, typecast as a stageplay director. He was criticized on relying on dialogue and lacking his usual visual flair. However, The Skin Game has also been praised for its convincing portrayal of industrial encroachment on the rural gentry. Though the stock is a little worn, it has been cleaned up and the audio polished. The Skin Game is an interesting departure from his previous work, delving into more serious and gritty themes that distinguished him later in Hollywood.  (HT)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 77 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: Mono
English Language

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RICH AND STRANGE (1932)
After a string of successes in the thriller genre, Hitchcock treated himself to a departure for this unusually light and knockabout offering. Fred and Emily Hill are a young married couple in London, yearning to escape the mundane routine and experience adventure and travel. After unexpectedly inheriting a huge sum of money, it seems there dreams have come true and they immediately embark on a cruise around the world, eventually reaching the exotic South China Seas. However, on board the ship, their new found fortune causes them to drift apart and, against the ever changing tropical backdrop, each foolishly gets mixed up with other people. Fred loses most of his money to a fake princess and all seems lost when the shipwreck threatens the hedonistic couple with a watery grave. In fact, this is what brings the couple back together, and they return to their old life in London.  Part travelogue, part screwball comedy, Rich And Strange uses title cards between scenes, harking back to the days of the silent era. The film has some interesting moments, but spends far too much time in it's inflated middle section following the feckless couple's respective romantic dalliances. Elsie Randolph provides welcome comic relief as an interfering spinster and Joan Barry (who provided the heroine's voice over for the talkie version of Blackmail.) is very watchable, yet the film was a resounding flop on release, and is at best a curio for the most die hard of Hitchcock fans. (GA)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 92 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: Mono
English Language

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NUMBER SEVENTEEN (1942)
An attempt to return to the thriller genre of his biggest successes, Hitchcock adapts a pulp crime play from Jefferson Farjeon. A beautiful girl, a member of a gang of thieves, falls in love with a detective who is on the tail of her criminal associates. After saving his life, the couple are forced to flee from the vengeful gang members and live life on the run. Originally planning to reconstruct the convoluted crime plot into a farcical examination of the genre, Hitchcock soon found that this approach wasn't working, so used this hour-long film as a technical exercise. Camera movement and expressionist lighting techniques keep the viewer interested and there are – as always – some terrific set pieces (among them, an unusually brutal fist-fight, under cranked at a frenetic double speed.). And in the second half's extended chase sequences, Hitchcock shows boundless enthusiasm in his use of scale models of trains, boats and spectacular crashes. Of course, to a modern audience, these miniatures appear crude, but for its time, these sequences show just how skilled Hitchcock was at manipulating all the cinematic materials at his disposal. (GA)
Extras: Introduction by Director and Film Historian Noel Simsolo / Picture gallery
Running time: 63 mins approx
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audio: Mono
English Language