Distributor: Universal Pictures
Release Date: May 10, 2022
Region: Region Free
Notes: This is the 4K UHD debut for these five titles. The included Blu-ray copies are the same discs that have been available both individually and in previous boxed sets since 2012. The package also includes digital copies of all five titles.
Universal owns the rights to more Alfred Hitchcock titles than any other studio, and they recently released five more of these films on the 4K UHD format. Interested parties can read detailed information about each of the discs included in this set by clicking on the individual links below:
The Presentation:
2 of 5 MacGuffins
Here we go again. Universal’s book-style packaging is and always was awful. There’s no other way to say it. One must admit that this five-disc set has a kitschy charm that could even be described as attractive, but it is a design that only seems special on the surface while actually providing the consumer with less value than if each film had been provided with a sturdy 2 disk 4K UHD case. Such an approach would offer adequate protection for each of the discs.
The folder-style compartments in these Hitchcock sets don’t protect the discs at all. In fact, they could easily cause scratches if fans aren’t both incredibly patient and careful. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the compartments are extremely tight. It is a serious struggle to remove the discs and making these compartments less tight would only result in them falling out. In other words, this is an awful design any way you look at it. I had to wear a pair of clean socks on my hand to remove the discs without causing fingerprints, and even this couldn’t guarantee that the discs wouldn’t scratch as I removed them from their folders. Other fans have even reported that the discs sometimes get glue on them from the interiors of their folder compartments! There’s absolutely no excuse for any of these issues. People have been complaining about this kind of packaging for well over a decade, and things would change if Universal cared about the people who buy these sets. What good is attractive packaging if it could potentially damage the discs that it should be protecting?
It is a major issue with what would have otherwise been a wonderful release, and it betrays a certain amount of apathy on the part of Universal. Fans may find that it is worth the extra money to simply purchase these titles individually.
Final Words:
The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection (Volume Two) includes five of the director’s most beloved titles on the 4K UHD format, and the set would receive an enthusiastic recommendation for this reason alone if it were not for the problematic packaging. Fans should simply buy the individual titles since they are being released simultaneously.
Alfred Hitchcock Master 
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