Alfred Hitchcock

Biographical Videos & DVDs
 

(To order eMail CHAFIN@COMCAST.NET)

We are proud to present our collection of Biographies of Mr. Hitchcock and those closely associated with him in his illustrious career.  Shipping in the U.S. is $2.23 media or $4.80 priority.  Each additional VHS or DVD is + $1.00 shipping media or + $2.00 shipping priority.  Outside U.S. inquire - shipping outside U.S. will be without plastic collector's case for economies in shipping, unless requested. PayPal welcome or you can send money order or check to: Al Chafin, 116 Bay Hill Ct, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082-3602.

These biographical videos are traded collector to collector. 

(SPECIAL PRICING is available to EDUCATORS of English, Drama, Film... eMail us for details)

The Tom Snyder Alfred Hitchcock Interview   Excellent interview of Alfred Hitchcock by Tom Snyder, host of NBC's "Tomorrow" show.  The show first aired  May 29, 1973, almost 30 years ago.  Hitch was in his 70s.  Snyder sets up the interview by stating they were not going to talk about  movies but about ideas.  Tidbits:  What frightens you?  What is your idea of Happiness?  What part has religion played in your life and career?  What other directors do you admire?  What makes you angry?  Movies' influence on audience?  What turns you off in movies?  What is suspense?  

   Tom (with a full head of dark brown hair!) brings up discussion that they both had Jesuit training.  Discussion about Ingrid Bergman - Hitch quoted her as saying "The problem with Hitch is he won't have a fight" - Hitch would just walk away from her and that would "infuriate her."  Hitch tells many stories, including his "favorite" story, which we won't divulge and ruin your fun.  Hitch says he is a big practical joker, telling many of the favorites he pulled.  Talks about use of nudity in movies.  Talks of his diets - "I lost 100 pounds during making of 'Lifeboat' - lost 500 pounds during my lifetime."  Says most gratifying thing about his career was that he was recognized on the street all over the world - Japan, Africa, everywhere.

   Quality is quite good, in COLOR, considering when it was recorded from television.  45 minutes.  SP mode.  NTSC VHS.  Out of Print.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  This video is traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to this collectible and no rights are transferred or implied.  VHS or  DVD  $24.99.

Hitchcock  The Biography Channel Presentation.  "Explore an extraordinary life of brilliance and Obsession."  As a boy, Alfred Hitchcock's father once punished him by locking him in a dark London jail cell.  The short incarceration was intended to teach young Alfred a lesson.  But instead, the terror sparked a fascination with the morbid that would alter his personality and, ultimately, horrify and delight millions of fans around the world.

     Alfred Hitchcock's films include classics like Rear Window, North by Northwest, The Birds and Psycho.  But his life involved plot twists that rival the tales he created on celluloid.  Now, The Biography Channel examines this visionary and influential filmmaker.  A family man who was dedicated to his wife and child, yet dangerously obsessed with his actresses.  And a director who demanded total control on the set, but whose films dealt with mayhem and loss of control.

     Featuring interviews with family, friends, screenwriters, the Hitchcock "blondes" Janet Leigh and Tippi Hedren, and Alfred Hitchcock himself, this premiere Biography reveals many unseen sides of Hitchcock's very recognizable profile.

      Quality is Good, in COLOR.  2000.  50 minutes.  SP mode.  NTSC VHS.  Out of Print.  

Hitchcock, Selznick & The End of Hollywood   PBS's American Masters narrows its focus to Hitchcock's first few years in America, and his clashes with legendary producer David O. Selznick.  The stormy relationship between these two strong personalities, with their very different approaches to the filmmaking process, prefigures the demise of the Hollywood studio system and the rise of the director as a dominant force.

        David O. Selznick always saw himself as the true creative vision behind his projects.  The director was merely a tool, "hired to do things he didn't have time to do," as critic David Thomson points out.  This method reached its absurd apotheosis with Gone With the Wind, which found control freak Selznick going through directors like undershirts.  The enormous popularity of the film seemingly vindicated Selznick's methods, even as it dwarfed the remainder of his work in the public imagination.

        Across the Atlantic, Alfred Hitchcock was quickly becoming a star of the British film industry with pictures like The Lodger and Blackmail.  When he made overtures to Hollywood, indicating his services were available, Selznick alone took the bait.  Their first collaboration, 1940's Rebecca, served as a rude awakening for both men.  An early Hitchcock treatment twisted the potboiler material into what was essentially an action movie.  Selznick quickly disabused the director of this approach, insisting on a faithful adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's novel.  Once the production went before the cameras, however, Selznick found himself stripped of control for the first time.  Hitchcock's unique jigsaw puzzle method of shooting ensured that the film could only be assembled one particular way in the editing room.  Despite the friction, the film was a huge success and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

        Hitchcock and Selznick reteamed for Spellbound, Notorious and The Paradine Case.  Each subsequent production saw Hitchcock gaining in power and stature, while Selznick stumbled.  In addition to his grand folly Duel in the Sun, an attempt to top Gone With the Wind in the spectacle sweepstakes, Selznick faced mounting gambling debts and the disintegration of his marriage.  By the time of the disastrous Paradine Case, a contractual obligation filler if there ever was one, it was clear that Hitchcock had a future where Selznick did not.  

        Hitchcock, Selznick & The End of Hollywood first premiered July 16, 1999 at the Auckland Film Festival in New Zealand.  Narrated by Gene Hackman, Written, Produced and Directed by Michael Epstein, Edited by Bob Eisenhardt.  86 minutes, COLOR.  Out of Print.  Excellent SP mode NTSC VHS.  Comes in plastic collector's box.  This item is traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to this collectible and no rights are transferred or implied.  VHS or  DVD  $19.99.

American Film Institute:  Alfred Hitchcock  Besides being one of the most popular and productive filmmakers of all-time, Alfred Hitchcock has also been one of the  language of suspense films, and his style is imitated in virtually every film of that genre.  His directorial career spanned  more than five decades, from the silent British cinema to contemporary Hollywood.  His 54 films have earned him an international reputation as "the master of suspense," but his genius lies in the subliminal depth of his films, and the ability to combine entertainment with artistic cinematic invention.

     Hitchcock's rare genius is celebrated in this event marking his receipt of the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.  Hostess Ingrid Bergman and guest stars Jimmy Stewart, Anthony Perkins, and Francois Truffaut introduce clips from Hitchcock classics including North by Northwest, Rebecca, Suspicion, Strangers on a Train, To Catch a Thief, The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much (both versions), The Lady Vanishes, Spellbound, The Birds, and the famous shower sequence from Psycho.  72 minutes.  © 1979 The American Film Institute.  NTSC VHS.  Excellent in SP mode.  Out of Print.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  

Inside Hitchcock:  The Men Who Made The Movies   If you've  experienced the  shock of Psycho, the horror of Frenzy, the terror of The Birds or the suspense of North By Northwest, you must view this cassette.  Now, in a rare and probing look into the mind of the genius of chill, we examine Alfred Hitchcock.  Here is Hitchcock, candidly revealing more about his films, his audience and himself.  Supplementing his explanations are thrilling scenes from Hitchcock's best movies -- footage that has gripped us like a vise throughout the last fifty years.  Though he may be gone, this cassette will always serve as the definitive video-bio on the Master of Suspense.  With footage from Psycho, The Birds, Frenzy, North By Northwest, and more.  Narrated by Cliff Robertson. COLOR. 55 minutes.  Out of Print.  © 1985 American Cinematheque.  NTSC VHS.  

Master of Suspense:  Alfred Hitchcock   Narrated by Cliff Robertson, Master of  Suspense presents Alfred Hitchcock in a rare discussion of his filmmaking techniques and his illustrious 50-year career as a director.  Filled with classic film clips, the program reveals that Hitchcock's famous cinematic techniques for instilling suspense and terror were the result of his detailed planning of each scene at the script stage.  Included are excerpts from Psycho, North by Northwest, The Birds, Frenzy, Rear Window, and Hitchcock's personal favorite, Shadow of a Doubt.  COLOR. 58 minutes.  Produced, Directed and Written by Richard Schickel.  A production of the American Cinematheque.  Out of Print. © 1973 City Center of Music and Drama.  NTSC VHS.  

The Mike Douglas Show Interview  Alfred Hitchcock discusses with Mike Douglas the implied,  rather than explicit use of violence in his classic film "Psycho".  This is a Time Capsule Classic: December 30, 1969.  Program Content © 1969 Westinghouse Broadcasting Company.  COLOR, 70 minutes.  Also featured:  Mike's co-host, poet Rod McKuen, performs a song from his hit Broadway musical, "A boy Named Charlie Brown", and reads from his bestselling book, A Cat Named Sloopy, the source of the film title "Midnight Cowboy".  Joan Rivers, fresh from Jackie O's hairdresser, talks about life with her new baby Melissa and five years of married life with husband Edgar.  James Brown performs "Georgia On My Mind" and talks about his work with underprivileged kids.  He also acknowledges his confrontation with David Suskind on a previous appearance on Mike's show, which generated many comments and, he hopes, raised social awareness.  Out of Print.  Excellent in SP mode.  NTSC VHS.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  This video is traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to this collectible and no rights are transferred or implied.  VHS or  DVD   $24.99.

Hollywood Mavericks   Upon receiving the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 1975, Orson Welles accepted it on behalf of all the "maverick" filmmakers who, like himself, did not always fit comfortably within the Hollywood system.  The definitions of what it means to be a maverick in the American film industry have evolved over the decades; but regardless of the era, a great many of the most original, innovative, exciting and influential films have come from directors who have produced their work regardless of the pressures of the marketplace.  Hollywood Mavericks examines cutting edge Hollywood filmmakers from Erich Von Stroheim to David Lynch using the first hand testimony of the artists themselves.  Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich and Paul Schrader, all directors with keen perceptions of film history and the realities of the industry, explore the triumphs and disappointments of Hollywood's rebel directors. 

            Using original filmed material, exceedingly rare interview footage, and drawing from AFI seminars and interviews done over a period of twenty years, Hollywood Mavericks shows how King Vidor persuaded MGM to make the all-black early sound  at Paramount; how John Ford managed to make precisely the films he wanted through the power of his personality; how Orson Welles pieced together "Othello" over three years in between acting assignments; how Samuel Fuller pushed his bold ideas through on low-budget films; how John Cassavetes survived in Hollywood without succumbing to the studios' power; how Sam Peckinpah and Robert Altman broke down barriers with their startling works, and how such filmmakers as Coppola, Hopper, Scorsese, Bogdanovich, Shrader, Alan Rudolph and Lynch have, with varying degrees of success, co-existed with the system while still trying to maintain their independence and distinctive voices.  Also featured D. W. Griffith.  COLOR and B&W. 90 minutes.  © 1990 AFI. Out of Print.  Digitally transferred and mastered.  NTSC VHS.  

Bernard Herrmann   Music For The Movies   Explores the work of a composer who created music for over 50 films, collaborating with such diverse directors as Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, and Martin Scorsese.  Best remembered for his twelve year collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock on such classics as Vertigo, North By Northwest, and the unforgettable Psycho, Herrmann pioneered many fundamental techniques of film scoring in the course of his 35-year career.  Takes audiences behind the scenes in Hollywood to the mixing rooms and dubbing stages where music is put to picture.  We follow Hermann's relationship with Hitchcock, examining the bitter breakup of one of the richest collaborations in Hollywood history over the score for the 1966 film Torn Curtain.  We see Torn Curtain as it has never been seen before -- accompanied by Herrmann's brilliant score!  Including clips from:  Citizen Kane, Sisters, North by Northwest, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, On Dangerous Ground, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho, Torn Curtain, The Bride Wore Black, and Taxi Driver.

        Featuring interviews with directors Martin Scorsese and Claude Chabrol, composers David Raksin and Elmer Bernstein, film scholar Royal S. Brown, Herrmann's first wife, musicians, film editors and sound mixers, as well as home movies, archival photos and interviews with Herrmann himself.  Variety said "this film convincingly demonstrates why its subject was important, and reveals how an outstanding score can add immeasurably to the emotional and psychological impact of a picture."  COLOR. 57 minutes.  © 1992 Alternate Current / Les Films D'ici.  Out of Print.  Excellent in SP mode.  NTSC VHS. Hi-Fi Dolby Stereo. 

Anthony Perkins   The E! True Hollywood Story   Anthony Perkins was born Osgood Perkins April 14, 1932 in New York City.  He began his career as a juvenile lead in the early 1950s and distinguished himself in films including "Tin Star" (1957) and as baseball star Jim Piersall in "Fear Strikes Out" (1957).  His gripping recreation of Piersall's mental problems made him a suitable choice for what would become his signature role, the mother-fixated Norman Bates in Hitchcock's classic thriller, "Psycho" (1960).  He went on to appear in a number of interesting works, including Orson Welles's adaptation of Kafka's "The Trial" (1962), but could never quite shake the "Psycho" mantle.  He was the son of actor Osgood Perkins (Johnny Lovo in "Scarface", 1932) and husband of Berry Berenson, who appeared opposite him in two films, "Remember My Name" (1978) and "Winter Kills" (1979).  They had two sons, actor Robert Osgood, born February 2, 1974, and Elvis Osgood, born February 9, 1976.  Anthony Perkins died September 12, 1992 at age 60 from complications resulting from AIDS.  COLOR and B&W. Two hours.  Out of Print.  Excellent in SP mode.  NTSC VHS.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  Out of Print.

A Talk With Hitchcock   A revealing interview with the Master of suspense.  Alfred Hitchcock told stories using a mixture of intelligent plots, witty dialogue and a spoonful of mystery and murder.  In doing so, he inspired a new generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the thriller genre,  making him a legend around the world.  This archival interview from 1964 is a rare treat for fans of the legendary director and a fascinating glimpse of the creator of some of film's best-loved classics.  Originally aired as part of the CBC series Telescope, this two-part interview offers a revealing look at the man known to his audiences as "the Master of Suspense." 

            Filmed on the set of what was then his latest Hollywood production, Marnie, a disarmingly relaxed Hitchcock tells interviewer Fletcher Markle about his early passion for the movie business and his modest beginnings as a designer of titles for silent films.  Clips complement the director's discourse as we hear about the difficulties of wrangling thousands of creatures in The Birds and get a dissection of the techniques he used to build dramatic tension in Psycho.  He also takes viewers behind-the-scenes on the set of his current film, the now classic Marnie, showing how some of its "special effects" were created.  The interview wraps with Hitchcock's vision of the theater of the future.  And - in a line of questioning that may strike a chord with contemporary viewers - he gives his opinion on whether horror films like his own can influence viewers to commit crimes.  To Hitchcock's mind, film can have no effect on healthy minds, only sick ones.  B&W.  52 minutes.  Out of Print.  © 1964, a CBC Production.  NTSC VHS.  

Vintage Hitchcock   A fast-paced look at the brilliant early years of Alfred Hitchcock, his British era.  This entertaining and exhaustive documentary takes us from Hitchcock's first days as a set designer in silent films through his first directorial efforts in silent films to the creation of his masterful spy stories like The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps in the late thirties.  With the use of generous clips from the films themselves you'll see exactly why the reputation of Alfred Hitchcock is so revered as a genius of filmmaking.

            "Hitchcock, to my way of thinking, is the most complete filmmaker of all.  He is not merely an expert at come specific aspect of cinema, but an all-round specialist, who excels at every image, each shot, and every scene." - Francois Truffaut.  COLOR & B/W.  27 minutes.  Out of Print.  © 1987 MPI Home Video.  

Dial H For Hitchcock   Outstanding.  Thought by many to be the finest documentary ever made on Hitchcock.  Speeding through much of his early British works, the film focuses on his American classics, such as Marnie, Vertigo, and particularly Psycho.  The movie also neatly examines Hitchcock's signature touches, from his inevitable brief cameo to his famous MacGuffin.  Hosted by Sharon Stone, Kevin Spacey narrates, and there are interviews with such film figures as Jonathan Demme, Joseph Stefano, John Michael Hayes, Brian De Palma, Peter Bogdanovich, and Janet Leigh - plus many others.  Dial H For Hitchcock was screened at the 1999 Denver Film Festival.  Release year: 1999.  105 minutes.  COLOR & Black & White.  Out of Print.  Excellent in SP mode. NTSC VHS.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  This video is traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to this collectible and no rights are transferred or implied.  DVD or  VHS   $19.99.

The American Film Institute:  Jimmy Stewart   AFI Life Achievement Awards.  Introduction by Alfred Hitchcock: "I am quoted as saying actors are cattle.  What I really meant to say is 'actors should be treated like cattle'.  The actor we are honoring tonight is an exception..."  Long-time friend Henry Fonda hosts this tribute to everybody's favorite ordinary guy, Jimmy Stewart.  Grace Kelly, who co-starred with Stewart in Rear Window, makes a rare stage appearance along with Dustin Hoffman, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Lemmon and Frank Capra.  You'll see Jimmy in clips from Harvey, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, It's a Wonderful Life, and his Oscar-winning performance in The Philadelphia Story.  © 1981 The American Film Institute.  Out of print.  71 minutes.  Excellent in SP mode, NTSC VHS.  Comes in plastic collector's case.  Out of Print.

Memory Of The Camps   This documentary on the liberation of the German concentration camps was made near the end of WWII in 1945, was stored in a vault in London's Imperial War Museum for 40 years, and was first broadcast in 1985.  The negative was lost and the documentary was made from a nitrate positive copy.  In February 1945 the Psychological Warfare Division of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force originated a project to compile a documentary film on German atrocities.  As the Allied forces advanced in the final weeks leading up to the German surrender, cameramen of the British Army Film Unit and of the American Army Pictorial Service began to make a systematic record of the newly liberated concentration camps.  It was made to document the conditions of the death camps.  The object was to shake the Germans and prove to them beyond any possible challenge that these German crimes against humanity were committed.  The film includes scenes of the gas chambers, medical experimentation labs, crematoria and the haunted, starving survivors in Dachau, Auschwitz, and Buchenwald.  Some of the footage was filmed moments before the troops liberated the camps, as Nazi soldiers hurried to cover the evidence of what they had done.

        The film's director, Sidney Bernstein, persuaded his friend Alfred Hitchcock to leave Hollywood and come to England to collaborate for several weeks in the making of the film.  Hitchcock would not take a fee for his work.  Hitchcock is credited as "treatment advisor", acting as a consultant in organizing the footage, helping to shape the way the material was presented.  He was careful to present the footage in such a way that no one could say the film footage was faked.

        PBS' "Frontline" first broadcast the film on May 7, 1985.  That is when this video was made off TV.  Trevor Howard narrated from the original 40-year old typed script.  60 minutes. Excellent quality in SP mode.  NTSC VHS, B&W, in collector's plastic case.  WARNING:  Many scenes in this documentary are very graphic.  Some will choose not to view this film.  This video is traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to this collectible and no rights are transferred or implied.  DVD or  VHS   $24.99.

Cary Grant...  The E! True Hollywood Story.   Cary Grant was born Archibald Leach in what was then the slum area of Horfield, in the north of Bristol, England, in 1904.  His father was a heavy drinker, and his mother was committed to a mental hospital when the actor was just nine years old - though it was only years later that Grant learned of her true fate.  He returned to Bristol periodically to look after her until her death in 1973.  Grant ran away from home at 14 years of age to go into show business, and arrived in 1920 in New York as a member of an acrobat troupe that toured the country.  Years of struggle on the vaudeville stage followed - the troupe's show Good Times ran for more than 450 performances on Broadway.  His big break came in 1931, when he went to California for a screen test at Paramount and adopted a new name - Cary Grant.  The rest is history, as the saying goes... his movie career lasted 35 years until he retired from the screen in 1966.  Grant was married several times and a significant other in his life was Randolph Scott, with whom he roomed early in their careers and between marriages.  Being Alfred Hitchcock's favorite leading man, the most enduring image of Cary Grant remains his being chased by a propeller plane in the 1959 Hitchcock classic North by Northwest.  Perhaps Cary Grant was simply a figment of the imaginations of all men and women... even Cary Grant's.  The former Archibald Leach once commented "Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.  Even I want to be Cary Grant."  The great, and immensely popular, actor died on November 29, 1986.  COLOR and B&W.  Excellent SP mode VHS NTSC.  Comes in plastic collector's box.  Out of Print.

The Battle Over Citizen Kane   Boy Genius vs. Media Powerhouse: An inside look at the biggest Hollywood drama in history.  Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature.  "A two-hour tornado of a documentary." - Time magazine.  When power, brilliance and ambition clashed, America nearly lost its greatest cinematic treasure.  In 1941, 24-year-old Orson Welles - armed with the most lucrative motion picture contract ever - wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, a masterpiece many regard as the best film ever made.  The alleged subject of the film disagreed.  Publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst wielded his immense power, money and influence to destroy the picture - and Welles himself.  The "boy genius" fought back mightily, but, ultimately, it was a war with no winner.

        This Academy Award nominated two-hour documentary offers a detailed on and off the set perspective on the historic "clash of the titans."  Through amazingly candid interviews with Orson Welles, the stars of Citizen Kane, and associates of both combatants, discover what made Welles so revered and Hearst so vindictive.  Extensive film clips from Citizen Kane and fascinating biographical profiles of both men (including rare footage from San Simeon and Welles' historic War of the Worlds broadcast) reveal new facts in the power struggle between two proud, gifted, and destructive Americans on a fateful collision course.  Excellent SP mode VHS NTSC. Comes in plastic collector's box.  COLOR. 2 hours. Not rated.  4:3 aspect ratio.  PBS The American Experience.  1996.  Out of Print.  

These biographical videos and DVDs are traded collector to collector.  The seller does not own rights to these properties and no rights are transferred or implied.

To order please send an email to: chafin@comcast.net

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(SPECIAL PRICING is available to EDUCATORS of English, Drama, Film... eMail us for details)

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This Site Was Last Updated 05/15/2008