Alfred Hitchcock: Essential Collection - Alfred Hitchcock [DVD]

Collection of four classic films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. 'Rear Window' (1954) follows photo-journalist L.B. 'Jeff' Jeffries (James Stewart)'s recuperation from a broken leg in his Greenwich Village apartment. The wheelchair-bound Jeff spends his time observing his neighbours through a telephoto lens, bestowing them with nicknames and growing familiar with their daily routines. Things become notably less light-hearted when Jeff becomes obsessed with the notion that Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), who lives in the apartment opposite, has murdered his wife. Since he is unable to investigate himself, he seeks the assistance of his socialite girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and the pair plunge into a dangerous amateur investigation. In 'The Birds' (1963) spoiled socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) falls in love with lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) after they meet in a bird shop. Melanie pursues him across the water to his Bodega Bay home to offer him the gift of a lovebird. Inexplicably, she is attacked by a gull on her way back, the first of a series of attacks by birds that mass in their thousands overhead. Melanie, Mitch and the other inhabitants of Bodega find themselves facing a desperate struggle for survival in a classic tale of terror from the air. 'Vertigo' (1958) follows troubled San Francisco cop Scottie (James Stewart). When his fear of heights indirectly causes the death of a colleague, Scottie makes the decision to retire from the police force. Unfortunately, his next employment provides little relief from the phobic tendencies that haunt him. Hired by magnate Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) to follow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), who Elster believes to be a danger to herself, Scottie becomes bewitched by her to the point of obsession. After he saves her from a suicide attempt, Scottie and Madeleine become romantically entangled, but will the pair be able to steer clear of the destructive impulses that have bound them together? In 'Psycho' (1960) Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the run after stealing $40,000 from one of her employer's clients. A wrong turn in a storm leads Marion to an isolated motel run by the twitchy Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), who is constantly at the beck and call of his unseen mother. Marion's disappearance leads her sister, Lila (Vera Miles), and her boyfriend, Sam (John Gavin) to conduct some amateur investigations at the motel. What they discover may well haunt them for the rest of their lives.