Sabotage

Great value
(Please note that the DVD edition I am reviewing is the Lasterlight release double feature of Alfred Hitchcock's SABOTAGE and THE LODGER. It's the one with that groovy introduction by the collarless cardigan-wearing Tony Curtis, who does not wear his strange, black leather gloves in this particular Laserlight introduction.)

The viewing of this DVD was the first time that I had ever seen either Hitchcock's SABOTAGE or his silent feature, THE LODGER. Since this was an extremely inexpensive DVD purchase (as part of a three disc set), I assumed that there would be one fairly good film packaged with one forgettable dud. So, when I finished watching and enjoying SABOTAGE, I deduced that the second film on the disc would be the one that would be awful. Surprisingly, THE LODGER turned out to be almost as good as the first film. This is an excellent DVD to purchase if you are unfamiliar with either of these great movies. The picture and sound quality are not perfect, but for a budget...

ONE OF HITCHCOCKS BEST FILMS
Released in 1936, SABOTAGE is a first class example of what makes Alfred hitchcock the master of suspense. As a die hard fan of Hitchcock, I will admit that I originally bought this film on the bargain shelf to complete my collection. After one viewing I had an new favorite Hitchcock film. The plot is simple...London is being hit with acts of sabotage and the police suspect the owner of a small movie theater is responsible.An undercover agent tries to get information from the mans unsuspecting wife. The plot may be simple but the complex emotions that are revealed as the story progresses are not. Sylvia Sydney is outstanding as the wife and does an outstanding job in her portrayal of a woman whos entire world is crumbling around her, and she often does it without uttering a single word. Hitchcock is known for the style of his movies and trust me, this movie is one of his most stylish. Student filmmakers should be required to watch this movie to learn how to create suspense...

GOOD FILM, BAD DVD TRANSFER
This is a wonderful old film, one of Hitchcock's most terse. Terrific acting, simple clean plot but POOR DVD transfer; grainy image and very thin audio. Avoid this until someone releases a better print. So far so bad with the HITCHCOCK COLLECTION.

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