ReelBars

Alfred Hitchcock · 1960s

5 films directed by Alfred Hitchcock from the 1960s, on 4K Blu-ray, ranked S to D by transfer quality. 5 S-Tier picks including Topaz, Torn Curtain, Marnie.

Marnie

Marnie(1964)

7.1/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Part of Universal's Hitchcock Ultimate Collection, a 15-film 4K box set. Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery in a psychological thriller about a compulsive thief that Hitchcock considered one of his most personal films. Previously Blu-ray only, this was its first 4K release.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
Psycho

Psycho(1960)

8.5/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

S-Tier Universal 4K. Hitchcock's black-and-white photography has more detail at this resolution than the Blu-ray ever delivered, and the shower scene has never had this much information in it, for better or worse. The Bernard Herrmann score in lossless is half the reason the film still works as well as it does. Considered required viewing in any best-horror-discs discussion.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
The Birds

The Birds(1963)

7.6/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Universal 4K steelbook available. Reviewers note this is the weakest-looking Hitchcock 4K, which says more about how good the rest are than about this disc. The practical effects show their age at 4K resolution, but the attic scene and schoolhouse sequence still play. The lack of a traditional score (Hitchcock used electronic bird sounds) makes the lossless audio track unusual.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
Torn Curtain

Torn Curtain(1966)

6.6/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Part of the Hitchcock Classics Collection Volume 3 alongside Rope, Topaz, Frenzy, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews in a Cold War thriller that Hitchcock considered a misfire, though the East Berlin scenes have a visual weight that the 4K transfer brings out. Most collectors buy this inside the box set for $18-24 USD on Gruv sales.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray
Topaz

Topaz(1969)

6.2/10

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

S-Tier

Part of Universal's Hitchcock Classics Collection Volume 3 and the Ultimate Collection box set. Collectors openly call this one of Hitchcock's weakest, with comments like "the disappointment did not disappoint." The Cold War espionage plot drags, but fans of the Volume 3 box set say the S-Tier transfer at least makes it look better than it deserves.

Universal Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray