December 2002

This Holiday Season’s Headliners: TV Programming on DVD

Back in the days of laserdiscs, which did not have the remarkable video definition offered on DVD, I would ask producers why they didn’t release TV shows which were shot in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and could make the best use of the whole screen. They told me there was no interest. Well, man, that attitude has surely changed because this is the holiday season of the TV show. Everyone is getting in on the act, with both miniseries and weekly shows. Sitcoms, crime dramas, PBS, science fiction, animation -- it seems that just about all genres are represented. Let me take you on a tour of the releases I have been able to see and hear about.

Showtime, the courageous network that releases shows without censorship, has released Further Tales of the City (****), the third video installment in Armistead Maupin’s stories concerning the eccentric people in his life in San Francisco in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The current miniseries occurs in 1981 and features the same outrageous and lovable characters as before, the action centering once again on Anna Madrigal’s boarding house. Right-wing religious zealots will condemn this series, as they did the others, because it contains male and female nudity, and portrays both straight and gay relationships as perfectly normal. But where else can you find a show that displays such likable characters and such human, true-to-life examples and experiences? The ensemble cast is brilliant, with special kudos to classy Olympia Dukakis who brings both tremendous dignity and humor to her portrayal of Anna Madrigal. The DVD is not divided into broadcast segments, with all 180 minutes shown continuously on a dual-layer DVD. A second disc is reserved for in-depth interviews, selected scenes with commentary, alternate scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, trailers, and a hilarious episode of the animated cartoon Queer Duck (***). The widescreen transfer is handsome and the sound is excellent.

Acorn, a small company based in the suburbs of Washington, DC, has scored a coup by releasing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (****), the ultimate Cold War thriller. George Smiley (Alec Guinness, subtle and splendid as always) is asked back into service by British Intelligence to help find a mole in the organization. Cat-and-mouse situations abound here, with an excellent supporting cast. The set is housed in one of the now common accordion-like Digipak foldouts, sort of like half an X-Files. The six episodes of the six-hour miniseries are presented on three discs. The picture is a bit grainy in outdoor scenes but quite sharp and clear most of the time, and the mono sound is a lot better than one might expect.

Also available on the Acorn label is Brideshead Revisited (***1/2), the intricate and elaborate filming of Evelyn Waugh’s book. Dealing with homosexuality and alcoholism, the show was considered quite sensationalist when first released in 1981 and has lost little of its punch over the years. Anthony Andrews' portrayal of the alcoholic Sebastian is one of the most wrenching and realistic in the history of television and film. For the DVD, Acorn has painstakingly restored the original edition to its full-screen luster, and has cleaned up the sound and put it into something like stereo. The 11 episodes are segmented, with credit rolls for each, and contained on three dual-layer DVDs packaged in cardboard and plastic foldout. There are extras, including a companion guide, production notes, photo album, cast and crew biographies, and a glimpse at Castle Howard, the real Brideshead.

Speaking of Acorn, this label is also bringing the Poirot series to DVD. These programs star David Suchet as the definitive Hercule Poirot, and look simply grand in detailed full-screen transfers. There are 11 DVDs so far, each available separately and some boxed in sets. What better way to be introduced to the series at this time of the year than with Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (***1/2)? The diminutive Belgian detective spends his holiday (how else?) solving a murder.

Don’t forget Acorn's remarkable medieval detective series either: Cadfael, nine DVDs and counting. If PBS fare is your thing, by the way, you might also want to look into releases from the Canadian company BFS, which continues to acquire the rights to many first-rate yet largely unknown British miniseries. My favorite turned out to be Falling for a Dancer (***), a four-parter that offers one of dynamic, young Colin Farrell’s first major performances.

A&E was one of the first companies to think seriously about putting television fare on DVD, starting with The Avengers (****1/2). That series (discounting the New Avengers sequels) will be finished early next year with the release of the final episodes starring Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson. There will be more time-proof Peter Gunn (****) releases, too. In the meantime, A&E has finished its traversal of The Saint (***), starring Roger Moore, and also completed all 16 volumes of Space: 1999 (***). The latter is now available in a giant gift box for around $200, the prefect gift for the sci-fi fanatic on your gift list. All of these shows are impeccably transferred from the best available material. Gerry Anderson produced the original Space: 1999, and A&E has now turned to his UFO (***), a 26-episode series that portrays a small group of technically adept people entrenched below the streets of London, fighting off mysterious UFO invasions. The spirit is mod, right down to the James Bond listen-alike music and buxom babes, and the colors are eye popping. I found this highly entertaining show singularly energizing eye candy from beginning to end. All of A&E’s television DVDs, except UFO, are housed in regular keep cases, which are organized into various sets and groups by inserting them into presentation boxes. UFO is presented in a transparent multi-DVD case.

Another company that pioneered TV on DVD is MPI, which is continuing its Dark Shadows (***) series as well as the lost episodes of The Honeymooners (***) and The Rifleman (***1/2). I think the latter is especially good. It’s a story of a single dad in the Old West who's trying to set a good example for his son by teaching lessons without hammering them to death. The clean, well-contrasted black-and-white film transfers belie the show’s age. Lion’s Gate has the rights to The Dead Zone (***), the television show spun off from Stephen King’s novel, but the first season will not be available until early next year. In the meantime, the company has released the pilot film and it is quite good. Solid performances, sure direction, and excellent video and audio all add up to a thoroughly entertaining experience. I liked this pilot, which tells the original background story, a little better than David Cronenberg’s feature film based on the same plot, a movie that borders on the bizarre. The TV pilot thrills, but it is more reserved.

HBO has made a name for itself with its own cable channel, for which it has produced several award-winning shows. One of the best was last year’s Band of Brothers (***1/2), which told the World War II story of Easy Company, a paratrooper unit that performed distinguished and heroic service on the German war front. The 10-episode miniseries shows us ensemble acting at its best, which has its good and bad points. Though the show avoids the usual war-movie clichés, there is no single character to latch onto, and the story becomes a little confusing at times. HBO’s DVD presentation is surely the most attractive gift item for the season. The set is housed in a metal tin, which has the title logo stamped on both ends of the box. Open it and pull, and like a jack-in-the-box, a Digipack unfolds that securely holds all six discs. This is the most impressive packaging job I have seen yet for a DVD set. The show itself is presented in state-of-the-art, razor-sharp video and excellent, atmospheric surround sound. HBO has also released the third season of The Sopranos (***1/2) and will have second season of Oz (****) on the shelves in early 2003.

Not to be outdone by smaller, specialized production companies, the majors have come out swinging with shows of their own. Paramount snagged I Love Lucy (****1/2) from CBS and is releasing it in crisp, high-contrast video. Instead of presenting a whole season, the Paramount ploy is to release separate DVDs, each containing four episodes, a bit at a time, and at a very reasonable cost. Yet Paramount has taken a different direction with Star Trek: The Next Generation (***1/2), which it is releasing only in complete-season boxes, six DVDs in an accordion foldout housed in a very sturdy outer box. These shows all look fantastic and, thanks to Dolby Digital 5.1, sound just as good as they appear.

Mentioning a sci-fi title brings to mind MGM, which is offering the entire first season of the original Outer Limits (***1/2) in a box that contains 32 episodes on four DVDs, made possible by using double-sided, dual-layer discs. The mono sound is only serviceable, but the video is excellent, filmed black and white, crisp, and largely grain free. The episodes cannot be beat. They have been imitated repeatedly, but the originals are still the best. MGM also has two compilation discs from the new color, stereo Outer Limits (***), which have been priced unbelievably low. Following the MGM lead, Warner is bringing out Babylon V (****), the first season, but it did not reach us by press time. Artisan’s Invasion (**1/2), a two-part TV miniseries, did. It’s an Invasion of the Body Snatchers wannabe with a few twists, that sticks to a "by the numbers" formula. Its arrival did remind us, however, that Artisan, in its Hallmark series, has some of the very finest TV miniseries releases in the catalog. If you haven’t tried such titles as Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, the Sarah Plain and Tall trilogy, Arabian Nights, The 10th Kingdom, Alice in Wonderland, or Merlin, you really owe it to yourself. These titles (all ****) represent television adventure and drama at its best, and all the discs are immaculately produced. They are also priced economically.

Action and comedy, new and old, get equal attention at 20th Century Fox Home Video. Mash (***1/2), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (****), and The Simpsons (***1/2) have all been huge successes on DVD. Along those lines, the studio has released the first season of the Mary Tyler Moore Show (***). But Fox has also delved into putting some very recent titles on DVD by releasing the first seasons of Malcolm in the Middle (***) and 24 (****1/2). The latter, which chronicles a particularly gritty day in the life of special agent Jack Bauer, hour by hour, is arguably the best show on television today. Its breathless pace and imaginative real-time plotting owe much to the old cliffhanger serial, and it features a dead-on definitive performance from Kiefer Sutherland. It had problems on network TV, however. You had to see it from the beginning to make any sense out of it. Moreover, you could not miss an episode or you were lost. The DVD set takes care of those problems and provides a stunning video and audio experience that can be viewed at one’s own pace.

Of all the majors, it seems that Universal has made the biggest commitment of all to TV on DVD. The first season of Law and Order (****) has just been released, and is, to my mind, the best-looking show of them all. Images are as well contrasted and defined as in any movie, and the Dolby sound is very effective. Moreover, the annotation for this show is complete. In an enclosed booklet, you get a detailed list of items pertaining to each episode, including the original airdate, cast and production crew listings, as well as the rating share, and weekly ranking! It is almost like a stockholder’s report. The first season of Baretta (**) does not contain that many facts, seems dated, and doesn’t look that good, even considering its age. Now hold on to your hat. By the end of next year, Universal promises to release on DVD: Battlestar Galactica, Sliders, Quantum Leap, Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, the original Dragnet, the original Emergency, Magnum P.I., and The Rockford Files. It is getting so that if you cannot watch a show due to a social or work commitment, you do not have to tape it; you can wait for the DVD! In most cases one has to commit to a whole season, but in a few, individual DVDs are offered. It will be interesting to see which marketing plan works best. My bet is with the complete season. It makes a nicer package. And speaking of that, at this time of the year, almost any of the sets we have seen would make a great gift for a special person on your list. Happy holidays!

 ...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com

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