The Prisoner: The Complete Series (1968) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well not exactly Patrick McGoohan's opening from The Prisoner, but it did catch your attention :-). Seriously here they are, all 17 episodes plus the Prisoner Video Companion originally offered on MCI Home Video now on DVD compliments of our good friends at A&E. What's nicer is the episodes are arranged in what the fans believe to be the chronological order of the episodes in terms of Number 6's time in the Village rather than order of original airdate (although some of them are in airdate order). As a hint at this look carefully at "The General" and "A, B and C". Both star Colin Gordon as Number 2, but in the opening for "A, B and C" he says "I am number 2" rather than "The new number 2". Also this set contains something released on video previously but only in England, a special edition of the 5th episode of the series, "The Chimes of Big Ben". Definitely the best of McGoohan's 3 British Secret Agent types series, but also the quintessential scifi series as well. By the way, a special debt of gratitude to A&E Homevideo. When this series first came out on VHS on MPI Homevideo in 1990, they made a muff in the episode "Checkmate". In the "Where am I" segment of the opening sequence it started with McGoohan doing it with the fore mentioned Colin Gordon even though Peter Wyngarde played Number 2 in this episode. By the third line "That would be telling" the tape was ok. I can't speak for the new A&E VHS copy, but on these DVDs the muff has NOT recurred. Which means either A&E acquired a better copy of the episode to restore on DVD or someone told them about the flub from 11 years ago. So kudos to A&E Video for to repairing this decade old "blooper". This 10 pack is much better buy than the 5 sets of 2 DVDs individually. Get it now, return to the Village and escape at your own pace.

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Since its CBS debut in the summer of 1968, the masterful British TV series THE PRISONER has captivated American audiences. Now A&E presents a definitive aficionado's edition of the cult classic which is considered one of the most innovative TV series ever filmed, for the first time in breathtaking Blu-Ray. Fully restored from the original film elements with newly remixed 5.1 surround sound and featuring hours of bonus material never released in North America, THE PRISONER: BLU-RAY EDITION is a fitting tribute to the creative vision of the late Executive Producer and Star Patrick McGoohan.
After resigning from a top-secret position, a man (McGoohan) is abducted and spirited from his London home to a mysterious place known only as 'The Village.' Village Residents, known only by numbers, are held captive because each possesses valuable knowledge. The Prisoner, now known as Number Six, battles to protect his mind -- and his humanity -- while struggling to discover the identity of Number One and escape captivity.

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The Avengers - The Complete Emma Peel Megaset (2006 Collector's Edition) (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews) The immensely popular ABC series called "The Avengers" has long since achieved legendary status since it appeared back in January 1961. Since then there have been 161 episodes, which break into four major sections. We have the early episodes (1-26) with Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Ian Hendry as Dr. Keel. Then the "Cathy Gail" series (27-78) with Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale, the man-tossing, leather-covered intellectual who broke new ground for female characters on television. Even more popular was the black and white series (79-104) with Diana Rigg and Emma Peel (read "M[en] appeal "), which led not unexpectedly to the color series with Rigg (105-129). Then the final section with Linda Thorson as Tara King (129-- in which she co-starred with Rigg-161).
As of this writing, the early episodes in the Gale series and all of the King series are not yet available. However, A&E has just released all of the Rigg entries, both the black and whites and the color, in a wonderful boxed set called "The Avengers: the Complete Emma Peel Mega-Set." And Mega, I suppose, is as good as any adjective to describe the enjoyment value of the contents therein. We have here all the Rigg episodes, including the transition entry in which Tara takes over for Emma, on 16 DVDs, each holding 3 episodes with an occasional 4th as a "bonus."
Those who have never seen them before will want, of course, to watch them in order. Others will want to jump to their favorite episodes, which is pretty easy on DVD. You will notice that the black and whites were less studio-bound and the sets in general more realistic. With the first color episode, the series took a strong science fiction bent; and the sets, as the producers admitted, were more a view of England as the Americans would like to think it is.
You will also have a lot of fun spotting stars-to-be. There is Donald Sutherland, Brian Blessed and Charlotte Rampling in "The Superlative Seven," Peter Bowles in "Dial a Deadly Number" and "Escape in Time," Geoffrey Palmer in "A Surfeit of H2O," and Christopher Lee in "Never, Never Say Die." It was a policy that no actor could appear more than once a season, so Bowles and Lee, for example, would have to wait for the King series to play other characters. In fact, the only characters as such to reappear in the color Rigg series from the black and whites is the bumbling Brodny (Warren Mitchell) who can be found in "Two's a Crowd" and "The See-Through Man" and the evil assistant (Frederick Jaeger) to the Cybernaut-master.
And for more fun, see how many actors from "Are You Being Served?" you can spot? There are three in all.
The most frequent repeat actor seems to be comedian Roy Kinnear, who also has the honor of being in the very last King episode in the role of Bagpipes Happychap. And then we have rotund Patrick Newell who was murdered in the very first Rigg entry, drugged in a color one, and wound up as Mother in the King series.
But all in all, it is the interplay between Macnee and Rigg that really made this program work. Unlike Cathy Gale, who seemed actively to dislike Steed when she was not merely tolerating him, Mrs. Peel had a genuine fondness for him and was not averse to stirring his tea (anticlockwise, as he preferred it). And as for the question of Peel and Steed being lovers, recall that they are fictional characters and have no life off the screen.
The dialogue was light hearted, and you seldom if ever saw blood after a mere trickle in their third episode. You also never saw a policeman, an element that for some reason the producers thought would be a jarring note. (You figure out why; I cannot.)
The best episodes? There is no question that "The House That Jack Built" leads the pack. This is the one in which Emma finds herself in a house designed to drive her mad and Steed appears only at the start and end. The worst? Possibly "Silent Dust." The silliest? That has to be "Epic." The most serious? "Murdersville." So what if the package costs a small fortune? You could purchase them separately, of course; but think of what you would be missing.

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She is the perfect balance of sexiness and sophistication, wit and whimsy. The object of many prepubescent lads' desires, Mrs. Emma Peel dazzled television screens on both sides of the Atlantic from 1965-1967. Starring Dame Diana Rigg as Peel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed, the Emma Peel era of THE AVENGERS was the high-water-mark of the groundbreaking series, with adventures more fantastic than ever.A one-stop haven for DVD collectors, this special 17-disc Collector's Edition features all 51 digitally remastered Emma Peel episodes plus a new bonus disc containing three "lost" episodes from the debut season of THE AVENGERS, a ‘making-of' documentary film, a classic Emma Peel cameo episode from THE NEW AVENGERS ‘77, and more.

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Upstairs, Downstairs - Collector's Edition Megaset (The Complete Series plus Thomas and Sarah) (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have no idea why some of the reviewers are complaining about the audio and video quality of these DVDs. Because of those reviews I almost did not buy this set. That would have been a grave error. I suppose, if you are some type of audio/video expert you might find a few reasons to complain, but this is a 35 year old British TV show. If you expect special effects, buy Star Wars, not Upstairs Downstairs. The quality of the audio and video was quite acceptable and certainly better than when it originally aired. (It should also be remembered that the first season was filmed during a technicians strike.)
As for the show itself, Upstairs Downstairs is one of the greatest TV shows ever filmed. It is an extremely entertaining examination of the British class system from 1900 to 1930 (particularly what happened to it as a result of WWI). After you have watched a couple of shows, you will have difficulty turning them off.

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All 68 Episodes of the Landmark Series On 20 DVDs! Upstairs, the Bellamy family negotiated the scandals and successes of the English aristocracy. Downstairs, their loyal and lively servants showed far less reserve when confronting the challenges of their lives. Together, their stories made TV magic.When UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS debuted, network executives fretted that the series was not commercial and viewers would switch off in the thousands. More than thirty years later, it is universally recognized as one of the most successful and important shows in television history, seen by over 1 billion people worldwide and the winner of 9 Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Peabody, among many other awards.Take a final journey back to 165 Eaton Place with this comprehensive set featuring all 68 episodes of the unforgettable masterpiece, digitally remastered for presentation on DVD. The collection also includes the rarely-seen retrospective Upstairs Downstairs Remembered: The 25th Anniversary Special.

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Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated: The Naughty Early Years, Set One - 1969-1971 (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)The A&E Collection Of 'Benny Hill Complete And Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1969 - 1971) is an absolute treasure to fans of this beloved, chubby, moon-faced comedian!
These are the very first episodes American TV audiences viewed of Benny Hill, when he was at the peak of his comic genius. Benny Hill is young, surprisingly slender in these shows and full of vitality, and energy missing from his twilight shows some twenty years later.
Here we can see the entire 'Benny Hill Show' special as it appeared on Thames Television in Great Britain, completely unedited. The shows boast first-rate musical numbers usually performed by Benny's in-house quartet of female singers, the Ladybirds, and Hill's brilliant comedy. American viewers will recognize some of the sketches, but be astonished as to how much material was edited out for American syndication, primarily for time considerations.
I always loved the delightful, and hilarious sketch, 'The European Song Of The Year Contest', which is in the very first special of the 11 included on this three-disc set. Here the sketch has several more contestants added, and a finale that was always deleted from the USA version. Even the order of the scenes in the sketches was juggled by the American editor! There are really only a few moments where a skit or gag was dropped because of raciness or poor taste.
There are also three black & white specials included on this set that were never broadcast in any form to American television, as USA audiences are generally loathe to watch anything not in color!
What is also remarkable about these broadcasts is that the beautiful women on the show clearly take a backseat to comedy and music! There are still no "Hill's Angels" as of yet, just lovely ladies appearing in the hilarious comedy skits.
This is the very best of Benny Hill, and the sharp clear copies of his shows, are truly 'old gold' to fans of the great comedian!



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Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 08/24/2004Run time: 550 minutesRating: Nr

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Supercar - The Complete Series (1960) Review

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(More customer reviews)What I consider the real `marvel of the age" is that at long last I now own all 39 episodes of my favorite 60's TV show and pop culture touchstone in beautiful clear editions. I get to dump all my horrid multi-generation standards converted VHS copies into the trash! Cool!
Better still: this is a better put-together set than the "Fireball XL5" box from a few months ago. There is one non-episode specific commentary track from Sylvia Anderson on the pilot episode, "Rescue", in which she describes the state of the company in 1959 and how they were able to get Supercar financed and on TV. There is also a great 30 minute documentary on the late special effects supervisor Derek Meddings with behind the scenes shots and reminisces from his former crew, a brief video tribute to Meddings from "Lord Of The Rings" director Peter Jackson, a 4 1/2 minute audio recording of a fan-club flexi-disc issued by a chain of petrol stations, a production stills gallery and a send-away coupon to receive a free copy of the new Supercar comic book. The episodes themselves are beautifully remastered, and look sharp and clear with little to no film defects. Thanks heavens they took good care of their negatives thru the years! It's also nice to be able to see the here-to-fore impossible to find second season episodes, with the revised opening theme and slightly modified vehicle design. (I do note, however, that my JVC brand DVD player has some difficulty navigating around the discs smoothly).
I've no idea why this show continues to bring me so much enjoyment over four decades since it first aired. But I'm grateful to be able to visit Black Rock Lab once again, and to be able to carry this icon of my youth with me into the future. So, Gerry Anderson (and A&E Video), a five year old boy salutes you with increasingly arthritic 48 year old hands.

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SUPERCAR - COMPLETE SERIES - DVD Movie

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Benny Hill: The Complete & Unadulterated Megaset 1969-1989 Review

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(More customer reviews)This set contains all the specials Benny did for Thames between 1969 and 1989. It was from this material that the syndicated Benny Hill Shows which ran in the U.S. were compiled. If you purchase this set, you will have the complete, original & unedited source of all the Benny Hill shows - including lots of bits and pieces that never made it across the pond.
This "megaset" is also a terrific bargain. Buying the volumes individually would cost you over $100 more! I recommend it highly for Benny fans.

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