Upstairs Downstairs - The Complete First Season (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)This British series is in a "class" by itself. It's characters are unforgettable, the acting inspired and the backdrop evocative - Edwardian England from 1904 into the 1930s. The story evolves around the aristocractic Bellamy family "Upstairs" and their servants "Downstairs," but it is not a soap opera. It is as genuine, real and honest as any period production, or for that matter, any production, that I have ever seen. The characters grapple with the same struggles that we continue to confront in mordern-day America: love, loss, coming of age, morality, prejudice, death, economics, social responsibility, freedom and the search for life's ultimate meaning - concluding with the horrendous effects of a World War and its devastating aftermath. This unflinching look at history as well as a truly timeless, engaging saga is not to be missed. I genuinely rejoice that such a remarkable treasure is finally available on DVD. Originally broadcast on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre.

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Follow the "upstairs" dwellers, the Bellamys, and their "downstairs" servants through one of television's most loved and lauded series of all time. This collector's set includes the entire first season, all 13 episodes, of the multi-award winning series. Catch a first glimpse of 165 Eaton Place and be enchanted with the saga that captures the essence of life and love in Edwardian England.

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The Adventures of Robin Hood, Vol. 1 (4 episodes) (1955) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Adventures of Robin Hood," starring British actor Richard Greene was broadcast on CBS from 1955 through 1958 and later had a successful run in syndication for a number of years. The series featured good acting by a variety of British character actors, innovative set design (for its time), and interesting scripts, a number of which were written by blacklisted Hollywood writers like Ring Lardner, Jr. using aliases. It was also one of the very first series produced in England that aired in the United States and paved the way for the "British Invasion" of the Sixties for shows like "Secret Agent (a/k/a "Danger Man"), "The Saint," and "The Avengers," among many others.
While "The Adventures of Robin Hood" has had an official release of its first three seasons (of four) in Great Britain, many of the episodes have fallen into "public domain" status in the U.S. and, consequently, different episodes from the series have been sporadically released by a variety of companies specializing in public domain material. Having seen most of these public domain releases of the Robin Hood series that have been released on DVD to date, I can say that Alpha Video's Robin Hood episodes are among the best available on the market at present. Unlike most of the other Robin Hood DVD releases, the prints used by Alpha are relatively defect-free in terms of scratches, dirt, etc. and audio is fine for a series that is nearly 50 years old. The prints are clean with mostly solid contrast.
Volume 1 features the series' premiere episode, "The Coming of Robin Hood." This episode was previously released on a DVD from another company, but was missing about a minute and a half of footage. Not so with Alpha's print . . . it's complete and uncut. The other three episodes included on this DVD are all from Season 2 and are making their U.S. debut on DVD. They are "The Borrowed Baby," "The Final Tax," and "The Ambush."
Perhaps the only negative on this disc is the fact that on one of the episodes, the end credits are incorrect, i.e., they have been spliced in from a different episode, perhaps as a way of including the famous Robin Hood theme song at the end.
My rating is closer to **** ½ for this release.


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