Reviews (2)

A Great Look at a Great Man and a Great Time.
As a Magician I loved seeing Houdini as a real person. Many of the ideas are way ahead of their time. As a Political Scientist I love to look back almost 100 years ago to see how people lived. It has no sound at all and is great if you play rock music while you view it. I was impressed by the movie and it's strange look at life... Houdini Lives......... Just Believe..

Fantastic Video, for true lovers of Houdini.
If you ever want to see how Houdini was as an actor, then you won't be disapointed with this video. It shows Houdini's role in the silent screen venue. It is unparalled as you get to witness Houdini, moving and in live action. What a treat. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Needs to Get Complete Season DVD Boxsets!
I grew up watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannie in the 70's and I was happy when Nick at Nite and TV Land started showing episodes but they are constantly changing the schedule. This show is cute, funny and I really think Barbara Eden (Jeannie), Larry Hagman (Anthony), Bill Daily (Roger) and Hayden Rourke (Dr. Bellows) gave very entertaining performances and While it was great that you could get episodes of I Dream of Jeannie on tape I think that since a lot of people are saying that VHS video tapes are going to go the way of 8 tracks and Beta tapes that this classic sitcom should be put on DVD in complete season DVD boxsets!

Got cheated
The I dream of Jeannie series is great, however, when I bought this box set I was under the impression, from the review that is, that it contained earlier episodes (first season). It does not. The box set is merely the other two VHS' together. If I had known this in the beginning I would have not purchased this item.

Fun and Entertaining
It's very funny comedy about a genie named Jeannie who stuck inside a bottle for 2000 years before finally discovered by astronout named Major Anthony Nelson. Jeannie swore that whoever set her free from the bottle will become her master. Jeannie can make all major nelson's wishes come true. But, Jeannie's magic always cause him in trouble. It's one of the best comedy I have ever seen. two tumbs up !! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

~Best Of I Love Lucy Collection 3~
This video comes with 2 tapes. Each tape has 5 memorable episodes from I Love Lucy. The episodes on this collection are:
Bon Yoyage:Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel are leaving to board a ship when Lucy misses Little Ricky and wants to say one more goodbye to him. So she gets off the ship leaving the others behind and gives Little Ricky one more hug goodbye. Then after that she walks to the ship because its leaving soon but then she gets her skirt caught in a bicycle. So she takes her skirt off and starts for the ship but she cant make it. So she ends up flying on a helicotper to get on the ship to Europe.
Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress:The girls are having their own show on TV for one half hour. So Lucy and Ethel do a sisters duet act and end up buying the same dress for the act. When they said they would take their dresses back; both of them end up not taking them back and end up wearing the same dress at the performance.
Neve Do Business With Friends:When Ricky buys Lucy a new washing machine and dryer the Mertzes buy the Ricardos old washer. But when the washer is brought down to the Mertzes apartment and Ethel starts washing clothes in it the washer starts shooting out wet clothes out of it; now its an arguement between the Mertzes and Ricardos. Neither couple wants the washing machine untill one guy fixes it and is willing to pay $50 for it.
Lucy's Last Birthday:Lucy thinks everybody has forgotten her birthday except Mrs. Trumball. So Lucy is depressed and ends up going for a walk. In the park a group called the "Friends of the Friendless" come walking by her and ask if she would like to join their group. So she does and brings the group to the Tropicana where Ricky is doing his show. And thats where the surprise party was. So Lucy was deeply shocked and Ricky sings her a song for her birthday present.
The Star Upstairs:Lucy finds out that there is a star living right above from her apartment in Hollywood. She sneaks up there to see the star. She doesn't want Cornel Wilde(the star) to see her so she goes on his balcony so he wont see her. He ends up falling asleep but he has locked the door to get inside the room so she has Ethel help her get down; when getting down from his balcony to hers which is right underneith it she ruins his plant that is there. So at the end he finds out that someone has bean there and spying on him so he leaves because he doesn't want anyone to know where he is.
Paris At Last:Lucy ends up in jail because she paid fake money to the waiter at a French restaurant. But she didn't know it was fake money when she traded money with this one guy she didn't know. So now she is in the police department and can't understand anyone because they are all foreigners; although she is the foreigner because she is in France.
The Great Train Robbery:Lucy thinks the guy next to her room is a jewel theif. So when she tells Ethel this guy is over hearing on her conversation. So when Ethel leaves and Lucy is still sitting there the guy that was eavesdropping asks her to take him up to the guys bedroom so that they could catch him. But as it turns out the guy that was eavesdropping on Lucy and Ethel, was the jewel theif. The guy next to Lucys room was just a jewelery seller. But then the guy ends up getting caught.
The Million Dollar Idea:Lucy and Ethel have a good idea to make some money by selling Lucys aunts home made recipe for salad dressing. But when Ricky finds out that they would only be getting 3% of the money it turns out that they wouldn't be getting much money and that 3% goes to Caroline because her husband works at a TV station and he is the one that let Lucy and Ethel sell their product on. So when they found out that they were good sellers they figured they could go back on TV and show that the product they sold was a bad product but instead they got more orders. So they end up buying salad dressing and putting their labels on them and deliver them by bicycle so they don't have to pay for shipment.
Return Home From Europe:Lucy has a piece of cheese to bring to her mother that you can't find in America. So she brings it on the plane pretending it is a baby. But as it turns out babys cost $30 on plane rides so she eats part of the cheese with Ethel and puts the rest in instruments.
Lucy Visits Grauman's:Lucy wants John Waynes Footprint because it is loose. When some police men come and scope the area out Lucy gets her foot stuck in a bucket full of cement that Ethel put in the bushes where they had to hide so the police men wouldn't see them.

Lucy's laughter will live on forever
This is a must for anyone who's purchased the "I Love Lucy"
collection. These episodes can be seen over and over, time and time again. They are healing and warm and will keep you laughing. As a child, I loved "I Love Lucy" and now my children can have the pleasure of knowing what true comedy is all about.
Laughter is still the best medicine! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The History Channel's four-part overview of the Roman Empire spans more than 3,000 years, from Rome's mythologized founding by Mars's twin sons Remus and Romulus to Latium's expansion and domination of the Mediterranean world to the rise of Christianity and Rome's ensuing fall. At once informative and entertaining, Ancient Rome is a terrific example of all that is good on television today; in video it is a wonderful boxed set for any history buff--or teacher--to own.

Hosted by Joe Mantegna, Ancient Rome focuses on the four key periods in Roman history. Volume 1, "The Republic of Rome," examines the overthrow of the Etruscan monarchy and the conquest of Carthage and establishment of the two-class plebeian-patrician republican system. Volume 2, "The Age of Emperors," is first and foremost a history of the end of the republic and August's defeat of Marc Antony, as well as a biography of Julius Caesar. Volume 3, "Building an Empire," focuses on Rome's golden age and its still-visible heritage--including art and science and the systems of laws and roads that still connect and direct Europeans' lives. Finally, volume 4, "The Enduring Legacy," looks at Rome's early indifference to Christianity and how this religion came to dominate the world through Rome's dominance, even as the empire itself was about to crumble. Although this series suffers at times from a superficiality inherent in any cut-down documentary on so great a topic, it nonetheless remains--with thousands of beautiful images from Roman sites recontextualized to illuminate their ancient significance--an ideal introduction to all that was Rome. --Erik Macki ... Read more

Reviews (4)

INTERESTING OVERVIEW
I've enjoyed this set and have also found it to be a good primer for young teens who are interested in ancient history. Joe Mantegna does a fine job as narrator. Vol. #1 chronicles the early years ie., the overthrow of the Etruscans up to Julius Caesar's reign. Vol #2 is The Age of Emperors and covers Augustus (Octavian) thru Nero. It explores their private lives and reveals reforms, victories, and defeats as well as political plots and intrigue which surrounded many of Rome's early rulers. Vol. #3 is Building An Empire which discusses among other subjects the fascinating emperor Hadrian, the integration of captured lands and people into Roman culture, and the myriad customs and beliefs that made Rome a center of diversity. Finally Vol. #4 The Enduring Legacy encompasses the early years of Christianity (from Constantine to Justinian) that finally brought Rome to its knees and saw the Empire's power shift to the new capital of Constantinople. Relative to previous reviews: every historical fact and point of view cannot possibly be explored in minute detail in just four videotapes. There are other video sets - Hail, Caesar is one - that can also be added to expand your collection and knowledge of Rome, its citizens and its emperors. Overall, this is an enlightening overview of ancient Rome - recommended.

Christian bias again
Joe Montegna needs serious help with his pronunciations (it's a "consul" not a "council") and much of the material is slanted with a pro-Christian, anti-Pagan viewpoint, particularly in the second half of the tapeset. The purpose of the tapes is not to explain the Roman empire, but rather why we're so lucky that Christianity overwhelmed it and put and end to it. Some material, especially the visuals, is good, but some quotes are anachronistically used and some pictures are mislabeled. Enjoy, but don't expect this to be fair to the Romans.

PLEASE DON"T BYE THIS VIDEO
This is only for peole ,who is resurch Roman history and for students of historical institute.

Bad, judging by the first part
The first part of this series, at least, is not very good. It emphasizes the sordid aspects of ancient Rome and ignores many of the great accomplishments of the Roman Republic. The conflict with Carthage, which was a major aspect of Rome's development, is hardly even mentioned, leaving out great figures such as Cato and Scipio. Images are used in the wrong historical context. It would be possible to make a much better video history of Rome than this. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A television treasure from the 1990s, the Sarah, Plain and Tall seriesstoked audience hunger for a simpler, more neighborly America during theearly 20th century, and it did so without being cloying or preachy. Based onthe novel Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, the firstfeature--originally aired in 1991 on CBS to an enormous audience of 50 million--starred Christopher Walken as Kansas farmer Jacob Witting, a widowerwith two children. Seeing his newspaper advertisement seeking a bride, SarahWheaton (Glenn Close), a Maine schoolteacher, heads out to the heartland fora trial run as wife and stepmother. There are difficulties: Jacob has setideas about the role of a woman in his house and he isn't emotionally ready for a new beginning. Meanwhile, the kids are dubious about anyone steppinginto their mom's old job. But the strong-willed Sarah soon ushers love,energy, and a sense of possibility into the gloomy Witting home, and theresulting bond within this new family proves durable. The bond is tested,however, in the 1993 sequel, Skylark, in which Sarah heads back toMaine with the others when dangerous weather threatens the farm. Finally,1999's Winter's End brings Jack Palance intothe fold as Jacob's estranged father, who comes to make amends during a harshwinter season under the shadow of World War I and the influenza epidemic.It's not hard to see why this Hallmark trilogy means so much to so many,evoking as it does a perhaps mythical period of innocence and most certainly underscoring values of faith, loyalty, and family ties. Throughout, Walken and Close are absolutely first-rate, their chemistry quite special. All threefilms are suitable for family viewing yet are satisfying in virtually anysituation. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Not up to par.
The movie opens in March of 1918. The long, bitter winter has yet to come to an end. There is an epidemic of influenza in town and the war has taken Anna's boyfriend overseas. Much as Jacob and Sarah did, Anna waits for every letter from him while tending the sick in town. Back home on the farm, an unexpected visitor will soon rock Sarah's family to its core.

Although 'Winter's End' sounds exciting, its frightfully dull and unprofessional. The acting is just not up to par with the first two. Glen Close, Christopher Walken and the entire cast shine in 'Sarah Plain & Tall' and 'Skylark.' After seeing those, I suppose I was spoiled. I expected that high quality when I bought 'Winter's End' and thus, I was shocked and dismayed by this poorly acted out movie. I've seen these actors/actresses at their best and they are very talented. Now, I am left baffled as to what happened here. Did they just not care this time around? Was it the director? A low budget? What? So many questions, so little answers. What really got me was when, 'Sarah' (Glen Close) was caught out in a blizzard and almost froze to death. The depth of emotion put into that scene wouldn't fill a tea spoon. 'Jacob' (Christopher Walken) put the most into it, but his acting was stilted, unreal and unnatural. Yet, the all time award for stiffness and unnatural acting would be a tie between, Jack Palance (Jacob's wayward father) and Christopher Bell (Caleb) They did a terrible job. To make matters worse, it looks as if the 'honeymoon' is over for Sarah and Jacob in 'winter's End.' There is no more of that 'spark' we enjoyed in, 'Sarah Plain & Tall' and 'Skylark.' There might be one or two scenes where they shine as they once did, but for the most part, the chemistry is dead.
The biggest highlight of the film was Sarah and Jacob's little girl 'Cassie,' played by Emily Osment. She seemed to be the only one who took her role seriously. She was a natural, and very 'real' in her part. She did a great job. But sadly the rest of the cast lost the magic that was, 'Sarah Plain & Tall.'

A 5-star trilogy, well worth a look
Christopher Walken and Glenn Close headline the cast in this excellent series of three Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

In the first movie of the series, "Sarah, Plain and Tall," Walken plays a widowed Kansas farmer who desperately needs someone to help him rear his children while he tends to providing for the family via his farm in the early 1900s. Glenn Close plays Sarah, a woman from Maine, who responds to Walken's newspaper ad search for a wife. The rest of the story focuses on the developing relationships between Walken, Close, and the children. An excellent story and great movie -- 5 stars all the way.

In the second movie, "Skylark" (sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall), the story of Walken and Close's life continues as they face a severe drought, possible failure of the farm, and stresses those things place upon the family. Top-notch, equal in emotional impact and believability with "Sarah, Plain and Tall" -- definitely another 5-star movie.

The third movie, "Winter's End" finds an unexpected guest in Walken and Close's home -- Walken's father, long absent from any family interactions. In this movie, the children have grown considerably (I believe that all the members of the original cast are still together). While an enjoyable movie, this one is not in the same class as the first two, and hovers someplace around 3.5 to 4 stars.

I awarded the set 5 stars on the collective strength of the first two movies.

Just in case you hadn't noticed, Walken is often cast in somewhat quirky roles, but this is probably my favorite work of his. He plays a devoted father dealing with a range of believable real-life issues. These movies also underscore the incredible talent of Close, who can pull off roles as diverse as Sarah's and that of Disney's Cruella DeVil!

Do yourself a favor...if you haven't watched these movies, watch them. They are wonderful.

Have a great day!

Alan Holyoak

Excellent Family Viewing
This is excellent family viewing. It gives one a sense of how tough it was to grow up in the 1800's and early 1900's. People had to work hard for everything, certainly much different than our world where people are pampered by modern-day conveniences.
Glenn Close is one of the great actresses of all time, no question here. If you like Close, check out her excellent performance in "World According to Garp." She is also capable of playing evil as well...in "Fatal Attraction."

Watching the Sarah Plain and Tall series is a great way to help your family grow closer together.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Sarah has become family!
By the time you watch all of these (there are three) Sarah and her bunch are family. You watch the kids grow up and there are these marvelous stories and it's just good entertainment. Sarah comes to Kansas to marry a widower farmer to "make a difference" to him and his two children. The first movie concerns their meeting and eventually marrying, the second movie shows their life through a drought and forced separation and the third brings them into WW1 and some personal family problems. Everything is done perfectly and you'll enjoy these time and again. I've watched them all several times.

I love it.
I loved all three of these movies. It is nice to find a movie that you can watch with the whole family. I think the 3rd movie stayed close to the book. I wish there were more of these type of movies. ... Read more

Description

"What can we say about Americans from the things they've made? When we look at them through the lens of their art, what do we see?," host and acclaimed TIME magazine art critic Robert Hughes asks. This extraordinary series presents a panoramic view of American history as reflected by artists in every medium and genre, from "primitive" portraits of the Colonial era to the complex visions of the present day. Explore the luminous, almost sacred work of early-American landscape artists. The varied experiences of 19th century America appear in the paintings of John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt and Winslow Homer. Discover how a uniquely American modernism was forged at the 1913 Armory Show, and ponder the creative genius that blossomed during the '20s, the Depression years and the exciting, innovative periods following World War II.

Titles are: "The Republic of Virtue," "The Promised Land," "The Wilderness and the West," "The Gilded Age," "A Wave from the Atlantic," "Streamlines and Breadlines," "The Empire of Signs," and "The Age of Anxiety." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Invaluable, informative, highly entertaining, & prestigious
American Visions is a superbly crafted and presented introductory survey of American Art and Architecture from colonial times down to the present day in eight splendidly produced, 60-minute episodes. Articulately narrated by Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes, each program is a fascinating and informative blending of visual imagery with live interviews and spectacular photography. The eight volumes comprising this unique and comprehensive history include: The Republic of Virtue; The Promised Land; The Wilderness and the West; The Gilded Age; A Wave from the Atlantic; Streamlines and Breadlines; The Empire of Sings; and The Age of Anxiety. Told with reference to key artists and architects whose work typified or influenced American art and architecture, and within the broader cultural context of their times, American Visions is an invaluable, informative, highly entertaining, and prestigious addition to any personal, school, and community library collections.

A Glimpse into American History, Culture and Art
I found this series to be in a word fascinating. Robert Hughes manages to view the art of America through a historical and cultural perspective - particularly for the international viewer. It explores the cultural and social forces which influenced the artists and I must say that I throughly enjoyed the series. For a non-American I found it an excellent study into the wealth of American Art - which is not especially that well-known outside American itself. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Description

In this science fiction masterpiece of terror, members of a strange youth cult are being drawn to Ringstone Round hoping to be transported to another world. Dr. Bernard Quatermass tries to convince unbelieving authorities that their world is about to become the killing field for thousands of young innocents. There seems no end to the massacre from the skies - but united world scientists may yet have a solution. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Huffity Puffity Ringstone Round!
This is a haunting 4 episode BBC television show from 1979. A true classic with Quatermass back for his final & most difficult task. As with all of Nigel Kneal's Quatermass works this has great imagination and depth. As far as production values, I believe that Hammer and the BBC worked harder and were more creative due to lack of big budget funding. They make great use of their budget and allow the characters to develop. Hollywood's mega-budget, computer generated effect-laden, unimaginative refuse will never stand up against movies like this one (or Quatermass and the Pit or Quatermass II). Ideas, imagination and substance are what we need today not bland Lucasfilm special effects and Hollywood movies that pander to today's tasteless moviegoers. Bring back Eastmancolor & Technicolor 35mm 70mm film; it looks 100% better than anything released within the past 20 years!!

This 2 VHS set should be given to the folks at Anchor Bay for DVD release. They are the only people who know how to handle this type of film. The VHS looks very good but a Anamorphic DVD transfer would do it justice. Go buy this VHS set and all of the Hammer Anchor Bay releases today and enter the world of true filmaking and imagination!!

Nigel Kneale's finest work (praise indeed!)
This is possibly the bleakest and most chilling television serial in the history of British TV. It posits an all-too believable vision of a decayed society a few years from now: rampant crime, useless governments, huge numbers of people hooked on the hope that occult beliefs will save them. Vast numbers of young people begin gathering at ancient sites, like stone circles, and disappear. Elderly scientist, Professor Bernard Quatermass, leaves retirement and seclusion to seek his lost grand-daughetr in a world that disgusts him. His researches into the mass disappearnces lead him to some of the most shocking speculations ever portrayed on film or TV. Mills is superb as a decent burnt out old man whose energy and powers gradually return as he realises the earth is in imminent danger. Nigel Kneale's script is magnificent and is wonderfully reinforced by haunting music and some great set pieces. Some members of the cast are slightly weak, but on the whole the large supprorting cast is strong. The insights into the nature of society, irrational cults, crime, mass movements and the generation gap flow through a gripping, thought-provoking serial. hack director Piers Haggard even manages to do a decent job with a limited, though sufficient, budget.

A magnificent serial, not to be confused with its shortened, 2 hour version, nowhere near as satisfactory. If you love dark, intelligent works along the lines of Kneale's other Hammer stories, or Wells, Wyndham, Algernon Blackwood, Lovecraft 8with far more brains), gritty 1970s BBC productions, then this is unmissable.

If you're looking for juvenile fun - forget it.

Gripping, intelligent science fiction.
It's a given among science fiction aficionados that the three theatrically released Quatermass films are among the best of British science fiction. This rarely seen, final installment of the series does nothing to tarnish its reputation. Available up till now in a severly truncated version, the complete 4-hour mini-series is now available, and well worth getting.
The premise of 'Quatermass' has to do with an alien 'force' (a beam of energy), originating from a distant part of the universe, which "harvests" human beings. It seems that the beings behind this 'force' visited Earth 5,000 years previously, leaving a collective fright among the human population. As a result of that event, the early peoples constructed megaliths (Stonehenge, Ringstone Round, etc.) to mark places where the aliens landed, and where they left transmitters or beacons under the earth. As the film begins, we see a world in decay. Social and environmental calamaties have been rife, with barbaric tribalism resurgent. Young people seem to be in the grip of some kind of collective madness, compelled to mass at these megalithic locations. It seems that that the alien 'collectors' are drawn to the physiology of younger humans (this assumes great significance as the film progresses). The young, anxious to leave behind this bleak environment, believe they will be taken to another planet (they call themselves 'Planet People').
When large crowds of the young arrive at the various locations, a strange beam emanates from the sky to the location. Puff, they are all gone, leaving only charred dust. This is, as we learn, the "gathering time" for this 'harvest'. Quatermass (well played by John Mills) discovers the truth, and and sets out to combat the malevolent force. He's also searching for his granddaughter, who has run away and joined the Planet People. This subplot assumes a key role during the film's ending.
While this was a television release, it does an outstanding job (within its budgetary limits) of depicting an unsettling world. Nobody does a better job of creating a socially and environmentally depressing setting than the Brits. Reminiscent of the milieu portrayed in such films as 'A Clockwork Orange', the ominous feel generated by the film is hard to match. While much of the film occurs during daytime, this simply adds to the unnerving effect created.
This is the kind of science fiction that does not rely on glitzy special effects or fast-paced action. Rather, it draws the viewer in and dispenses the chills slowly, building the suspense and horror methodically. This is truly the thinking person's science fiction.
I agree with another reviewer that it would be nice for Anchor Bay to release this on DVD. However, even within the technical limitations of videotape (and the age of the production itself), the film transfer is remarkably good. Scenes where the sky is "sick", for example, show subtle transitions from blue to a putrid green. If it ever is released on DVD, I'll snatch it up. In the meantime, however, it is enough just to be able to finally see this engrossing film in any format. If you're a fan of the other Quatermass films, you will want to add this to your collection.

A dose of Quatermass
"The Quatermass Conclusion" is the fourth movie-length installment in the long-lived "Professor Quatermass" series of films, the first of which appeared fifty years ago with Brian Donlevy in the title role. That was "The Creeping Unknown," which remains scary even after the sad jading of our collective special-effects appetite. Donlevy reprised the Quatermass character in the 1958 sequel, known in the United States as "The Enemy from Space." Andrew Keir took over for the 1967 "Quatermass and the Pit," called "Five Million Years to Earth" for transatlantic audiences. It wasn't until 1979 that screenwriter Nigel Kneale managed to get a fourth Quatermass story on film, this time as a BBC "mini-series" in four parts featuring John Mills as a by now aged protagonist. This is conceptually the most ambitious of the Quatermass stories: Kneale sets it in a world afflicted everywhere by social and economic collapse and - this is a key element in the unfolding story - the withdrawal of young people, especially adolescents, from all communal ties. The landscape swarms with packs of juvenile "Space People," as they call themselves, dressed in flower-child fashion awaiting their deliverance to a paradise planet. They believe that their redemption will occur at the ancient megalithic sites and it is to these that they gravitate. Redemption it is not. Quatermass, coming to London from the countryside to seek a lost grandchild and drawn into the investigation of events, theorizes about "the harvesting of mankind." He is aided by an astrophysicist played by Simon McCorkindale, whom many viewers will recognize as a screen presence of the time. This is the most apocalyptic of the Quatermass stories, more so even than "Quatermass and the Pit," with its mass revival of ancient Martian "race memories" in the human population of London, and with its subsequent mad "cleansing of the Martian hives." The images of British society - and by implication all societies all over the world - in its material and moral downward-spiral are stark and disturbing. A few scenes of a near-earth space station and of a space shuttle in distant orbit are unnecessary in that they look toy-like and detract from rather than add to the verisimilitude of the production, but this is quibbling. The atmosphere over the four hours of the story becomes increasingly desperate and grim. Essential equipment breaks down and is irreparable; key people die in riots. The climax smacks of the nihilism that I associate with the 1970s, but it could be interpreted as throwing Quatermass into the role of redeemer, complete with martyric self-sacrifice. A brief epilogue seems tacked on, as though the producers could not accept the uncompromising final scene of Kneale's script - but it does allow for some détente, which might be needed in the moment. Recommended for its far-above-average intelligence: "The Quatermass Conclusion" refreshingly does away with the hoary cliché that the young, and only the young, can save the world.

This is the one!!
........yep! this is the one, at age 8yrs, turned me on to real science fiction!
The thinking man's Dr.Who... This is real enough to be disturbing, even today. One can see this happening, some 35+ years after it was filmed.
Society hasn't changed that much, the concepts are brilliant, even the link back to the Middle Age nursery rhyme....

Go on!! Buy it!! You'll see what REAL science fiction should be!! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not Just About Watching Ewan McGregor
"Lipstick on Your Collar" is my favorite video. I not only love it for the acting, the music, and the gut-busting fantasies, but also for it's central motif that most people surprising miss, namely the different worlds that homosexuals and heterosexuals lived in the 1950s. Most, if not all, the senior military officers are gay, and definitely all their junior officers, particaularly Pvt. Mick Hopper (Ewan McGregor) and Pvt. Francis Francis (Giles Thomas) are of the opposite persuasion. Heck, even the opening line is "Bumholes!" On a more subtler level the movie is an inside, albeit indirect, look at the communist spy-ring (Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, and Company) that infiltrated British Intelligence via Oxford University at that time. This is not my wild imagination at work as Philby is actually mentioned by name (only once) and Dennis Potter himself worked for British Intelligence. Though some reviewers fault Giles Thomas for overacting, I do not. Any English major has a Francis Francis somewhere in his past. Sure, the friend might not be a Pushkin fanatic, but the fellow I knew adored Gerald Manley Hopkins!

Excellent piece of work! (And an anglofile MUST!)
In one word: Brilliant! I've seen this video over and over again and still can't get enough of it. The film portays the life of two clerks in the Military Intelligence Battle Order department (MI bracket BO bracket) of the War Office in the year 1956 and spans a period of about 3 weeks. It has a sort of Dickensian flavour about it (contrast between the powers that be and the relatively poor life of the two clerks in Walham Green, Fullham). One of the clerks is mad about rock music, the other one about russian literature and they both fall in love with a girl that doesn't not share their interests. In between MI(BO) is facing disaster as the Egyptians are moving toward nationalising the Suez Canal. At the department there's also an American Officer who doesn't always share the views of the English, which potrays the contrast between the Americans and the English in the crumbling days of the British Empire.

By the way, the first reviewer stated that this was Potter's last work. It is not. When Potter was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas (I think this would have been 1995), he worked like a madman to get his last work finished, which are actually two (linked) works.

1. Karaoke 2. Cold Lazarus

Both are made into television series. Karaoke is sort of an autobiography (it deals with a man (played by Albert Finney) who's dying of cancer). After his death his body is frozen in. Cold Lazarus is set in the future where scientists are trying to extract memories from the frozen man's brain. It's too surrealistic to behold!

well sorted ...nice suits .. good morals
the geezer done good .. Strange I also liked moulin rouge. But I'm not a poof honest! I'm a man betty.

English Musical? with american 50's music
This movie is so much fun, The characters are so different, I think its supposed to be a comedy/musical. Ewan is so cute in it, there are some boring dry moments in it but all in all I thought it was good, very clever and did I mention Ewan looked so cute! those smoldering eyes!

A delight!
If you are an Ewan McGregor fan, you'll find this video an unexpected delight. Yes, he's very young, and his character isn't nearly developed enough, but his future success in acting is right there for anyone to see--in his bright, wistful eyes, the twist of an Elvis-inspired hip, the twitch of a mischievous smile. When he breaks into song--even though he's lip-snycing--you can't help but be charmed.

The video doesn't quite live up to the promise of its opening episode. The storyline involving the second young male lead is hurt by the actor playing Pvt. Francis Francis, who is so over the top in his words and actions that you actually start to think he deserves to be miserable. Some scenes run a little too long,and the whole thing would probably have worked better if it had been 4 epidsodes instead of 6. But the music is toe-tapping good fun to hear, and you can't help but smile to see grown men, some of them very up in years, singing and dancing around an office in three piece suits. Some of these fellows deserve awards for just being willing to do some of the things they're asked to do.

Definitely worth a look! ... Read more

Description

Now with the collectible three-tape set of M*A*S*H Television Season Two, the series' tremendous fan base can add to their collection and continue to relive all the magic from the memorable second season, including favorites The Incubator, Five O'Clock Charlie, and Carry On Hawkeye. ... Read more

Reviews (71)

M*A*S*H DVD - For all it's worth....it's not worth enough
After viewing the 2nd season DVD of M*A*S*H on DVD, and enjoying the option to erase the laugh track, I realize how excellent the show was in it's infancy, before the plotlines were re-used ad-infinitum. I mean, how many times can Radar lose his teddy bear? That subplot must have been used at least 30 times in the series. Through 2 C.O.'s no less, Potter and Blake both had to put up with missing Teddy Bears. The sound that came through was excellent, crisp and clairified. The video did look a little grainy, especially in closing credits. I love this show, I began watching it when I was in 8th grade, and i'm now 21. I've seen every episode countless times over, except the rare ones, the ones that seldom ever air on FX Network and our local FOX Network station. Seeing these episodes really added color and depth to the characters. But, for all it's good, the DVD lacks ANY special features, I had to say that special features was the whole reason I bought a DVD Player. To find that this, and the original Star Trek series both have no special features is a total let-down. It seems to me that somewhere Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, David Ogden Stiers, Wayne Rogers, William Christopher and a million and a half other cast members are at least WANTING to reminisce in the roles that got them better gigs, or got them known. I work in a Video Rental store, so I was able to rent this DVD without paying for it, and I can say that it's not worth nearly fourty dollars. Maybe with some special features, it might be. Take a cue, FOX/CBS for the 3rd Season release!

Great set is missing something, but still great.
The ability to watch every episode without the laugh track is a major bonus. It adds a completely new dimension to each show. For me it actually expands on each character, such as sarcasm is sarcasm instead of a funny or dumb line. If you've ever watched a sitcom without a laugh track that originally aired with a laugh track, you'll know what I mean. The laugh track is ON by default, meaning you'll need to turn it off if you change discs (at least on my 5-disc player).

The DVD set, through the original release of the season two DVD set, does not contain any extras, such as behind the scenes commentary.

The 3-disc DVD set comes in a wonderful keep-case; all plastic. It includes a booklet with all episode chapters, but no extra documentation.

As of this date, there is a long period between the release of each season's DVD set.

I would have liked a "Play All Episodes" option to keep from having to start each episode manually. You may have seen this option on other DVDs where you can play all deleted scenes automatically.

Remember, always release the DVD by pushing on the center post to keep from bending or cracking the disc.

Second season establishes why this is classic stuff
There isn't much that can be said about M.A.S.H. that hasn't been said already. Among the most popular sitcoms ever made, the show still stands the test of time despite being set in the Korean War. The jokes still work, the characters are still charming and feel like old friends, and the show still more enjoyable than most of the shows that have come and gone since.

During this second season the show really began to find its stride, more boldly playing with serious topics. The actors are really at home in their characters.

Like the other sets, this DVD collection is bare bones (though not poorly produced). We get the episodes spread out over several discs in a sturdy triple-case and a small booklet with info on each episode. That's it. No extras. No commentaries. No documentaries. Just the episodes.

And that is just fine, because the episodes are great. Good picture far quality, good sound, and an option to turn off the laugh track are about all we really need.

Even better is the price. Because this is so bare bones, we're paying only about $35 rather than the $50 or $70 so common with TV-on-DVD sets.

A no-brainer buy for M.A.S.H. fans.

I Never Knew It !
I never watched MASH as a kid, and in fact hearing the music when the show came on at night prompted me to quickly change the channel.

Then a few months ago I was driving cross country and picked up a TV station broadcasting MASH on the radio. It was a laugh every 20 seconds, I couldn't believe it. After that trip I started collecting the DVDs.

I'm a big fan of Friends, Seinfeld, and other funny sitcoms, but MASH is just hands-down the most hilarious series ever to hit the tube.

The quality of the DVDs are great. I strongly recommend biting the bullet and getting all seasons and watching them from the beginning.

good times
I was so glad when these collections were finally released. The first 3 seasons with Trapper and Henry are the absolute best. What I liked better in the first season was that they kept it light and fun. They started dealing with deeper issues later. I also liked Radar's character better in the first season. He was sharp and clever and not as innocent. On the other hand, Klingers character started to blossom after the first season. I never get tired of his crazy, side slitting antics. He is such a colorful character. The only thing about MASH that never sat well with me was all the infidelity. That's what I appreciated about Col. Potter and B.J. in the later shows. They proved that you can still be funny when faithful. ... Read more

Description

Tardis has brought the Doctor, Romana and K-9 to an alternate universe, E-Space, where huge poisonous spiders, space vampires and gateways between past and future are the norm. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very familiar with this
The eighteenth season of Dr. Who is the best of all Dr. Who in my personal opinion. What more could you want, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward perfect chemistry as the Doctor and Romana and K9 played by John Leeson. I have watched State of Decay(E-space story2) so many times I have it memorized. I first watched it when I was 8 or ten or something(when it was actually broadcast. Then in High school I recorded it on a low-quality VCR. It is still enchanting to watch. And now I have the other two stories after a ten year agonizing wait. Warrior's Gate is also good and very surreal. These are what Sci-fi stories should be. Shows like State of Decay and Warrior's Gate are more than just rocketships and ray guns. Seemingly 'fantasy' elements have a science to them as well. Tom Baker has always tried to be involved in the scripts and it shows in all of his work. These are his more serious shows but they continue to have the light humor of Tom Baker's Doctor injected into them. A good balance. You want to be really serious try Peter Davison, a bit too much so for my taste though. Tom Baker is many things in the E-Space Trilogy, not just silly like in previous seasons. But there is that as well if you like that.

Uneven, but with Plenty of High Points
Like much of Tom Baker's latter years in the role of the Doctor, these three serials tend to operate in fits and starts. Writers and directors sometimes seem unsure of themselves and don't know what to do with the wisecracking Doctor in the face of powerfully malevolent enemies. However, the high points more than make up for the shortcomings.

Tom Baker's Doctor and Lalla Ward's Romana are the ultimate gypsy Bohemian couple, travelling the countryside in a souped-up RV with their dog and minimal responsibilities. Their on-screen chemistry is flawless, and they're a cute couple besides. These serials also introduce the character of Adric, who was probably well conceived in the story meetings prior to his introduction. The character is hampered, however, by the ho-hum acting of the very young and inexperienced Matthew Waterhouse, whose screen career ended after only one other role.

The first episode, "Full Circle," features the TARDIS crew getting stranded in a pocket universe, E-Space. The story provides the characters the chance to get oriented to the setting and introduces Adric. The most organic and free-standing of the three serials, this is easily the strongest in the boxed set.

Second is "State of Decay," in which the characters leap to another planet and tangle with vampires. Every supporting character, especially the vampires and Adric, are saddled with stock poses and forced line readings that don't bear out. Set design and limited location work create a good atmospheric feel, but as for story and execution, this is easily the weakest episode in the set.

Finally, "Warriors' Gate" plays off the whole stranded motif, placing the characters at the juncture of the two universes. As this was Lalla Ward's final episode, a big, dramatic sendoff was devised for her. Unfortunately, until close on to the end, the best dramatic scenes are reserved for the Doctor, while Adric and Romana do filler material through the middle of the story. Though an enjoyable story, it's not the strongest possible finale for as beloved a character as Romana.

Incidentally, on the early Warner Brothers tapes of this box set, some tapes of "Warrior's Gate" were mixed to VHS with bad color balance. No matter what you do, most of the serial looks as though it was shot under triple-bright klieg lights, and the colors look washed out. Though the tape is still watchable for its story, the picture is sometimes kind of hard to look at.

These episodes are as enjoyable as most of the rest of the Tom Baker years, which many Americans, including this reviewer, regard as the high point of the series. Well worth the time and money for any fan, any viewer will enjoy them immensely.

We're in the Exo-Space Time Continuum
Three videos in one review? Well, let me give it a shot!

Full Circle: In Adric's debut story, the Doctor and Romana go through a CVE (Charged Vacuum Emboitment), en route to Gallifrey, and land on the planet Alzarius. The planet is experiencing Mistfall, a bubbling of the mists that bring out the Marshmen.

Adric is caught between sides. On one hand, he feels stifled by the conventions of society, but the Outlers, led by his brother Varsh, see him as part of the establishment. Naturally, there is only one place for him, as the viewer will see at the end.

The paralysis of the Alzarian "Type D Oligarchy" is painfully aware, as the Deciders have enforced a policy of deliberate ignorance on its citizens, and are guilty of "willful procrastination." As Login says: "A little patience goes a long way." The Doctor replies: "Too much patience goes nowhere." The strongest supporting character is George Baker who plays the decisive Decider Login, the most respected member of the community, who in the end gets something done. Second place goes to June Page as Keara, Login's Outler daughter, who would have been an ideal companion, but Nyssa came along in Keeper Of Traken.

This is a story with a mystery that is gradually revealed bit by bit, and it works effectively to that effect. Clues include Decider Nefred's pained reaction on seeing the system files, Draith's dying words: "Tell Dexeter we've come full circle," and the pain shared by the Marsh child, being dissected by Dexeter, and Romana, who has an alien protein injected in her from a spider bite.

The Doctor's carelessness of leaving the Starliner door open leads to the Marsh child's entering the Starliner, subsequent capture, and death. Surprising for his character. And the rising of the Marshmen from the swamp is effectively realized. And those marsh spiders are creepy-looking!

State Of Decay: Still in Exo-space, The TARDIS lands on a planet, "a typical medieval scene," dominated by a "protective castle with village dwellings huddled like ducklings around their mother." Reading, science, and knowledge are capital crimes, but that doesn't stop a secret rebel movement.

It turns out that the castle is actually an Earth ship that got [pulled] into E-Space a millennium ago. And who are the "Three Who Rule, apart from being King Zargo, Queen Camilla, and Councillor Aukon? A cloud of bats, courtesy of effective stock footage, and fuel tanks filled with blood gives the Doctor "a suspicion, but it's too horrible to think about."

The Doctor has a good line when Romana asks him how he knew there was another planet in E-Space: "Knowing's easy. Everyone does that ad nauseum. I just hope."

Debit: the Great One is only seen as a large claw groping the surface. And the Wasting is never explained. Still, a steady story in the trilogy.

Warrior's Gate: The TARDIS lands at Zero Point, the intersection between N- and E-Space, which is white nothingness (q.v. The Mind Robber). They run into a privateer named Rorvik, who has a ship carrying time-sensitive slaves, Tharils, "leonine mesomorphs" as described by Romana.

There is a wonderful surrealness of the Doctor walking through the black and white photos and drawings that is the link to the Tharil past. And the concept of a rapidly contracting dimension leading up to a mathematical disappearance is a novel concept. Episode 3's cliffhanger is effective, as the past quickly becomes the present, and the Doctor, surrounded by Tharils at the banquet table in one instant, suddenly finds himself surrounded by Rorvik and his crew.

There is snappy dialogue throughout. Lane: "There's a hole that you can climb through. Matter of fact, I just did." Or the Doctor: "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it." When Rorvik orders Romana hooked up, Packard, wondering of her abilities, says: "If she isn't time sensitive, she'll burnt to a frazzle." Lane: "That's how you tell." And Aldo and Royce are cariacatured union employees, lazy and apathetic, who don't care about bonuses being lost since they're on the "all out contract." And Biroc's defense to their enslavement of and later, by humans: "The weak enslave themselves." He also says that "the universe is our garden."

Errors are K-9's ears disappearing and reappearing in the first two episodes, and the Gundan Robot's axe falling on the Doctor's back without any injury to him.

This is the first of John Nathan-Turner's transitional trilogies. Adric is introduced, and the Second Romana and K9 Mark II are phased out. There would be a succeeding trilogy, also transitional, which would affect the Doctor personally.

"We're adrift in E-space...!"
It was a great idea to release these three stories together, and it's a shame that the same wasn't done with the "Turlough's Treachery Trilogy" (Mawdryn Undead, Terminus & Enlightenment). "E-Space" introduces Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), whose presence makes a welcome change from the traditional inane female companion...though the actor isn't very good.

Great stories in general, and well paced. Of special note, for me at least, is the third story "Warriors' Gate", a spookily surreal escapade through non-ordinary reality that almost defies description. Another good thing about this one is that the series FINALLY loses K9...although we do find after a while that Adric isn't really all that much better. Romana's leaving scene is almost romantic in its surprise and haste, with the Doctor, aghast, ordering her to stay aboard and finally wishing her good luck with an enthusiastic, if wistful, thumbs up. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A fantastic DVD
This DVD set is great. It has excellent footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor and there is interviews with people who survived the attack and there is even interviews with some Japenese fighter pilots who bombed the ships. It starts at 1939 when the USA decide not to enter The Second World War and goes through the attack on Pearl Harbor and ends at today showing the USS Arizona Memorial. The Set also has a bounus disc with a lot of Pearl Harbor facts as well. This is an amazing DVD and anyone who is interested in USA history should buy it.

WE ALL NEED TO KNOW OUR HISTORY.
No one seems to appreiate the fact that freedom is not free and everyone takes everything for granted in this country. There are people i've talked to from Europe who know more about our history than most Americans know. This doccumentary is about defeat, anger, determinatin, racism, hatred,triumph, and forgiveness. It really shows the story of pearl harbor(Not that I didn't already know I watch the history channel all the time) and shows all the sacrfices that were made by the American soldiers when Japan destroyed pearl harbor. We could learn allot from some of the Pearl Harbor survivors and the Japanese pilot's that no matter what you can forgive. The Japanese tried to kill them and they(well not all of them) were willing to forgive.

War in the pacific
A good documentary, but with all of the Pearl Harbor documentary material out there, why did the creators choose to include a documentary DVD on Chester Nimitz? This set should have been called "War In The Pacific" or something. But, the history is accurate and the footage is good. I would recommend this. It would have been great if they had one DVD about the attack, one dvd about Kimmell, and one DVD about Yamamoto. That would have made this collection stand out from the others! History Channel, ARE YOU READING THIS?

A little misleading
The first disc in this offering rates five stars for being an absolutely fantastic documentary. However, the second disc is about Admiral Nimitz and not about Pearl Harbor itself. Also, the bonus program offered is not "Blunders Of Pearl Harbor" but something about leaders of the Pacific theater, again, not about Pearl Harbor itself. I wanted a thorough documentary on Pearl Harbor, which I got on disc one. The second disc seems thrown in haphazardly. The item description, however, didn't mention the Nimitz material on the second disc and got the bonus program wrong entirely. I would've liked a more thorough, not to mention accurate, description before making my purchase.

Familiar Stuff To A History Channel Viewer
But without a doubt, worth the money. Pearl Harbor will be big this summer with the release of Ben Afleck's big screen beefcake-fest of the same name, so it might inspire your kids to watch just some of the story behind the Hollywood treatment. Showing that wars don't just happen, it explains the steady build up of a world heading non-stop to global conflict. Seeing pictures of some of the survivors as young men and hearing their stories as told today, both Japanese and American, adds a very touching human element to a story that we all know the ending. Also, spending time on what happened on December 8 and shortly after helps fill in the picture of an isolationist nation thrust in a rage into a war. Disk Two offers a wonderful look at the man that was responsible for hold Japan at bay while America rebuilt in the Pacific, Chester Nimitz. Another bonus program,"America's Five Star Heros" is familiar, but no less enlightening. All in all, a great choice for the history buff. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A Year in Provence, the made-for-TV version of the bestselling book by Peter Mayle, captures a year in the lives of Brits Mayle (John Thaw) and his wife Annie (Lindsay Duncan) in southern France. The Mayles both revel in and endure what for most would be a fantasy experience: leaving dull jobs, acquiring an old farmhouse in Provence, and (for Peter) attempting to write a novel in the midst of bucolic countryside, gourmet food and drink, and interesting people. With an Agatha Christie-meets-To the Manor Born sensibility, the Mayles brave mistral winds, truffle season and the Mafia that surrounds it, exasperating neighbors, constant summer guests, an attempt at old-fashioned winemaking, and a Father Christmas drama--all while trying to renovate their kitchen.

This is not an in-depth look at expatriate living; rather, Mayle gives us a pastiche of the comedic situations he and his wife find themselves in. Some viewers may yearn for more shots of the scenic locations and a more serious treatment of Provençal culture, but most will find this a whimsical adventure and an entertaining slice of fantasy meets reality. --Stefanie Durbin ... Read more

Reviews (25)

One of our favorites - a vacation in itself
Every now and again, my wife and I, both avid travelers, feel the need to escape for a while. The problem is that we feel like getting away from the daily grind more often than time-off or money allows. A Year in Provence offers the perfect solution.

For a couple evenings in a row, we curl up on the couch or floor, open some red wine, put in the movie, and let escape to south france. It's fantastic.

The movie is funny and entertaining, but more than that, it is real. It makes you feel as though you could be the one with the house in Provence, getting into the little mishaps, making a big, entertaining deal about the smallest things. There are no epic adventures, it is simply a vacation. We could see anything that happens in the movie happening to anyone else, if only we were there.

The book is also excellent, but a little harder to enjoy at the same time as someone else.

Fun for some, but poor-quality DVD
I've been revisiting this wonderful mini-series on DVD, watching it on a hi-res screen, and note that the image-quality is really appalling. It looks like they took an old VHS tape, and strained it through a sieve. Which is probably pretty close to what actually happened, the "sieve" in this case being a really crude digital-compression system. Too bad, because it contains a lot of beautiful scenic photography, which has been turned to mush.

Is Something Missing?
I thoroughly enjoyed this series(VHS format) but the DVD version seems to be missing some scenes.
Has anyone else noticed this or is it my imagination?

Better Than the Book!
This 4-video set is one of those rare birds -- an adaptation that is better then the original book. Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence is good, but the screenplay made a few important changes that made all the difference.

The addition of a wife for Mayle is the main difference. While Mayle has a wife in the book, she fades so far into the background as to be virtually invisible. I see from the dedication in the book that her name is Jenny, but since the screenwriter had to create a wife out of whole cloth here, he gave her a new name as well -- Annie. The addition of Annie and the casting of Lindsay Crouse make all the difference.

Another difference was to subtract ex-spouses and grown children, which serves to streamline the story. Peter in the film is somewhat more short-tempered and loud than Peter in the book, but this makes a nice contrast with Annie. And who is going to make himself out to be a blowhard in his own book, after all? The rest of the story is much as Mayle wrote it.

This set has become one of our family favorites. We borrowed the public library's copies several times, then finally bought our own and watch it at least once a year. It's broken down into twelve 30-minute chapters, one for each month. You can watch it in half hour chunks or 90-minute doses, a whole season (and tape) at a time. The chapters stand alone, but are also threaded together to make a real story. In fact, the story comes together so neatly, that one suspects that although these episodes may really have happened, perhaps they happened over a period of several years, or in a different order. Still, some of the best non-fiction writers out there are novelists at heart.

The acting and the scenery in A Year in Provence are just great. The French characters are played by French actors and speak no English in the film. Since the Mayles are learning French, they are able to translate for us and it doesn't seem awkward.

There you have it: entertaining writing, good acting, gorgeous scenery, and a free French lesson thrown in.

Enjoyable but Uneven
I enjoyed this. I enjoyed Lindsay Duncan as Annie Mayle having seen her prior as the looney blond in "Under the Tuscan Sun" -- totally different woman here. Having done renovations recently, I also completely identified with the ongoing kitchen renovations and other things. I confess I've only partially finished the book after 10 years of owning it. I always get busy and it seems episodic and not terribly compelling to continue with. The DVD, on the other hand, I enjoyed, but felt it might have been slightly wackier in tone like the books. I don't know what's up with the baker story at the end but it's a complete ripoff of Marcel Pagnol's "The Baker's Wife." Maybe it seemed like a good idea on paper, but it left me searching for the remote to fast forward through these sections. As for Provence, this isn't picture postcard Provence like we're used to but real Provence, complete with telephone poles in frame. It reminded me a lot of California farmland. This is enjoyable but it's not stellar. In the end I'll keep memories of Lindsay Duncan, the beautiful house they chose, a few scattered moments here and there, and little else. But don't get me wrong. I liked it, I just wasn't captivated by it and maybe that's really in the writing and especially the direction which is a bit pedestrian considering the book is so almost universally loved and is of a different tone than this more even-keeled film version. The second disc, by the way, is excruciatingly bad when seen as a whole. Except for the petanque storyline, one finds himself turning on this series as extremely contrived and resents that yet again for the 100th time too many it seems the Mayles are called in to save the day for the French, as if they haven't been doing it on their own just fine for some time. The sense of superiority is annoying. Go home to England TV versions of Annie and Peter Mayle. Your fish out of water story has run out of water and leaves just a little too much fish. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great British Comedy
If you enjoy British Comedy and like a laid back style you will love these. They are funny and entertaining. Watching the antics of the trio and the scrapes that they get into and how they get out of them. The Getting Sam Home video is especially funny in an almost morbid fashion, first as they sneak their friend to see his lady friend and then one last time after he passes on.

A British Comedy Classic!
Those familiar with Open All Hours or Keeping Up Appearances will already be familiar with writer Roy Clarke's distinctive brand of humour, and if you enjoy the type of humour in either of these two shows, Summer Wine (which by the way has been going strong--with so many of the original actors, too--for 30+ years) is certainly worth checking out. Humour aside, however, this series (particularly the early episodes which this collection features) is somewhat different from the other two. It's overall a very laidback, gentle series filled with some extremely scenic views of the Yorkshire dales and the loveliest theme music of any Britcom. One ought not to expect, therefore, to find a powerhouse (like Hyacinth or Arkwright) leading the show (oh, they are here, but they're relegated to supporting roles!). Rather the series revolves around the humorous adolescent antics and "philosophical" musings of three carefree, lay-about geriatric men as they wander about the countryside or saunter from the library (from whence they are inevitably being evicted for misbehaving!) to the cafe (where we are always sure of being entertained by a classic Roy Clarke battle or two between cafe owners Sid (who died of throat cancer in 1984) and his burly, battle-axe wife Ivy).

As for the three central stars, they are comprised of the tatty, peg-toothed Compo Simonite (Bill Owen, who sadly died at age 85 of pancreatic cancer in 1999--like most, he was with the show till the very end), who's spent his life on dole, is the most rangy-tang and mischievous of the lot, and is forever dreaming of his neighbour, Nora Batty--wrinkled stockings and all. Then there's Norman Clegg (Peter Sallis), the real "philosopher" of the gang (who's got some great lines, but you must listen for them lest they pass you right by) and a man who's terrified of women; as he was once married, he speaks from experience! Lastly, there's Cyril Blamire (Michael Bates, who left the show after 13 episodes due to groin cancer; he died shortly thereafter), the most industrious, enterprising, and "presentable" of the lot (though strictly by comparison--he's nowhere near as sophisticated and posh as he likes to think he is!), without whom the other two would never do anything and there'd be no show!

The boxed set contains four videos. The first three contain the first nine episodes dating from 1973 to 1975. Each episode is 30 minutes, although (for some reason) the video company has run the first three episodes into one long 90-minute episode.

The final tape consists of an hilarious 90-minute special episode from 1983 entitled "Getting Sam Home." The episode features the humorously regimental (but totally inept) ex-military man, Foggy Dewhurst (Brian Wilde), who took over after Bates left and is, for many, the favourite "third man" (there have been four men in that role to date). In this episode, we finally get to meet Nora Batty's poor hen-pecked husband, Wally (Joe Gladwin, who died in 1987). It also features Lynda Baron (Nurse Gladys from Open All Hours) and is the only episode that I know of to feature vocal accompaniment to the theme song. Sadly, this was John Comer's (Sid's) last episode, and as he was unable to speak, his lines had to be expertly dubbed.

Our entire family thoroughly enjoys this show (it's my dad's favourite!) and this is a lovely collection with the 90-minute special being the funniest episode we've ever seen (and we've seen most of them). It's really a shame that there aren't more episodes available, for this show is a classic. I highly recommend it to fans of British comedy in general, but especially to fans of Roy Clarke's distinctive and delightful brand of humour. And if you're already a fan, I highly recommend the outstanding tribute book Last of the Summer Wine: The Finest Vintage by Morris Bright and Robert Ross.

Last of the Summer wine is fantastic
Heyup. I'm only 19 but have been watching last of the summer wine for as long as i can remember. Being a Brit i have no problem understanding the 'thick'(completely normal speaking here) yorkshire accents, infact I speak a little like compo myself.
I would recommend this series for anyone to watch, it has all the true workings of a great comedy. Also it has 30 years of experience.
All i need to say is that it is BLOODY FANTASTIC! and go watch it now! ! ! !

absolutely outstanding
if you love a really good laugh/giggle then this video will do it i have seen these videos before including getting sam home which i have to say is also hilarious especially the bit were a gentleman takes his dog for a walk and spots foggy swathed in a white gown in a coffin which is inside a shed he foggy sits up in the coffin and nearly gives the gentleman heart attack
tell you what though i have never seen the gentleman move so fast dog and all
sid also takes a good part especially when compo says who`s in the coffin and he (sid) replies,who do you thinks in sids in
the sight of the three old people (compo clegg and foggy trying to smuggle a poor deceased sam out of lily-bless-hers (linda baron)before his wife finds out is hilarious
especially amusing is were compo has to lend a suit from sams wife for the funeral and when they have to stop a the dairy on the way
sam dies with a smile on his face at lily bless hers absolutely true blue 100%hilarious
all the characters in these videos take a good part
on one of the videos (not the film) there is an episode called the changing face of rural blamire,this too is absolutely hilarious see cyril blamire hits on a money making scheme shinyglow polish which they inherited from a welshman everything is going brilliantly until suddenly bang the idea backfires leaving poor blamire covered from head to foot in this polish
oh yes this is a comedy to beat all comedies no other comedy even comes close
the actors take a really good part especially the poor deceased bill owen (compo) and the poor deceased gordon wharmby (wesley)
you want a good comedy take my advice and pick this option every time it`s absolutely fantastically brillant and i can`t get enough of it
the scenes are so well played out and all the actors/actresses in summer wine do really well for their age
last of the summer wine is the comedy for me the performances are fantastic and the scenery (holmfirth) is absolutely outstanding and breathtaking
bravo bbc keep up the good work
please please please please please bring last of the summer wine back to our screens again on bbc1 and uk gold( it has finished on uk gold for now)

Subtle, yet bawdy British humour
How can humour be subtle when talking about women's knickers and flashing pictures of topless women? I don't know, but 'Last of the Summer Wine' manages it. I have to say I much prefer Brian Wilde's frustrated snobbery over Michael Bate's sledgehammer insults so I preferred 'Getting Sam Home' over the other three videos.

If you've never seen this series, you'll be in for a treat. Be sure to watch the programs in a quiet room because you'll have to concentrate to understand the thick Yorkshire accents. Many of the best lines are almost thrown away with no laugh or applause tracks. For example (sardonically from the ex-army guy)

"He collects stamps -- British Commonwealth and Possessions -- which, given the current state of affairs, shouldn't take up too much of anyone's time."

or

"All he got was a handshake from the district supervisor. A man with bad breath called 'Pilkington'."
"Strange name for bad breath -- 'Pilkington'"

Watch the scenery too. Both the rural and urban scenes are rich with local flavour. I enjoyed watching these deliquent pensioners walk down rain-slicked cobbled streets as much as romping through the countryside or pointlessly fishing in mill-races.

I hope Amazon get some more of the later episodes in stock -- I'd like to get some more with Brian Wilde in. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice series of short yoga practices at an intermediate level
Sara Ivanhoe's 20 Minute Yoga Makeover series consists of 5 20-minute practices designed to help anyone find time to fit in yoga. Although the videos are being marketed to all levels, they do not contain detailed instruction and would not be appropriate for those new to yoga; in fact, many of the postures included are on a more intermediate level. Instructor Sara Ivanhoe's personality in this series is similar to her prior Crunch and Dummies videos: she is very down-to-earth, although some may find her language a bit patronizing at times.

My favorite practice of the series was Sculpted Buns & Thighs, which contained excellent leg stretches and hip openers. The other practice focusing on a specific area of the body is Flat Abs, which included some challenging plank work as well as Pilates-type abs exercises. Weight Loss and Power Beauty Sweat are both designed to build heat and burn more calories, mostly through adding additional movement rather than performing static poses. Both routines have a standing posture focus: the former moves through the warrior series, including the revolved postures, while the latter concentrates more on twisting postures. The final practice in the series, Total Body Tone with Weights, was my least favorite. Rather than using the weights to enhance the stretch in the postures, the weights felt like more of an add-on.

At the end of each practice, Sara concludes with a mudra, or yogic hand gesture, which is designed to seal in the benefits of the workout; these short meditations provided a nice introduction to some of the non-phyiscal aspects of yoga practice. Overall, this is a very good series for those who have had some prior experience with yoga but who are having trouble trying to find the time for a more regular yoga practice. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to go with the series of threeAnthology double-CD albums, this set of eight documentary tapes has theheft and scope of one of KenBurns's expansive projects. Still, unless you are either a historian or atruly committed fan, you'll find yourself with way more material--particularlyabout the Beatles' early lives as lads in Liverpool--than you'll want to watch.The documentary material is copious, including early performance films andtapes, at the point before they found their true voices. The actual Beatlemaniayears--beginning in 1963 and concluding in