While I’m awaiting the arrival of my review copy of “Heroes” Season 1 (which I’m more than anxious to review, based on hearing how good this series is), I’ve prepared this little review of the latest WB animated offering and the latest entry in the Superman/DC Comics DVD canon.
I’ve got to admit, one of my favorite comic books I enjoyed reading as a boy was “The Legion of Super-Heroes”. Created in 1958, “Legion” centered around a group of super-powered teenagers from a thousand years in the future and their efforts to protect not only the world but also the universe from the forces of evil. Originally the team focused on Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac 5 (a descendant of Superman’s modern-day foe), and Triplicate Girl, among others, as they recruited the then-teenaged Superboy to join their team. It was another title that added an extended bit of fun to the Superboy/Superman canon, as the Legion traveled back and forth in time embarking on one adventure after another. On occasion they’d come back to the 20th century and have adventures with the teenage Clark Kent in Smallville, fitting in as normal teenagers with the rest of the crowd. As the title grew and matured, so did the teenagers become adults, as in the 1980’s the title focused on the now-adult Legion and even more sophisticated threats to their survival. But through numerous revamps and additional characters, the title has continued to survive and thrive into the new millennium.
Ultimately, with the success of the animated incarnations of Superman, Batman, the Teen Titans, and the Justice League, DC Comics and Warner Bros. looked for another successful franchise to bring to the animated front. Naturally, the Legion of Super-Heroes was just such a franchise. Given the current penchant for anime-style series and a kid-friendly environment, everything locked in place for the “Legion of Super-Heroes” animated series to arrive. The premise is essentially the same as in the comics, but with its own unique twist. This time, the Legion is focused on adding 17-year-old Clark Kent, who’s not quite Superman, to their ranks. Clark’s still finding out more about himself, yet in the 31st century he’s seen not as Superboy but as Superman. This to me is a logical extension of the current trend that dates back to the original 1938 story (and the classic 1978 feature film) that shows Superman emerging as an adult, not as a teenager. Because of the current legal proceedings between DC Comics and the heirs of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster over the rights to the Superboy character, this has further resulted in the Legion referring to Clark’s character as Superman, which definitely makes sense.
This first volume of “Legion of Super-Heroes” contains four episodes from the animated series’ first season. In the premiere segment “Man of Tomorrow”, the story focuses on an updated version of the Legion’s efforts to recruit Clark Kent as a member of their team. Here, Lightning Lad is seen as the de facto leader of the group with a cocky edge to him and a jealousy toward the teenaged Superman because of his strength and abilities. This is followed up with “Timber Wolf”, centering around one of the later additions to the team (in the comics, that is), as the Legion investigates the rumors of a mad scientist pursuing a lycanthropic boy, only to discover the scientist’s terrible secret. In “Legacy” we see an interesting spin on one of comicdom’s classic love-hate stories, as Superman is pursued by a spoiled rich girl named Alexis who wants him as her friend, and if he won’t be her friend, then no one else will, either. The ending of the tale harkens back to one of the most classic Superboy tales of the 1940’s and 1950’s, with its own unique twist. (And be sure to look for a quick blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from the main man himself, Lobo! Now that would make for an interesting animated series – definitely not for the Kids’ WB, I assure you!) Finally, in “Phantoms”, Clark accidentally unleashes a dangerous villain from the Phantom Zone with powers similar to his own.
“Legion of Super-Heroes” is presented on DVD in its original full-frame aspect ratio in your choice of English or French Dolby surround stereo with optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles. The DVD format is a perfect presentation for the series, as it gives you a chance to check out all of the detail that went into this anime-style series. In addition, the DVD contains a nine-minute behind-the-scenes segment entitled “We are Legion”, featuring interviews with DC Comics vice-president Paul Levitz, series producer James Tucker (who also produced the two “Justice League” animated series), and different writers and producers as they discuss the challenges of translating the 50-year-old comic book into animated form. The DVD is rounded out with a trailer gallery for various DVD products, including “Scooby-Doo”, the third seasons of “The Batman” and “Teen Titans”, and “Tom and Jerry”, among others. Also unadvertised but included is a preview trailer for the upcoming “Scooby-Doo” direct-to-DVD animated movie.
The first volume of “Legion of Super-Heroes” is a nice addition to the WB and DC animated canon, and like past Kids WB animated series I’m sure we’ll see not only a second volume of episodes but also a full season set down the road in the near future.
Hopefully next time I’ll have that review of “Heroes” for you. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and I’ll see you again soon!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Young Indy update...
Well, to follow up on my earlier post about the first volume of "Young Indiana Jones" coming on DVD October 23rd, DVD Times has posted a list of the specs of what exactly will be on that first set. Here's what's been announced:
The first of three comprehensive collections, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 1 is a 12-disc set presented in full screen with Dolby Digital English Stereo and English subtitles.
The DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc One:
-- My First Adventure
While on an archeological dig in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Indy uncovers an ancient mummy and fresh corpse. With the help of T.E. Lawrence, the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, Indy solves an intriguing murder mystery only to find himself thrust right back into danger when he is kidnapped by slave-trading brigands. Dragged on a terrifying journey across the burning sands of North Africa to the slave markets of Marrakech, Indy finds that he must rely on his courage and wits to survive the brutal ordeal.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Archaeology: Unearthing Our Past
-- Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamun
-- Colonel Lawrence's War: T.E. Lawrence and Arabia
-- From Slavery to Freedom
Disc Two:
-- Passion For Life
The beautiful Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya is the locale as Indy goes on safari with former President Teddy Roosevelt. When he becomes lost in the savage African bush, Indy finds that he must fight for his life against all manner of exotic and dangerous wildlife. Exotic wildlife of another kind await him in Paris when he accompanies a young Norman Rockwell on a rollicking tour through the bohemian world of Parisian fine art. Wild parties, wilder women and artist temperament are on full display as Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas clash over their contrasting styles of painting, while painting the town red at a gaudy late-night soiree.
Disc Three (Passion For Life bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century
-- Ecology: Pulse of the Planet
-- American Dreams: Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post
-- Art Rebellion: The Making of the Modern
-- Edgar Degas: Reluctant Rebel
-- Braque + Picasso: A Collaboration Cubed
Disc Four:
-- The Perils of Cupid
In beautiful Vienna, Indy falls for the lovely young daughter of soon-to-be assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. But the course of true love does not run smoothly and he must seek advice from two of the founding fathers of psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Romantic complications of another kind turn up in Florence, Italy, when Indy and his mother meet the great opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Dismayed to find his lonely mother succumbing to the sensuous charms of the charismatic Puccini, Indy frantically looks for a way to reunite his parents and rekindle their love before it's too late.
Disc Five (The Perils of Cupid bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Giacomo Puccini--Music of the Heart
-- It's Opera!
-- The Archduke's Last Journey--End of an Era
-- Powder Keg--Europe 1900 to 1914
-- Sigmund Freud--Exploring the Unconscious
-- Carl Jung and the Journey of Self Discovery
-- Psychology--Charting the Human Mind
Disc Six:
-- Travels with Father
A trip to Russia takes Indy from the opulent palaces of the aristocracy to the fetid villages of the peasant class when he runs away from home after an argument with his parents. Joining up with novelist Leo Tolstoy, the two go on the road, engaging in philosophical discussions and clashing with colorful Gypsies and ferocious Cossacks. Realizing that there's no place like home, Indy rejoins his mom and dad and travels with his father to an isolated Greek monastery perched high on the peak of a mountain. The arduous journey, including a harrowing trip in a tiny cage up a thousand-foot mountainside, brings father and son closer together.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Seeking Truth--The Life of Leo Tolstoy
-- Unquiet Voices--Russian Writers and the State
-- Aristotle--Creating Foundations
-- Ancient Questions--Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning
Disc Seven:
-- Journey of Radiance
A jaunt through the mystical Far East takes Indy to the Holy City of Benares where he befriends the lonely and isolated young leader of the Theosophy movement, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Surrounded by supplicants and hangers-on, Krishnamurti struggles to have faith in himself and to fulfill the destiny decreed for him by his worshippers. In the process he shows Indy just how strong the power of faith can be. Indy's mother also learns a lesson in faith and trust when she must rely on some poor Chinese villagers and their traditional medical techniques to save the life of her son who lies perilously close to death with typhoid fever.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti--The Reluctant Messiah
-- Annie Besant--An Unlikely Rebel
-- Medicine in the Middle Kingdom
-- Eastern Spirituality--The Road to Enlightenment
Disc Eight:
-- Spring Break Adventure
Indy and his girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer, whose father created the Nancy Drew mystery series, visit the fascinating laboratory of inventor Thomas Edison. The two must contend with dangerous German spies as they struggle to keep Edison's top secret new invention out of the hands of hostile enemy agents. To keep him from getting into any more trouble, Indy is sent to visit his Aunt in New Mexico. While there, he is kidnapped by Pancho Villa and swept up into the Mexican Revolution. Chaotic, free-wheeling border towns, a "Wild Bunch" style train robbery and a colorful barroom encounter with a young George Patton make for thrilling entertainment in this action-packed movie.
Disc Nine (Spring Break Adventure bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Thomas Alva Edison--Lighting up the World
-- Invention and Innovation--What's Behind a Good Idea?
-- The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer
-- Wanted: Dead or Alive--Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico
-- General John J. Pershing and his American Army
-- George S. Patton--American Achilles
Disc Ten:
-- Love's Sweet Song
Landing in Ireland right before the Easter Rebellion, Indy mixes romance and revolutionary politics when he falls for a beautiful young colleen whose brother is mixed up in the Irish resistance movement. Across the waters in England he encounters a similar problem when his love affair with a strong-willed young woman is derailed by her fervent belief in the women's suffrage movement and her need for independence. Violent street brawls, a terrifying Zeppelin raid and a seriocomic dinner party with Winston Churchill provide plenty of thrills in this exciting, romantic adventure.
Disc Eleven (Love's Sweet Song bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Easter Rising--The Poets' Rebellion
-- The Passions of William Butler Yeats
-- Sean O'Casey vs. Ireland
-- Ireland--The Power of the Poets
-- Winston Churchill--The Lion's Roar
-- Demanding the Vote--The Pankhursts and British Suffrage
-- Fighting for the Vote--Women's Suffrage in America
Disc Twelve: (Interactive Disc)
Special Features:
-- "Revolution" Interactive Game, based on Spring Break Adventure allows players to become Indy and make their own decisions based on Indy's adventures. As well as entertaining, this game has educational elements.
-- Extensive Interactive Timeline that details the history and locations of Indy's adventures and previews footage of the companion documentaries.
-- Historical Lecture: The Promise of Progress is an exploration of the people and events of the Industrial Revolution, spanning the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
It looks like I was right in predicting that the first seven segments would be on Volume 1, and this listing seems to confirm it. And the specs - sweet! I only wish that the original broadcast versions were included, though. But with all this extra material, this should be one of the top TV-on-DVD sets of the year to beat. Later!
The first of three comprehensive collections, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 1 is a 12-disc set presented in full screen with Dolby Digital English Stereo and English subtitles.
The DVD disc breakdown is as follows:
Disc One:
-- My First Adventure
While on an archeological dig in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Indy uncovers an ancient mummy and fresh corpse. With the help of T.E. Lawrence, the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, Indy solves an intriguing murder mystery only to find himself thrust right back into danger when he is kidnapped by slave-trading brigands. Dragged on a terrifying journey across the burning sands of North Africa to the slave markets of Marrakech, Indy finds that he must rely on his courage and wits to survive the brutal ordeal.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Archaeology: Unearthing Our Past
-- Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamun
-- Colonel Lawrence's War: T.E. Lawrence and Arabia
-- From Slavery to Freedom
Disc Two:
-- Passion For Life
The beautiful Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya is the locale as Indy goes on safari with former President Teddy Roosevelt. When he becomes lost in the savage African bush, Indy finds that he must fight for his life against all manner of exotic and dangerous wildlife. Exotic wildlife of another kind await him in Paris when he accompanies a young Norman Rockwell on a rollicking tour through the bohemian world of Parisian fine art. Wild parties, wilder women and artist temperament are on full display as Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas clash over their contrasting styles of painting, while painting the town red at a gaudy late-night soiree.
Disc Three (Passion For Life bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Theodore Roosevelt and The American Century
-- Ecology: Pulse of the Planet
-- American Dreams: Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post
-- Art Rebellion: The Making of the Modern
-- Edgar Degas: Reluctant Rebel
-- Braque + Picasso: A Collaboration Cubed
Disc Four:
-- The Perils of Cupid
In beautiful Vienna, Indy falls for the lovely young daughter of soon-to-be assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. But the course of true love does not run smoothly and he must seek advice from two of the founding fathers of psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Romantic complications of another kind turn up in Florence, Italy, when Indy and his mother meet the great opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Dismayed to find his lonely mother succumbing to the sensuous charms of the charismatic Puccini, Indy frantically looks for a way to reunite his parents and rekindle their love before it's too late.
Disc Five (The Perils of Cupid bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Giacomo Puccini--Music of the Heart
-- It's Opera!
-- The Archduke's Last Journey--End of an Era
-- Powder Keg--Europe 1900 to 1914
-- Sigmund Freud--Exploring the Unconscious
-- Carl Jung and the Journey of Self Discovery
-- Psychology--Charting the Human Mind
Disc Six:
-- Travels with Father
A trip to Russia takes Indy from the opulent palaces of the aristocracy to the fetid villages of the peasant class when he runs away from home after an argument with his parents. Joining up with novelist Leo Tolstoy, the two go on the road, engaging in philosophical discussions and clashing with colorful Gypsies and ferocious Cossacks. Realizing that there's no place like home, Indy rejoins his mom and dad and travels with his father to an isolated Greek monastery perched high on the peak of a mountain. The arduous journey, including a harrowing trip in a tiny cage up a thousand-foot mountainside, brings father and son closer together.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Seeking Truth--The Life of Leo Tolstoy
-- Unquiet Voices--Russian Writers and the State
-- Aristotle--Creating Foundations
-- Ancient Questions--Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning
Disc Seven:
-- Journey of Radiance
A jaunt through the mystical Far East takes Indy to the Holy City of Benares where he befriends the lonely and isolated young leader of the Theosophy movement, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Surrounded by supplicants and hangers-on, Krishnamurti struggles to have faith in himself and to fulfill the destiny decreed for him by his worshippers. In the process he shows Indy just how strong the power of faith can be. Indy's mother also learns a lesson in faith and trust when she must rely on some poor Chinese villagers and their traditional medical techniques to save the life of her son who lies perilously close to death with typhoid fever.
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti--The Reluctant Messiah
-- Annie Besant--An Unlikely Rebel
-- Medicine in the Middle Kingdom
-- Eastern Spirituality--The Road to Enlightenment
Disc Eight:
-- Spring Break Adventure
Indy and his girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer, whose father created the Nancy Drew mystery series, visit the fascinating laboratory of inventor Thomas Edison. The two must contend with dangerous German spies as they struggle to keep Edison's top secret new invention out of the hands of hostile enemy agents. To keep him from getting into any more trouble, Indy is sent to visit his Aunt in New Mexico. While there, he is kidnapped by Pancho Villa and swept up into the Mexican Revolution. Chaotic, free-wheeling border towns, a "Wild Bunch" style train robbery and a colorful barroom encounter with a young George Patton make for thrilling entertainment in this action-packed movie.
Disc Nine (Spring Break Adventure bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Thomas Alva Edison--Lighting up the World
-- Invention and Innovation--What's Behind a Good Idea?
-- The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer
-- Wanted: Dead or Alive--Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico
-- General John J. Pershing and his American Army
-- George S. Patton--American Achilles
Disc Ten:
-- Love's Sweet Song
Landing in Ireland right before the Easter Rebellion, Indy mixes romance and revolutionary politics when he falls for a beautiful young colleen whose brother is mixed up in the Irish resistance movement. Across the waters in England he encounters a similar problem when his love affair with a strong-willed young woman is derailed by her fervent belief in the women's suffrage movement and her need for independence. Violent street brawls, a terrifying Zeppelin raid and a seriocomic dinner party with Winston Churchill provide plenty of thrills in this exciting, romantic adventure.
Disc Eleven (Love's Sweet Song bonus disc):
Companion Historical Documentaries:
-- Easter Rising--The Poets' Rebellion
-- The Passions of William Butler Yeats
-- Sean O'Casey vs. Ireland
-- Ireland--The Power of the Poets
-- Winston Churchill--The Lion's Roar
-- Demanding the Vote--The Pankhursts and British Suffrage
-- Fighting for the Vote--Women's Suffrage in America
Disc Twelve: (Interactive Disc)
Special Features:
-- "Revolution" Interactive Game, based on Spring Break Adventure allows players to become Indy and make their own decisions based on Indy's adventures. As well as entertaining, this game has educational elements.
-- Extensive Interactive Timeline that details the history and locations of Indy's adventures and previews footage of the companion documentaries.
-- Historical Lecture: The Promise of Progress is an exploration of the people and events of the Industrial Revolution, spanning the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
It looks like I was right in predicting that the first seven segments would be on Volume 1, and this listing seems to confirm it. And the specs - sweet! I only wish that the original broadcast versions were included, though. But with all this extra material, this should be one of the top TV-on-DVD sets of the year to beat. Later!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What to expect from Young Indiana Jones…
As we head into the fall season, one of the most eagerly anticipated sets I, like many others, am looking forward to is the first of the three volumes of Young Indiana Jones on DVD. With these three releases, alongside the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones feature film, it looks like we’re in for a real revival of the man with the hat!
Of course, I’m still bothered that George Lucas isn’t giving us the original broadcast versions of the episodes from the early 1990’s, and apparently there’s nothing that can be done to change that. However, let’s take a more positive approach and look at the good stuff that we can expect from this first volume…
First of all, Paramount has released the cover artwork for Volume 1, which to me looks pretty awesome right then and there! Based on this artwork, we can therefore make the following conclusions about what will be included in Volume 1:
- From the artwork alone, we’re getting all of the Corey Carrier segments in the set, and that accounts for the first five of the segments.
- If you notice very carefully, on the left side of the artwork, you’ll see Elizabeth Hurley’s picture included in the artwork. Based on this assumption, we can therefore conclude that we’re getting at least seven chapters.
- With 22 two-hour movies to account for, and given the amount of generous supplements included in the three volumes, we can assume that this first volume will be comprised of at least the first seven movies. It’s simple math when you think about it, so I’m thinking that the first two sets could have seven segments apiece and the third set will have eight segments. Also, when you divide the running time of the main content, which is 649 minutes, by the approximate amount of run time per segment (93 minutes), you get pretty close to seven, which would justify having seven segments in this debut volume.
With that established, what’s left to explore? How about all of those generous supplements that Lucas and Rick McCallum have promised? First of all, there are a number of historical documentaries which look at the real-life events and people referenced in the series. Reportedly there are going to be 100 such documentaries in the three sets, so that’s a huge chunk of meat right there for you! In addition, there’s something called “Revolutions Interactive Game”, whatever that is, followed by an “Interactive Timeline” and “Professor Video” (which may or may not be the historical documentaries).
And all this on 12 discs? That’s a lotta meat and potatoes right there for you! I hope that the final package is worthy of the years of development that have gone into this set. I also hope that somewhere in one of these volumes, Sean Patrick Flanery’s original screen test is also included, since it was featured on one of the VHS releases during the late 1990’s.
October 23rd cannot come soon enough! Stay tuned for my extensive review of the first volume of Young Indiana Jones when it happens! See you next time!
Of course, I’m still bothered that George Lucas isn’t giving us the original broadcast versions of the episodes from the early 1990’s, and apparently there’s nothing that can be done to change that. However, let’s take a more positive approach and look at the good stuff that we can expect from this first volume…
First of all, Paramount has released the cover artwork for Volume 1, which to me looks pretty awesome right then and there! Based on this artwork, we can therefore make the following conclusions about what will be included in Volume 1:
- From the artwork alone, we’re getting all of the Corey Carrier segments in the set, and that accounts for the first five of the segments.
- If you notice very carefully, on the left side of the artwork, you’ll see Elizabeth Hurley’s picture included in the artwork. Based on this assumption, we can therefore conclude that we’re getting at least seven chapters.
- With 22 two-hour movies to account for, and given the amount of generous supplements included in the three volumes, we can assume that this first volume will be comprised of at least the first seven movies. It’s simple math when you think about it, so I’m thinking that the first two sets could have seven segments apiece and the third set will have eight segments. Also, when you divide the running time of the main content, which is 649 minutes, by the approximate amount of run time per segment (93 minutes), you get pretty close to seven, which would justify having seven segments in this debut volume.
With that established, what’s left to explore? How about all of those generous supplements that Lucas and Rick McCallum have promised? First of all, there are a number of historical documentaries which look at the real-life events and people referenced in the series. Reportedly there are going to be 100 such documentaries in the three sets, so that’s a huge chunk of meat right there for you! In addition, there’s something called “Revolutions Interactive Game”, whatever that is, followed by an “Interactive Timeline” and “Professor Video” (which may or may not be the historical documentaries).
And all this on 12 discs? That’s a lotta meat and potatoes right there for you! I hope that the final package is worthy of the years of development that have gone into this set. I also hope that somewhere in one of these volumes, Sean Patrick Flanery’s original screen test is also included, since it was featured on one of the VHS releases during the late 1990’s.
October 23rd cannot come soon enough! Stay tuned for my extensive review of the first volume of Young Indiana Jones when it happens! See you next time!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? My decision...
Typically I look forward to launching into reviews of the latest DVD titles, and recently I’ve been considering going back and reviewing older titles that I’ve always wanted to review but for some reason or another didn’t get the chance, or for that matter got overlooked – and goodness knows there are quite a few of those out there. Thank goodness I’ve got a blog site where I can do that now! However, I have to sidetrack for a while and offer my own thoughts on the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war.
It’s been extremely interesting to read all of the comments lately about this studio siding with HD-DVD, that studio siding with Blu-Ray. It’s similar to everyone taking sides on the war on terrorism in Iraq, with Americans siding either for or against President Bush. Yesterday CBS/Paramount and Dreamworks announced that they threw in a lot of money to exclusively support HD-DVD, joining Universal in favoring HD-DVD. On the other side you have Disney and Buena Vista Home Video, who are supporting Blu-Ray exclusively. This isn’t some little schoolyard squabble here; this is now bringing in the big guns from all sides, and earlier today director Michael Bay (“The Rock” and this summer’s “Transformers”) publicly expressed his frustration about Paramount’s decision. I can’t say that I blame him.
What should the average consumer do? If he or she shells out X amount of big bucks to get a HD-DVD player and get HD titles only, or should he/she go with Blu-Ray? It really hurts the pocketbook, because you’re getting only certain titles on a certain format at the expense of other titles you may be interested in not being accessible to the other format.
Then there is the issue of HD and Blu-Ray releases with exclusive features. Take for example the upcoming “Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1” Remastered set, set to come this October. This is certain to turn off a lot of people just because of the price tag alone, when you can spend around $180 to pick up all three seasons that were released in 2004. While having the remastered set is nice, there are exclusive features to the set, including several interactive features that cannot be accessed on standard DVD format. First of all, why should I shell out over $200 just to get exclusive features on the HD-DVD side that I can’t view on the standard DVD format? That’s ridiculous. My wife would agree with me on that. Somehow, seeing that it would be released on a DVD/HD combo set got me suspicious.
Then there’s the upcoming first season release of “Heroes” next week (which I’m hoping to have a review of soon, should I get a review copy of the set – please, Universal?). In addition to all of the DVD features, there’s a wealth of HD-DVD exclusive features that I wouldn’t be able to view on any of my standard DVD players, much less a Blu-Ray player (if I had one), to begin with. That would pretty much kill the HD version right then and there for me. How many of us have bought the cart before buying the horse too often? I think a lot of us are guilty of that.
And then you have Disney and Buena Vista. Having spent $20 picking up “Cars” last Christmas, only to find out that their Blu-Ray release will have all sorts of interactive features on it, why would I want to shell out more money for an upgraded disc that I can’t even watch?
I’ve got to hand it to Warner Home Video, who has made themselves accessible to all consumers with releases of catalog and new titles in all formats across the board, like their upcoming “Blade Runner” five-disc Ultimate Collection. Their decision to cater to everyone is a smart one, if you ask me.
So what’s my decision? I’m not going with either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. I’m sticking with good old standard DVD. First of all, it’s extremely frustrating to see studios lining up and doing format-exclusive releases at the expense of the consumer, who ultimately winds up the loser in this battle, because that’s going to cost a lot more money in siding off with one format or the other. I’d rather have something that’s going to be cost-effective and all-inclusive that is easily accessible. Second of all, why should one format or the other have exclusive features on their HD or Blu-Ray versions that aren’t available on standard DVD? Why should I have to shell out even more money for something that is all-encompassing on one disc? And why should I have to upgrade to a format that can’t support the opposing format? And you think Democrats and Republicans have a hard time getting along! As my wife and financial advisor would say, that’s stupid tax for you (go, Dave Ramsey!), and my wife and I will not allow our pocketbook to become a casualty of this war. Third and finally, as the format war heats up, we’re going to see more and more casualties in both camps, and that’s going to be a sad day when we see losers on every side of this format war.
It took me over three years before I decided to upgrade from VHS and laserdisc to DVD, and I’m not planning on converting to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray any time soon either. (If you give me a combination player and a number of discs absolutely debt-free and cost-free, however, then I’ll be happy to talk with you.) Besides, when you have to live on a budget, sometimes the best way to stay out of a war is not to get involved in it to begin with.
And there’s my two cents on it right there. More reviews next time – see you soon!
It’s been extremely interesting to read all of the comments lately about this studio siding with HD-DVD, that studio siding with Blu-Ray. It’s similar to everyone taking sides on the war on terrorism in Iraq, with Americans siding either for or against President Bush. Yesterday CBS/Paramount and Dreamworks announced that they threw in a lot of money to exclusively support HD-DVD, joining Universal in favoring HD-DVD. On the other side you have Disney and Buena Vista Home Video, who are supporting Blu-Ray exclusively. This isn’t some little schoolyard squabble here; this is now bringing in the big guns from all sides, and earlier today director Michael Bay (“The Rock” and this summer’s “Transformers”) publicly expressed his frustration about Paramount’s decision. I can’t say that I blame him.
What should the average consumer do? If he or she shells out X amount of big bucks to get a HD-DVD player and get HD titles only, or should he/she go with Blu-Ray? It really hurts the pocketbook, because you’re getting only certain titles on a certain format at the expense of other titles you may be interested in not being accessible to the other format.
Then there is the issue of HD and Blu-Ray releases with exclusive features. Take for example the upcoming “Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1” Remastered set, set to come this October. This is certain to turn off a lot of people just because of the price tag alone, when you can spend around $180 to pick up all three seasons that were released in 2004. While having the remastered set is nice, there are exclusive features to the set, including several interactive features that cannot be accessed on standard DVD format. First of all, why should I shell out over $200 just to get exclusive features on the HD-DVD side that I can’t view on the standard DVD format? That’s ridiculous. My wife would agree with me on that. Somehow, seeing that it would be released on a DVD/HD combo set got me suspicious.
Then there’s the upcoming first season release of “Heroes” next week (which I’m hoping to have a review of soon, should I get a review copy of the set – please, Universal?). In addition to all of the DVD features, there’s a wealth of HD-DVD exclusive features that I wouldn’t be able to view on any of my standard DVD players, much less a Blu-Ray player (if I had one), to begin with. That would pretty much kill the HD version right then and there for me. How many of us have bought the cart before buying the horse too often? I think a lot of us are guilty of that.
And then you have Disney and Buena Vista. Having spent $20 picking up “Cars” last Christmas, only to find out that their Blu-Ray release will have all sorts of interactive features on it, why would I want to shell out more money for an upgraded disc that I can’t even watch?
I’ve got to hand it to Warner Home Video, who has made themselves accessible to all consumers with releases of catalog and new titles in all formats across the board, like their upcoming “Blade Runner” five-disc Ultimate Collection. Their decision to cater to everyone is a smart one, if you ask me.
So what’s my decision? I’m not going with either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. I’m sticking with good old standard DVD. First of all, it’s extremely frustrating to see studios lining up and doing format-exclusive releases at the expense of the consumer, who ultimately winds up the loser in this battle, because that’s going to cost a lot more money in siding off with one format or the other. I’d rather have something that’s going to be cost-effective and all-inclusive that is easily accessible. Second of all, why should one format or the other have exclusive features on their HD or Blu-Ray versions that aren’t available on standard DVD? Why should I have to shell out even more money for something that is all-encompassing on one disc? And why should I have to upgrade to a format that can’t support the opposing format? And you think Democrats and Republicans have a hard time getting along! As my wife and financial advisor would say, that’s stupid tax for you (go, Dave Ramsey!), and my wife and I will not allow our pocketbook to become a casualty of this war. Third and finally, as the format war heats up, we’re going to see more and more casualties in both camps, and that’s going to be a sad day when we see losers on every side of this format war.
It took me over three years before I decided to upgrade from VHS and laserdisc to DVD, and I’m not planning on converting to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray any time soon either. (If you give me a combination player and a number of discs absolutely debt-free and cost-free, however, then I’ll be happy to talk with you.) Besides, when you have to live on a budget, sometimes the best way to stay out of a war is not to get involved in it to begin with.
And there’s my two cents on it right there. More reviews next time – see you soon!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Hamlet (1996) - 2-Disc Special Edition
This review is dedicated with love and respect to Dr. George Pittman of Clinton, Mississippi.
I’ve got to admit a bit of a personal bias here: I am a sucker for William Shakespeare. Ever since my college and graduate school days, I have been intrigued with the many different ways Shakespeare has been interpreted and integrated into our culture. Whether it’s been through subtle integrations of various phrases and thoughts into our lexicon, or numerous variations that have appeared in print, TV, or film in everything from “Star Trek” to “Gilligan’s Island”, or even the recent wave of Shakespearean film and stage adaptations over the past 20 years, it’s no wonder that the works of a writer from 400 years ago continue to enthrall and spark passion in many a film or theatergoer. My earliest memories of Shakespeare go back to my junior high days, when the teacher would pull out the old reel-to-reel projector and show Franco Zeffirelli’s 1960’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” on the wall of our school. And who could ever forget Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd’s tip of the hat to “The Taming of the Shrew” in one of the most popular and riotous segments ever of their 1980’s series “Moonlighting”?
If I had to pick one Shakespeare play above all others that is my absolute favorite, it would have to be “Hamlet”. I have to credit three people in particular for birthing a love of Shakespeare and “Hamlet” in me that continues to this day, and they are Zeffirelli; director/actor Mel Gibson; and Dr. George Pittman, my Shakespeare teacher at Mississippi College (who’s now retired). It was Dr. Pittman who got me into studying “Hamlet” at the time Zeffirelli’s 1990 adaptation of “Hamlet” with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close came out in the theaters, so naturally I was assigned this play because of the then-timely release of the Zeffirelli film with my studies. Prior to this, the only actor I (and many others) had associated with Shakespeare was Laurence Olivier, possibly the greatest actor of the 20th century. At that time it was hard for anyone to associate the star of “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon”, an actor with a passion for practical joking on his film sets and playing crazy characters on screen, with the most emotionally and psychologically mixed-up characters in all of popular culture. But Gibson pulled it off extremely well, giving us a definitive Hamlet for the 1990’s. It caused me to study and analyze every aspect of “Hamlet” that could be explored – all of the dysfunctional relationships within the Hamlet family, the psychological motivations for revenge after the death of Hamlet’s father, who comes onto whom (Hamlet to his mother, or his mother onto Hamlet? Those were some pretty serious mother/son kisses on screen right there, I’ll tell you that!), pinpointing the exact moment when Hamlet goes crazy (or was it all an act to begin with?), and the ruminations of death that man must eventually explore in the course of his life. And I still have my Shakespeare notes and research from graduate school to this day.
From that time on I continued to explore the many interpretations of “Hamlet” that I came across, including a Mississippi College-produced adaptation Dr. Pittman directed that took the “play within a play” concept to the next level; a New York Shakespearean Festival modern-dress production with Kevin Kline; a 30-minute segment of the HBO series “Shakespeare: The Animated Tales” hosted by Robin Williams (now there’s a series I would enjoy seeing released on DVD!); and perhaps the most offbeat print adaptation that has ever surfaced, the “Klingon Hamlet” trade paperback from Pocket Books written by the Klingon Language Institute that borrowed a line from “Star Trek VI” and explored the notion that Shakespeare’s works were originally written in the Klingon language, that Hamlet’s murderer would have been exposed within 10 minutes, and that the play was later translated into the “debased” English language! Most recently there was a 2000 film adaptation with Ethan Hawke in the title role performing the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy while checking out videos at the local Blockbuster Video – this version I admit I have not seen. But anything and everything that could further explore the very nature of Hamlet is worth studying and analyzing to understand all of the psychological themes Shakespeare posed 400 years ago.
If any one actor over the last 20 years has done an extremely successful job in making Shakespeare’s works accessible to the modern culture (other than Patrick Stewart), I would have to choose Kenneth Branagh. His groundbreaking adaptation of “Henry V” brought Shakespeare to the masses the same way Shakespeare’s plays did so to the English culture four centuries before. He also did the same with his comic adaptation of “Much Ado About Nothing”, which featured Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Branagh’s then-wife Emma Thompson. But it was Branagh’s 1996 adaptation of “Hamlet” which was extremely lavish in production and scale that has awed and astounded filmgoers since its release. Many prior (and recent) film adaptations, including “Hamlet”, “Henry V”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, and even Baz Luhrmann’s modern take on “Romeo and Juliet”, have always been abridged, simply because of the film audience’s attention span of sitting in a darkened theater for two hours – anything beyond that would have to be of epic scope and yet pass very seemingly quickly. And yet that’s been the key thing, making Shakespeare accessible to the modern audience yet staying true to the letter of the Bard’s works himself.
Branagh’s four-hour adaptation of “Hamlet” is especially distinctive because it marks the first time ever that the complete play has been adapted to the cinema screen. At the time of its release, a 150-minute cut version of the film was also released to theaters to allow for more showings. I’ve not seen this cut version, having only associated myself with the original four-hour cut. For years the only way to have seen Branagh’s adaptation of “Hamlet” has been on VHS, and with the advent of DVD many fans have wondered when this film would be released. Warner Home Video has just released “Hamlet” in a nice two-disc special edition, and I’ve got to admit this is one title that is long overdue and yet is well done.
Forget the cut version; the complete four-hour cut is the way to go. Every shot of every moment of this film is painstakingly created with the scope of the widescreen in mind. It’s meant to be seen as a large canvas, which the 2.35:1 aspect ratio perfectly delivers. There’s just no way of wanting to watch this in a cropped 1.33:1 full-frame presentation. Every little detail stands out as it’s meant to, which is the way Branagh intended. It’s extremely absorbing. Instead of the rough and crumbly 17th century atmosphere of Denmark, which Zeffirelli brought to the screen based on Shakespeare’s original intentions, Branagh’s interpretation posits the Hamlet family empire in the 19th century in a state of elegance that echoes the fall of the Russian Empire a hundred years ago. The delivery of the famous soliloquy, as Hamlet stands before a mirror looking at himself, echoes that very nature of man looking at himself and pondering his own fate. Do we feel for Hamlet? Certainly. Who couldn’t relate to the loss of a father figure, as Branagh so effectively portrays? Who couldn’t relate to dealing with betrayal, heartbreak, motivations for vengeance, plotting to expose the real reason for his father’s death for all to see? And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have high caliber stars like Richard Attenborough, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Sir John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, Derek Jacobi, the late Jack Lemmon, Robin Williams, and the ever beautiful Kate Winslet (why in the world after seeing her in “Hamlet” and “Titanic” didn’t I marry her?) associated with a stunning film adaptation like this. Their involvement harkens back to their roots of classical acting and never one time detracts from the overall story, despite their marquee name quality. The print is extremely beautiful and colorful, and the Dolby 5.1 surround mix is rich and absorbing. This film has never looked or sounded better. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also included.
For its DVD presentation, Warner Home Video has presented a nice amount of supplements that complement the film. First off, on Disc 1 is a new eight-minute introduction to the film by Branagh, which is a nice touch. Here he talks about revisiting the film after 10 years and giving the fans a high-caliber DVD. Some people have claimed some difficulty in watching the introduction, but I experienced no such problems on any of my DVD players at home. From there we have an accompanying audio commentary with Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson that is split over both discs. Listening to this audio commentary is a treasure trove in itself, and over the course of the film it becomes very obvious that both Branagh and Jackson are true Shakespearean buffs to the nines. Their appreciation for the great Bard and for “Hamlet” is more than well worth it, and it’s easily one of the best and most enjoyable audio commentaries I’ve heard in a long time.
The remaining the bonus features are found on Disc 2. Leading off, we have “To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet”, which is a 25-minute documentary feature on the making of the 1996 adaptation. We have interviews with Branagh and the cast members on how they became involved in Branagh’s adaptation, how Branagh chose to adapt the entire script for the film, and the challenge of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life. Don’t let the title mislead you into thinking this is a history of the many different film and stage adaptations of the play; there are too many of them. From there we are treated to a 12-minute promo reel that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was included on a number of Castle Rock VHS releases during the 1990’s. This is a nice touch, since a promo reel of this nature is hard to come by, and for me personally I am glad that Warner Home Video included it on the DVD, since it was my first introduction to Branagh’s “Hamlet”. The disc is rounded out with a Shakespeare-based trailer gallery of seven different adaptations, including the 1990 and 1996 film versions of “Hamlet”, the 1935 adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, the 1965 and 1995 film adaptations of “Othello” (the former with Laurence Olivier, the latter with Branagh and Laurence Fishburne), the 1937 adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” with Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, and the 1953 adaptation of “Julius Caesar” with Marlon Brando – quite a nice touch indeed to those who are either extremely familiar with Shakespeare’s works or who are wanting to examine his plays and various film adaptations for the first time.
In addition, “Hamlet” is part of Warner’s four-film Shakespeare Collection box set, which also includes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935), Olivier’s “Othello” (1936), and “Romeo and Juliet” (1937). As if that weren’t enough, Borders has a special offer where if you buy the film there, you also get an accompanying 28-page color booklet of still photos from the film. It’s a nice little complement to the DVD, but I wouldn’t knock myself out just to get this exclusive Borders item. If you want a real treasure trove, find a copy of the 1996 trade paperback of the “Hamlet” screenplay adapted by Branagh. I have a copy of this back in Mississippi – at least I think I still do – and I can tell you, this is where the real meat of the production occurs. Here you will find many anecdotes and thoughts that went into the making of the film, some of Branagh’s wit and humor that permeates throughout the script notes, and personal stories that occurred during the production, one of which I still get a laugh out of reading about Glenn Close visiting the set in full black-and-white regalia and makeup that at first made her stand out like the worst fashion victim in the history of cinema (this was because she was filming “101 Dalmatians” at the time). If you can find this paperback in your local bookstore, pick it up. It’s more than well worth the read.
Bottom line, Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” is an attractive presentation on DVD and one that is a must-add to any serious film collection or Shakespearean study. It’s definitely welcome in my home and one that my wife will agree with me on. Granted, Branagh’s “Hamlet” is vastly different from Zeffirelli’s “Hamlet” (which I must admit is my one of my personal favorite Shakespeare-on-film adaptations, along with Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet”, which I taught in high school during the 1990’s). But whether you like it rough and rugged, or grand and opulent, both versions have it going for them. Seeing this DVD brings back fond memories of my days of graduate school and George Pittman – I wonder what he thinks of this film adaptation and which version he prefers. It would be nice to discuss this play (and film) again with him over a weekend.
I’ve got to admit a bit of a personal bias here: I am a sucker for William Shakespeare. Ever since my college and graduate school days, I have been intrigued with the many different ways Shakespeare has been interpreted and integrated into our culture. Whether it’s been through subtle integrations of various phrases and thoughts into our lexicon, or numerous variations that have appeared in print, TV, or film in everything from “Star Trek” to “Gilligan’s Island”, or even the recent wave of Shakespearean film and stage adaptations over the past 20 years, it’s no wonder that the works of a writer from 400 years ago continue to enthrall and spark passion in many a film or theatergoer. My earliest memories of Shakespeare go back to my junior high days, when the teacher would pull out the old reel-to-reel projector and show Franco Zeffirelli’s 1960’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” on the wall of our school. And who could ever forget Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd’s tip of the hat to “The Taming of the Shrew” in one of the most popular and riotous segments ever of their 1980’s series “Moonlighting”?
If I had to pick one Shakespeare play above all others that is my absolute favorite, it would have to be “Hamlet”. I have to credit three people in particular for birthing a love of Shakespeare and “Hamlet” in me that continues to this day, and they are Zeffirelli; director/actor Mel Gibson; and Dr. George Pittman, my Shakespeare teacher at Mississippi College (who’s now retired). It was Dr. Pittman who got me into studying “Hamlet” at the time Zeffirelli’s 1990 adaptation of “Hamlet” with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close came out in the theaters, so naturally I was assigned this play because of the then-timely release of the Zeffirelli film with my studies. Prior to this, the only actor I (and many others) had associated with Shakespeare was Laurence Olivier, possibly the greatest actor of the 20th century. At that time it was hard for anyone to associate the star of “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon”, an actor with a passion for practical joking on his film sets and playing crazy characters on screen, with the most emotionally and psychologically mixed-up characters in all of popular culture. But Gibson pulled it off extremely well, giving us a definitive Hamlet for the 1990’s. It caused me to study and analyze every aspect of “Hamlet” that could be explored – all of the dysfunctional relationships within the Hamlet family, the psychological motivations for revenge after the death of Hamlet’s father, who comes onto whom (Hamlet to his mother, or his mother onto Hamlet? Those were some pretty serious mother/son kisses on screen right there, I’ll tell you that!), pinpointing the exact moment when Hamlet goes crazy (or was it all an act to begin with?), and the ruminations of death that man must eventually explore in the course of his life. And I still have my Shakespeare notes and research from graduate school to this day.
From that time on I continued to explore the many interpretations of “Hamlet” that I came across, including a Mississippi College-produced adaptation Dr. Pittman directed that took the “play within a play” concept to the next level; a New York Shakespearean Festival modern-dress production with Kevin Kline; a 30-minute segment of the HBO series “Shakespeare: The Animated Tales” hosted by Robin Williams (now there’s a series I would enjoy seeing released on DVD!); and perhaps the most offbeat print adaptation that has ever surfaced, the “Klingon Hamlet” trade paperback from Pocket Books written by the Klingon Language Institute that borrowed a line from “Star Trek VI” and explored the notion that Shakespeare’s works were originally written in the Klingon language, that Hamlet’s murderer would have been exposed within 10 minutes, and that the play was later translated into the “debased” English language! Most recently there was a 2000 film adaptation with Ethan Hawke in the title role performing the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy while checking out videos at the local Blockbuster Video – this version I admit I have not seen. But anything and everything that could further explore the very nature of Hamlet is worth studying and analyzing to understand all of the psychological themes Shakespeare posed 400 years ago.
If any one actor over the last 20 years has done an extremely successful job in making Shakespeare’s works accessible to the modern culture (other than Patrick Stewart), I would have to choose Kenneth Branagh. His groundbreaking adaptation of “Henry V” brought Shakespeare to the masses the same way Shakespeare’s plays did so to the English culture four centuries before. He also did the same with his comic adaptation of “Much Ado About Nothing”, which featured Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Branagh’s then-wife Emma Thompson. But it was Branagh’s 1996 adaptation of “Hamlet” which was extremely lavish in production and scale that has awed and astounded filmgoers since its release. Many prior (and recent) film adaptations, including “Hamlet”, “Henry V”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, and even Baz Luhrmann’s modern take on “Romeo and Juliet”, have always been abridged, simply because of the film audience’s attention span of sitting in a darkened theater for two hours – anything beyond that would have to be of epic scope and yet pass very seemingly quickly. And yet that’s been the key thing, making Shakespeare accessible to the modern audience yet staying true to the letter of the Bard’s works himself.
Branagh’s four-hour adaptation of “Hamlet” is especially distinctive because it marks the first time ever that the complete play has been adapted to the cinema screen. At the time of its release, a 150-minute cut version of the film was also released to theaters to allow for more showings. I’ve not seen this cut version, having only associated myself with the original four-hour cut. For years the only way to have seen Branagh’s adaptation of “Hamlet” has been on VHS, and with the advent of DVD many fans have wondered when this film would be released. Warner Home Video has just released “Hamlet” in a nice two-disc special edition, and I’ve got to admit this is one title that is long overdue and yet is well done.
Forget the cut version; the complete four-hour cut is the way to go. Every shot of every moment of this film is painstakingly created with the scope of the widescreen in mind. It’s meant to be seen as a large canvas, which the 2.35:1 aspect ratio perfectly delivers. There’s just no way of wanting to watch this in a cropped 1.33:1 full-frame presentation. Every little detail stands out as it’s meant to, which is the way Branagh intended. It’s extremely absorbing. Instead of the rough and crumbly 17th century atmosphere of Denmark, which Zeffirelli brought to the screen based on Shakespeare’s original intentions, Branagh’s interpretation posits the Hamlet family empire in the 19th century in a state of elegance that echoes the fall of the Russian Empire a hundred years ago. The delivery of the famous soliloquy, as Hamlet stands before a mirror looking at himself, echoes that very nature of man looking at himself and pondering his own fate. Do we feel for Hamlet? Certainly. Who couldn’t relate to the loss of a father figure, as Branagh so effectively portrays? Who couldn’t relate to dealing with betrayal, heartbreak, motivations for vengeance, plotting to expose the real reason for his father’s death for all to see? And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have high caliber stars like Richard Attenborough, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Gerard Depardieu, Sir John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, Derek Jacobi, the late Jack Lemmon, Robin Williams, and the ever beautiful Kate Winslet (why in the world after seeing her in “Hamlet” and “Titanic” didn’t I marry her?) associated with a stunning film adaptation like this. Their involvement harkens back to their roots of classical acting and never one time detracts from the overall story, despite their marquee name quality. The print is extremely beautiful and colorful, and the Dolby 5.1 surround mix is rich and absorbing. This film has never looked or sounded better. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also included.
For its DVD presentation, Warner Home Video has presented a nice amount of supplements that complement the film. First off, on Disc 1 is a new eight-minute introduction to the film by Branagh, which is a nice touch. Here he talks about revisiting the film after 10 years and giving the fans a high-caliber DVD. Some people have claimed some difficulty in watching the introduction, but I experienced no such problems on any of my DVD players at home. From there we have an accompanying audio commentary with Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson that is split over both discs. Listening to this audio commentary is a treasure trove in itself, and over the course of the film it becomes very obvious that both Branagh and Jackson are true Shakespearean buffs to the nines. Their appreciation for the great Bard and for “Hamlet” is more than well worth it, and it’s easily one of the best and most enjoyable audio commentaries I’ve heard in a long time.
The remaining the bonus features are found on Disc 2. Leading off, we have “To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet”, which is a 25-minute documentary feature on the making of the 1996 adaptation. We have interviews with Branagh and the cast members on how they became involved in Branagh’s adaptation, how Branagh chose to adapt the entire script for the film, and the challenge of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life. Don’t let the title mislead you into thinking this is a history of the many different film and stage adaptations of the play; there are too many of them. From there we are treated to a 12-minute promo reel that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was included on a number of Castle Rock VHS releases during the 1990’s. This is a nice touch, since a promo reel of this nature is hard to come by, and for me personally I am glad that Warner Home Video included it on the DVD, since it was my first introduction to Branagh’s “Hamlet”. The disc is rounded out with a Shakespeare-based trailer gallery of seven different adaptations, including the 1990 and 1996 film versions of “Hamlet”, the 1935 adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with James Cagney and Mickey Rooney, the 1965 and 1995 film adaptations of “Othello” (the former with Laurence Olivier, the latter with Branagh and Laurence Fishburne), the 1937 adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” with Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, and the 1953 adaptation of “Julius Caesar” with Marlon Brando – quite a nice touch indeed to those who are either extremely familiar with Shakespeare’s works or who are wanting to examine his plays and various film adaptations for the first time.
In addition, “Hamlet” is part of Warner’s four-film Shakespeare Collection box set, which also includes “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935), Olivier’s “Othello” (1936), and “Romeo and Juliet” (1937). As if that weren’t enough, Borders has a special offer where if you buy the film there, you also get an accompanying 28-page color booklet of still photos from the film. It’s a nice little complement to the DVD, but I wouldn’t knock myself out just to get this exclusive Borders item. If you want a real treasure trove, find a copy of the 1996 trade paperback of the “Hamlet” screenplay adapted by Branagh. I have a copy of this back in Mississippi – at least I think I still do – and I can tell you, this is where the real meat of the production occurs. Here you will find many anecdotes and thoughts that went into the making of the film, some of Branagh’s wit and humor that permeates throughout the script notes, and personal stories that occurred during the production, one of which I still get a laugh out of reading about Glenn Close visiting the set in full black-and-white regalia and makeup that at first made her stand out like the worst fashion victim in the history of cinema (this was because she was filming “101 Dalmatians” at the time). If you can find this paperback in your local bookstore, pick it up. It’s more than well worth the read.
Bottom line, Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” is an attractive presentation on DVD and one that is a must-add to any serious film collection or Shakespearean study. It’s definitely welcome in my home and one that my wife will agree with me on. Granted, Branagh’s “Hamlet” is vastly different from Zeffirelli’s “Hamlet” (which I must admit is my one of my personal favorite Shakespeare-on-film adaptations, along with Luhrmann’s “Romeo and Juliet”, which I taught in high school during the 1990’s). But whether you like it rough and rugged, or grand and opulent, both versions have it going for them. Seeing this DVD brings back fond memories of my days of graduate school and George Pittman – I wonder what he thinks of this film adaptation and which version he prefers. It would be nice to discuss this play (and film) again with him over a weekend.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The state of altered TV on DVD...
You know, as the DVD industry moves into its second decade, the rash of altered DVDs continues to increase at an alarming rate. Sometimes the changes are minor, while at other times the changes are extremely significant. Of course, we’re all aware that one of the most notorious culprits of any kind of film, TV, or DVD alteration is George Lucas. Nothing he has made has been preserved as originally released (though he did finally give in and release the original theatrical versions of the “Star Wars” trilogy in a cheapjack unmastered format). However, my emphasis here is the recent rash of altered TV programs released on DVD over the last few years. Let’s look at some of the more notable culprits of this alteration process:
The Real World: Season 1, New York – This was my first experience with an altered TV product on DVD and an especially ugly example of major DVD alterations that disrespects the fans. In this, the granddaddy of the modern-day reality TV show craze, many of the episodes’ teasers and main titles have been removed, and the titles appear every 3-4 segments. In addition, all of the end credits and outtake footage have been cut from their original broadcasts, and, worst of all, the rock music underscore has been replaced with a non-descript generic instrumental score. No wonder piss-poor sales and major alteration issues have prevented the other seasons (which I think the second and third, along with the first, are still the best) from being issued on DVD.
Smallville: The Complete Fourth Season – As the fourth season started, Allison Mack’s credit was removed from the main title credits for the first two episodes. This was to preserve the illusion that her character of Chloe Sullivan had been supposedly killed off at the end of the third season. It was not until the third episode that her cast credit was restored, and reruns of the first two episodes, as well as its DVD representations, later restored her cast credit. I for one found it more interesting to have her cast credit removed from those first two episodes because it maintained the illusion, and I wish Warner Home Video would have kept it that way when they did the DVDs. It’s a minor alteration, to be sure, but an alternation nonetheless.
The Adventures of Superman: The Complete First Season – In the segment “Crime Wave”, pay particular attention to the end of the segment. As the segment ends with George Reeves saying, “There’s no more number one crime boss in Metropolis anymore,” the music swells up and goes into an explosion, followed by the end credits. Apparently, the version used in this set incorporated part of the syndicated broadcast when Kellogg’s originally sponsored the series back in the 1950’s. I’ve got this episode on VHS when it originally came out in 1988, and the version on the VHS is the unedited master without the music and the syndicated end credits. Is there a reason why some studios resort to using syndicated versions of episodes and not the original masters, especially when the unedited masters are out there to begin with? Hold onto that VHS tape at all costs.
Superman: The Animated Series, Volume One – When this first came out, the 60-minute pilot episode “Last Son of Krypton” was divided into three parts and presented as such on the first collected volume. Yet a few years before Warner Home Video had issued the original broadcast pilot of “Last Son of Krypton” unedited on a single-disc release. This is one time where you should hold onto that single-disc release.
WKRP in Cincinnati: Season One – This one was a really ugly monster. When one of the most popular series of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s premiered on television, it used a heavy amount of then-popular rock music underscore in its episodes. However, it took quite a while for a lot of music clearance rights to occur before part of the rock songs were retained in the DVD versions of the episodes. Some music, however, was missing, thereby robbing the series of some of its charm. Music clearance is an ugly monster, to be sure.
Star Trek: Captain’s Log Fan Collective – On Disc 2 the two-part “Chain of Command” has been re-edited into a movie-length feature and not retained as originally presented in 1992 and on the sixth season TNG box set back in 2002. In this release, the episode title credits have all been condensed and included at the start of Part 1; the end credits from Part 1 have been removed; and the Part 2 recap, main titles, and episode credits have all been removed from the episode. This is one that in some cases could easily slip under some people’s radars, but any Trek fan who knows the franchise well can spot this alteration right away. Why did this alteration have to happen to begin with?
That’s not the only Star Trek DVD alteration that occurred. In the third season set of Star Trek: Enterprise, a few alterations appeared. In the first two episodes, the series was still referred to as “Enterprise”; it didn’t include the “Star Trek” label until the third episode of the season. Later reruns of those first two episodes used the “Star Trek: Enterprise” title card. Also, in the episode “Harbinger”, the segment was shown as originally shot and produced, though it was altered for U.S. broadcast. Finally, in the second season Enterprise set, the season opener “Shockwave – Part II” ran a minute longer than in its initial airing, which was edited for some unknown. The rerun and the DVD version retained the unedited version. Sometimes slight changes do occur for the better, and the “Enterprise” sets are two of the very few exceptions to the norm.
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Season 1 – This is another rare exception where an alteration is actually a significant improvement. When the original pilot episode aired in 1993, it ran 78 minutes in length. The two-part rerun had some additional footage not seen in the original pilot broadcast, while the DVD version has even more footage not shown in the U.S. For once, this is a very good alteration that benefits the series.
Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology – When I got this one this past Christmas, I noticed that during the Hogan/Ultimate Warrior title match from Wrestlemania VI, part of the audio commentary from Jesse “The Body” Ventura was removed from the video. I know this for a fact because I’ve got a VHS of the unedited telecast of the complete WM VI at home, and the audio commentary is there intact. Not to mention that on every WWE DVD, anything you see the 90’s WWF “Attitude” logo, it’s digitally erased. Somebody slap a headlock on them and tell them to quit messing around with our cheesy memories from the 80’s and 90’s.
The New Adventures of Superman – In this recent release, none of the Superboy segments have been included in this two-disc set, though the cast credits for the Superboy segments are retained from their original broadcasts. This is because of continuing legal problems between DC Comics and the heirs of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster over media broadcast rights to the Superboy character. And yet a number of these segments were issued on VHS back in 1988? This DVD omission is a real shame, and I wish everyone would get their act together and clear this problem up sooner or later. If you’ve got the 1988 VHS, hang onto it.
Hawaii Five-0: The Second Season – Here’s another serious case for you. In this new set, quite a bit of musical underscore has been replaced from the original telecasts. In addition, one segment from the series, “Bored, She Hung Herself,” was not included. Reportedly, this episode was shown only one time in January 1970 and never aired again because somebody apparently duplicated the hanging shown in the episode. And yet 16-millimeter prints of the episode exist. Go figure.
This is not the only recent CBS/Paramount DVD release that has had a number of music and footage alterations from their original broadcast versions. Recent DVD releases of Soul Food: The Second Season; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: The Second Season; Dynasty – Season Two; The Fugitive – Season One, Volume One; JAG – Season Four; and The Odd Couple – Season Two have all had footage removed from their original broadcast versions, and in the case of Soul Food, some musical cues have been replaced with non-descript generic cues. My only question I have to ask is this: why?
And then we have the upcoming Volume One release of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles on DVD in October. Remember at the start of this commentary when I said that George Lucas is one of the most notorious culprits of movie/TV/DVD alterations? Well, here’s an insult that’ll make you want to slap your mama – or at the very least Lucas’ mama, for that matter. Before the DVD industry took off he was already at work altering our memories of this great underrated series from the 1990’s. As you already know, many of the original hour-long episodes utilized bookend scenes directed by Carl Schultz and featuring George Hall as an elderly Indy. However, during the late 90’s Luca$ (as I like to put it) decided to re-edit all of the hour-long episodes together into two-hour movies, with many of the segments not properly connecting from one to the next, resulting in new bridging footage being shot. Now I don’t mind having new footage shot; that’s one thing, but cutting out all of the bookend footage to begin with? As if that weren’t enough, two episodes set in 1908 and 1909, respectively, were sewn together into the second chapter, “Passion for Life”, and reversed in chronological sequence for the two-hour movie version – huh? The last time I saw a higher numbered year coming before a lower numbered year, it usually had the abbreviation B.C. attached to the year. Furthermore, a great segment showing Indy in love with a British suffragette (the exquisite Elizabeth Hurley, who never looked more beautiful than here), had bookend footage that also featured the late Jane Wyatt in it. And here’s another one for you: “Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal”, with three incarnations of Indy and all tied together to a significant plot thread running through the segments. Yet that’s gone, too. But the worst insult of it all? The official Indiana Jones web site prominently mentions all the original bookend segments, yet Luca$ doesn’t respect the fans enough to preserve the episodes as originally shown and intended? And all we’re going to get is just the re-edited movie-length versions on DVD over the next year? If he really cared about the fans, he’d do us all a favor and make us forget that “Howard the Duck” ever existed on film to begin with.
And the list goes on and on. What I’ve presented is only a small sampling of the alterations that I’ve come across, though there’s quite a bit more out there that I haven’t seen at all. The good people at TVShowsonDVD.com used to keep up with a comprehensive list of such alterations, each listed as a positive, negative, or neutral alteration. Recently, though, they haven’t been keeping up with that list, and the Home Theater Forum also has an additional number of such alterations on its board. How many more of our memories must be altered, changed, re-edited, etc. like this? Enough with the madness already!!!
To change gears, here’s a big title to keep track of… Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition, which is set for release October 30th from CBS/Paramount Video. You’ll definitely want to hold onto your previous individual season sets, since much of the additional bonus content is substantially different this time around – the only thing it looks like that’ll be ported over from those two sets will be all of the Log Lady introductions. Otherwise, this is one set you’ll definitely want to grab hold of!
The Real World: Season 1, New York – This was my first experience with an altered TV product on DVD and an especially ugly example of major DVD alterations that disrespects the fans. In this, the granddaddy of the modern-day reality TV show craze, many of the episodes’ teasers and main titles have been removed, and the titles appear every 3-4 segments. In addition, all of the end credits and outtake footage have been cut from their original broadcasts, and, worst of all, the rock music underscore has been replaced with a non-descript generic instrumental score. No wonder piss-poor sales and major alteration issues have prevented the other seasons (which I think the second and third, along with the first, are still the best) from being issued on DVD.
Smallville: The Complete Fourth Season – As the fourth season started, Allison Mack’s credit was removed from the main title credits for the first two episodes. This was to preserve the illusion that her character of Chloe Sullivan had been supposedly killed off at the end of the third season. It was not until the third episode that her cast credit was restored, and reruns of the first two episodes, as well as its DVD representations, later restored her cast credit. I for one found it more interesting to have her cast credit removed from those first two episodes because it maintained the illusion, and I wish Warner Home Video would have kept it that way when they did the DVDs. It’s a minor alteration, to be sure, but an alternation nonetheless.
The Adventures of Superman: The Complete First Season – In the segment “Crime Wave”, pay particular attention to the end of the segment. As the segment ends with George Reeves saying, “There’s no more number one crime boss in Metropolis anymore,” the music swells up and goes into an explosion, followed by the end credits. Apparently, the version used in this set incorporated part of the syndicated broadcast when Kellogg’s originally sponsored the series back in the 1950’s. I’ve got this episode on VHS when it originally came out in 1988, and the version on the VHS is the unedited master without the music and the syndicated end credits. Is there a reason why some studios resort to using syndicated versions of episodes and not the original masters, especially when the unedited masters are out there to begin with? Hold onto that VHS tape at all costs.
Superman: The Animated Series, Volume One – When this first came out, the 60-minute pilot episode “Last Son of Krypton” was divided into three parts and presented as such on the first collected volume. Yet a few years before Warner Home Video had issued the original broadcast pilot of “Last Son of Krypton” unedited on a single-disc release. This is one time where you should hold onto that single-disc release.
WKRP in Cincinnati: Season One – This one was a really ugly monster. When one of the most popular series of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s premiered on television, it used a heavy amount of then-popular rock music underscore in its episodes. However, it took quite a while for a lot of music clearance rights to occur before part of the rock songs were retained in the DVD versions of the episodes. Some music, however, was missing, thereby robbing the series of some of its charm. Music clearance is an ugly monster, to be sure.
Star Trek: Captain’s Log Fan Collective – On Disc 2 the two-part “Chain of Command” has been re-edited into a movie-length feature and not retained as originally presented in 1992 and on the sixth season TNG box set back in 2002. In this release, the episode title credits have all been condensed and included at the start of Part 1; the end credits from Part 1 have been removed; and the Part 2 recap, main titles, and episode credits have all been removed from the episode. This is one that in some cases could easily slip under some people’s radars, but any Trek fan who knows the franchise well can spot this alteration right away. Why did this alteration have to happen to begin with?
That’s not the only Star Trek DVD alteration that occurred. In the third season set of Star Trek: Enterprise, a few alterations appeared. In the first two episodes, the series was still referred to as “Enterprise”; it didn’t include the “Star Trek” label until the third episode of the season. Later reruns of those first two episodes used the “Star Trek: Enterprise” title card. Also, in the episode “Harbinger”, the segment was shown as originally shot and produced, though it was altered for U.S. broadcast. Finally, in the second season Enterprise set, the season opener “Shockwave – Part II” ran a minute longer than in its initial airing, which was edited for some unknown. The rerun and the DVD version retained the unedited version. Sometimes slight changes do occur for the better, and the “Enterprise” sets are two of the very few exceptions to the norm.
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Season 1 – This is another rare exception where an alteration is actually a significant improvement. When the original pilot episode aired in 1993, it ran 78 minutes in length. The two-part rerun had some additional footage not seen in the original pilot broadcast, while the DVD version has even more footage not shown in the U.S. For once, this is a very good alteration that benefits the series.
Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology – When I got this one this past Christmas, I noticed that during the Hogan/Ultimate Warrior title match from Wrestlemania VI, part of the audio commentary from Jesse “The Body” Ventura was removed from the video. I know this for a fact because I’ve got a VHS of the unedited telecast of the complete WM VI at home, and the audio commentary is there intact. Not to mention that on every WWE DVD, anything you see the 90’s WWF “Attitude” logo, it’s digitally erased. Somebody slap a headlock on them and tell them to quit messing around with our cheesy memories from the 80’s and 90’s.
The New Adventures of Superman – In this recent release, none of the Superboy segments have been included in this two-disc set, though the cast credits for the Superboy segments are retained from their original broadcasts. This is because of continuing legal problems between DC Comics and the heirs of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster over media broadcast rights to the Superboy character. And yet a number of these segments were issued on VHS back in 1988? This DVD omission is a real shame, and I wish everyone would get their act together and clear this problem up sooner or later. If you’ve got the 1988 VHS, hang onto it.
Hawaii Five-0: The Second Season – Here’s another serious case for you. In this new set, quite a bit of musical underscore has been replaced from the original telecasts. In addition, one segment from the series, “Bored, She Hung Herself,” was not included. Reportedly, this episode was shown only one time in January 1970 and never aired again because somebody apparently duplicated the hanging shown in the episode. And yet 16-millimeter prints of the episode exist. Go figure.
This is not the only recent CBS/Paramount DVD release that has had a number of music and footage alterations from their original broadcast versions. Recent DVD releases of Soul Food: The Second Season; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: The Second Season; Dynasty – Season Two; The Fugitive – Season One, Volume One; JAG – Season Four; and The Odd Couple – Season Two have all had footage removed from their original broadcast versions, and in the case of Soul Food, some musical cues have been replaced with non-descript generic cues. My only question I have to ask is this: why?
And then we have the upcoming Volume One release of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles on DVD in October. Remember at the start of this commentary when I said that George Lucas is one of the most notorious culprits of movie/TV/DVD alterations? Well, here’s an insult that’ll make you want to slap your mama – or at the very least Lucas’ mama, for that matter. Before the DVD industry took off he was already at work altering our memories of this great underrated series from the 1990’s. As you already know, many of the original hour-long episodes utilized bookend scenes directed by Carl Schultz and featuring George Hall as an elderly Indy. However, during the late 90’s Luca$ (as I like to put it) decided to re-edit all of the hour-long episodes together into two-hour movies, with many of the segments not properly connecting from one to the next, resulting in new bridging footage being shot. Now I don’t mind having new footage shot; that’s one thing, but cutting out all of the bookend footage to begin with? As if that weren’t enough, two episodes set in 1908 and 1909, respectively, were sewn together into the second chapter, “Passion for Life”, and reversed in chronological sequence for the two-hour movie version – huh? The last time I saw a higher numbered year coming before a lower numbered year, it usually had the abbreviation B.C. attached to the year. Furthermore, a great segment showing Indy in love with a British suffragette (the exquisite Elizabeth Hurley, who never looked more beautiful than here), had bookend footage that also featured the late Jane Wyatt in it. And here’s another one for you: “Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal”, with three incarnations of Indy and all tied together to a significant plot thread running through the segments. Yet that’s gone, too. But the worst insult of it all? The official Indiana Jones web site prominently mentions all the original bookend segments, yet Luca$ doesn’t respect the fans enough to preserve the episodes as originally shown and intended? And all we’re going to get is just the re-edited movie-length versions on DVD over the next year? If he really cared about the fans, he’d do us all a favor and make us forget that “Howard the Duck” ever existed on film to begin with.
And the list goes on and on. What I’ve presented is only a small sampling of the alterations that I’ve come across, though there’s quite a bit more out there that I haven’t seen at all. The good people at TVShowsonDVD.com used to keep up with a comprehensive list of such alterations, each listed as a positive, negative, or neutral alteration. Recently, though, they haven’t been keeping up with that list, and the Home Theater Forum also has an additional number of such alterations on its board. How many more of our memories must be altered, changed, re-edited, etc. like this? Enough with the madness already!!!
To change gears, here’s a big title to keep track of… Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition, which is set for release October 30th from CBS/Paramount Video. You’ll definitely want to hold onto your previous individual season sets, since much of the additional bonus content is substantially different this time around – the only thing it looks like that’ll be ported over from those two sets will be all of the Log Lady introductions. Otherwise, this is one set you’ll definitely want to grab hold of!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Star Trek: Captain's Log Fan Collective
I found it a bit of a surprise that what happened to arrive in my mailbox was none other than the fifth installment in the Fan Collective DVD sets, CAPTAIN’S LOG. With all of the different series and films now on DVD in complete sets, what else could be done to further mine the TREK property? Enter the Fan Collectives, where fans could vote on StarTrek.com for their favorite episodes. When I reviewed BORG, the first of the Fan Collective sets, I wasn’t too happy with the concept to begin with. To simply rehash common threads from the different series into sampler sets just didn’t thrill me at all. It didn’t thrill me a few years back with the release of the JEAN-LUC PICARD COLLECTION (while technically not a Fan Collective but still a sampler set), and it still doesn’t thrill me to this day. The only perk it does have in its favor is that it does provide a nice cost-effective way for fans to sample the different series without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for each set.
CAPTAIN’S LOG has a unique twist to it, in that all five captains from the different series – William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula – have chosen their personal favorite episodes, in addition to commenting on the fans’ picks for the preferred episodes for inclusion in this new set. It’s a novel concept, to be sure.
CAPTAIN’S LOG presents 17 different episodes spread out over five discs. Representing the Original Series on Disc One is Shatner’s pick “The City on the Edge of Forever”, along with the fan choices “The Enterprise Incident” and “Balance of Terror”. On Disc Two, representing THE NEXT GENERATION, are Stewart’s choice “In Theory” (his directorial debut), along with the intense two-parter “Chain of Command” and the moving tale “Darmok”. DEEP SPACE NINE dominates Disc Three with Brooks’ selection “Far Beyond the Stars” (one of his directorial segments for the series), along with the rule-breaking segment “In the Pale Moonlight” and the series finale “What You Leave Behind”. On Disc Four, VOYAGER is represented with Mulgrew’s pick “Counterpoint”, along with the fan picks “The Omega Directive” and the popular segment “Flashback” (with George Takei returning as Captain Sulu). Finally, Bakula leads off Disc Five with his favorite ENTERPRISE segment “Judgment”, along with the fan picks “First Flight” and the series finale “These are the Voyages”.
All of the episodes are reproduced from their original masters and presented in their original broadcast aspect ratios, with the first four series in full-frame format and the ENTERPRISE segments in 1.78:1 widescreen format. Sound-wise, all of the episodes are presented in English Dolby 5.1 surround, English and Spanish 2.0 sound, and, in the case of DS9, Brazilian Portuguese 2.0 sound, with optional English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles and optional English closed captions. All of the episodes are crisp and sharp-looking, though I have to admit that in watching the Original Series, and looking back at the early seasons of TNG, the visual effects are severely dated. Call me spoiled on modern-day CGI effects that became prominent in later series and films. That’s one of the reasons why the thought of “TREK Remastered” interested me, though I’ve never seen a single segment.
Furthermore, all of the episodes presented have better chapter marks placed at appropriate points throughout each episode. While there is no specific chapter selection process on the set, you can access each individual chapter during the respective episodes. This is definitely a step up from their original presentations on each individual season set, which haphazardly placed chapter stops in random places throughout the episodes. This way, the chapters fall into very logical places during an episode.
The packaging of the CAPTAIN’S LOG set is presented in three dual-disc slim-case packages with two discs per case and the ENTERPRISE disc in a single-disc case. These slim-disc cases seem to be the norm with a lot of series on DVD these days. All of the packages have the specifics on each disc’s content, with colorful artwork on the inside.
The menus, however, are extremely static and uninspired, with only three menu screens available for the main episode selection, sound and subtitle options, and extra features selections. Having seen all of the CGI-animated menu screens for each of the different series and films, this is quite a bit of a step back if you ask me.
The only significant extras in CAPTAIN’S LOG are new interviews with Shatner, Stewart, Brooks, Mulgrew, and Bakula, respectively, on each disc. All of the actors offer their thoughts on working on TREK and remembering what they brought the table as Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer, respectively.
Beginning with Disc One, we have a 16-second introduction by Shatner to the Fan Collective. We then proceed into the introduction to “City on the Edge of Forever”, which is the longest of the interview segments at 12:45 in length. Shatner discusses the complexities Kirk, like any of us, faced in making one decision over another. He also discusses how the time travel element worked in this episode because of the elements of emotion and regret over terrible things happening at some point in life. The introduction continues as Shatner and surprise guest Joan Collins discuss working together on the episode, as they recall how Collins brought an understated sensuality to the simplistic appearance of Edith Keeler. Collins also reflects how she brought a back story to her character, how Edith had no interest in men until Kirk arrived on the scene.
Continuing on Disc One, we also have the first installment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? At 3:40 in length, Shatner discusses how a captain should not have the appearance of doubt in his command decisions, trusting in the decisions he makes and relying on intuition, fearlessness, and working around dilemmas to make the right choices. Next is the first installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:41), as Shatner describes it as a good dramatic device for recording his inner personal thoughts and command decisions. Finally, Shatner reflects on CAPTAIN KIRK’S LEGACY (2:27), about how he wanted to play Kirk’s death scene in GENERATIONS. He recalls the restless night before the shoot, asking questions about what happens when people die, and ultimately giving Kirk the same qualities of awe and wonder about death as he did throughout life.
Moving to Disc Two, we have Stewart’s introduction to “In Theory” (2:48), in which he owns up to a bit of personal bias toward this episode because it marked his directorial debut on TNG. He gives high praise to Brent Spiner’s work as Data in the episode and to the complex story about how Data was ill-equipped to handle a romantic relationship with a female crewmember. Stewart also provides introductions to “Chain of Command” and “Darmok”, each running 1:17 apiece. He recalls how he relished working with Amnesty International in studying how prisoners are brutally and sometimes wrongfully tortured and incarcerated without trial, something that is still extremely relevant in today’s times in the recent light of Iraqi prisoners freed from al Qaeda torture chambers, making “Chain of Command” just as timely today as it was back in 1992. He also recalls how “Darmok” helped reenergize interest in the mythical tale of Gilgamesh on the academic scene, and how the episode focused on the relationship between two men who are unable to understand one another because of the lack of common communication grounds.
From there Stewart goes into the second installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:06), reflecting how it was a good thematic device of moving the story forward without having to shoot lots of scenes. In PLAYING A CAPTAIN (1:32), he recalls his father and how he was the only one of the three sons who did not pursue the military as a career. Stewart also comments on how, 20 years after TNG, he doesn’t mind being called “Captain”, and he also shares how, during a recent stage production of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, he got lots of laughs from the audience after referring to his sidekick as “Captain”. In LOOKING BACK (2:15), he reflects on the friendships he made with his cast members over the course of the series and the four films, cherishing those friendships all the more since his recent move from Los Angeles to the U.K., seeing those friendships drift further away as he gets older, and finding himself missing Jonathan Frakes at a recent Christmas party that reunited him with his TNG cast mates. Next, in STAR TREK AND THE STAGE (2:06), Stewart comments on how he always viewed TREK as a sidestep in his career in classical theater, and how in between matinee performances of THE TEMPEST he received cheers and applause from his co-workers because of his work in the campy “Q-Pid”. Finally, he reflects on PICARD’S FUTURE (:51), musing how Picard needed more human connections in his life and how he probably never made admiral.
On Disc Three, in his introduction to “Far Beyond the Stars” (1:46), Brooks comments on how he got the script from Ira Steven Behr and wanted to direct the episode but also had to find the connection between directing and acting on screen. He also enjoyed the chance to direct his DS9 cast mates without makeup, and he relished how the episode dealt with the timeliness of racism and sexism in the 20th century, something not implausible in the world of writing. In A CAPTAIN AND A FATHER (1:05), Brooks briefly discusses the importance of juggling his responsibilities as a Starfleet captain and as a single father, nothing how in today’s society many young black boys and girls don’t have that father figure in their lives. In SISKO AS EMISSARY (1:10), he comments on how uncomfortable Sisko was in being seen as a religious figure, but he also notes the relationship between the spiritual and the divine in many African Americans’ lives. Brooks also notes in DIRECTING (1:21) how he wanted to direct in earlier series he had appeared in, among them SPENSER FOR HIRE and HAWK, but never had the chance until DS9 came along. He also comments that he doesn’t find directing and acting, not only other cast members but also himself, that much of a stretch, since he has a MFA in directing and acting.
Brooks muses on IMAGINING THE FUTURE (:45) how if mankind can imagine it, it will happen, and he’s all for it. Brooks further adds in SOCIAL COMMENTARY (1:04) how all of the different incarnations in TREK are infused with allegories about real life, and how the overall riding theme in the franchise is peace on Earth. He further reflects on these themes in ASPIRATIONS (:58), nothing that he wants to be remembered not so much for his work on DS9 but for something bigger in this world, the chance to be part of the equation of saving and giving life to those around him. Finally, in STAR TREK’S IMPACT (1:57), Brooks notes how he’s done fewer conventions than his counterparts, but he also notes how during a dinner date with an actress friend, he found that people around him connected more with the roles they as actors essayed on television than with themselves as individuals.
Moving to Disc Four, in her introduction to “Counterpoint” (1:59), Mulgrew talks about how she had dealt with being the first female captain to lead a TREK series, and how the fifth season VOYAGER episode was her personal favorite because Kathryn Janeway found herself torn between love and duty. In her introduction to “The Omega Directive” (:48), Mulgrew discusses how Janeway worked well with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) because of their mutual appreciation for science. Finally, in her introduction to “Flashback” (:59), she comments on the fun factor it was in working with both Tim Russ and George Takei.
In the next installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:13), Mulgrew comments on Janeway’s necessity to record everything that happened thousands of light-years away from Starfleet territory. In CAPTAIN JANEWAY’S BEST QUALITIES (1:47) and the next installment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN (1:35), she explores the woman’s perspective of being a woman, a strong leader, and a starship captain. In JANEWAY’S FUTURE (1:11) she notes how Janeway made a career for herself as a Starfleet admiral. Finally, in the second part of LOOKING BACK (:46), Mulgrew reflects on her seven years on VOYAGER and the friendships she made during the series’ production.
On Disc Five, Bakula introduces his personal pick “Judgment” (2:47), talking about working with J.G. Hertzler and delivering a solid performance as Jonathan Archer in the segment. From there he adds an introduction (1:40) to the fan-picked episode “These are the Voyages”, but I have to strongly disagree with his comments that final episodes are often disappointing but that the fans warmed up to the final ENTERPRISE segment. DUH!!!!! How sorely misinformed he is! Wake up, Scott! You had your chance to be completely honest about what you really felt about the segment, and you royally blew it!
From there Bakula muses on the final segment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? (3:26) and CAPTAIN ARCHER’S BEST QUALITIES (3:30), noting that a captain like Archer should be accessible to his crew but also strong and determined in his command, in addition to his no-nonsense attitude of taking no prisoners in getting the mission accomplished. In the last segment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:36) Bakula adds his two cents’ worth on the necessity of recording his thoughts and actions at any given point during a mission. In the final segment of LOOKING BACK (3:16) Bakula reflects on the friendships with his fellow cast members and notes that he didn’t get a solid grasp of the STAR TREK franchise and universe until he was a part of it. Finally, the set is rounded out with a 39-second closing statement to the fans.
In addition, while unadvertised, we have two DVD trailers at the star of Disc One. The first is a generic spot for all of the TREK series and the first four Fan Collectives on DVD, while the other is a generic spot for MACGYVER, WALKER TEXAS RANGER, and THE SENTINEL on DVD. Thankfully, these are not forced trailers, so you have the option of skipping through these promos and getting to the main menu screen.
I’ve got two major concerns with the CAPTAIN’S LOG set. First, “Chain of Command” has been altered from their original TV presentations for this DVD release. For the first time the main title credits have been condensed and isolated to the start of Part 1, while the end credits for Part 1 have been removed, along with the Part 1 recap, main titles, and episode credits for Part 2. The result is one seamless movie-length segment. This is certain to bother some fans, who clearly remember “Chain of Command” airing as a two-part episode back in 1992 and appearing intact on the sixth season TNG set. Yet nowhere on the packaging is this alteration listed. I hope this is not a sign of things to come in any future condensed re-releases.
Second, if memory serves, didn’t “These are the Voyages” tarnish a lot of fans’ mindsets when it came to the end of ENTERPRISE and the TREK franchise at that point? As bad as it was, and following such a wonderful two-part tale in “Demons” and “Terra Prime” that could have effectively ended the series, why in the world was this episode chosen for the Fan Collective to begin with? All this episode serves is to remind us of the big middle finger that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga gave to the fans who had loyally stuck through a declining series, not to mention franchise, with a mediocre subplot, piss-poor generic thugs, and an ineffective end for one of the main cast members (which Michael Martin and Andy Mangels have seen fit to correct in recent Pocket Books novels). If anything, I would have chosen a far better episode like “Zero Hour” or the highly entertaining two-part “In a Mirror, Darkly”, anything that was infinitely better than this major clunker.
My initial thoughts on the Fan Collective sets remain consistent with this latest release. I for one am not impressed with the concept of the Fan Collectives, since it seems pointless to continually re-release the respective STAR TREK series’ episodes on DVD. As I said earlier, the only benefit of this set is to provide a cost-effective way to introduce a newcomer to the franchise without having to break his or her pocketbook. Furthermore, with just new interview segments as the only significant extras on this set, not to mention an altered version of one of the most acclaimed TNG segments, and the inclusion of the worst clunker in TREK history this side of “Spock’s Brain” or “Shades of Gray”, there’s not much else to interest me. Your mileage, however, may vary.
CAPTAIN’S LOG has a unique twist to it, in that all five captains from the different series – William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula – have chosen their personal favorite episodes, in addition to commenting on the fans’ picks for the preferred episodes for inclusion in this new set. It’s a novel concept, to be sure.
CAPTAIN’S LOG presents 17 different episodes spread out over five discs. Representing the Original Series on Disc One is Shatner’s pick “The City on the Edge of Forever”, along with the fan choices “The Enterprise Incident” and “Balance of Terror”. On Disc Two, representing THE NEXT GENERATION, are Stewart’s choice “In Theory” (his directorial debut), along with the intense two-parter “Chain of Command” and the moving tale “Darmok”. DEEP SPACE NINE dominates Disc Three with Brooks’ selection “Far Beyond the Stars” (one of his directorial segments for the series), along with the rule-breaking segment “In the Pale Moonlight” and the series finale “What You Leave Behind”. On Disc Four, VOYAGER is represented with Mulgrew’s pick “Counterpoint”, along with the fan picks “The Omega Directive” and the popular segment “Flashback” (with George Takei returning as Captain Sulu). Finally, Bakula leads off Disc Five with his favorite ENTERPRISE segment “Judgment”, along with the fan picks “First Flight” and the series finale “These are the Voyages”.
All of the episodes are reproduced from their original masters and presented in their original broadcast aspect ratios, with the first four series in full-frame format and the ENTERPRISE segments in 1.78:1 widescreen format. Sound-wise, all of the episodes are presented in English Dolby 5.1 surround, English and Spanish 2.0 sound, and, in the case of DS9, Brazilian Portuguese 2.0 sound, with optional English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles and optional English closed captions. All of the episodes are crisp and sharp-looking, though I have to admit that in watching the Original Series, and looking back at the early seasons of TNG, the visual effects are severely dated. Call me spoiled on modern-day CGI effects that became prominent in later series and films. That’s one of the reasons why the thought of “TREK Remastered” interested me, though I’ve never seen a single segment.
Furthermore, all of the episodes presented have better chapter marks placed at appropriate points throughout each episode. While there is no specific chapter selection process on the set, you can access each individual chapter during the respective episodes. This is definitely a step up from their original presentations on each individual season set, which haphazardly placed chapter stops in random places throughout the episodes. This way, the chapters fall into very logical places during an episode.
The packaging of the CAPTAIN’S LOG set is presented in three dual-disc slim-case packages with two discs per case and the ENTERPRISE disc in a single-disc case. These slim-disc cases seem to be the norm with a lot of series on DVD these days. All of the packages have the specifics on each disc’s content, with colorful artwork on the inside.
The menus, however, are extremely static and uninspired, with only three menu screens available for the main episode selection, sound and subtitle options, and extra features selections. Having seen all of the CGI-animated menu screens for each of the different series and films, this is quite a bit of a step back if you ask me.
The only significant extras in CAPTAIN’S LOG are new interviews with Shatner, Stewart, Brooks, Mulgrew, and Bakula, respectively, on each disc. All of the actors offer their thoughts on working on TREK and remembering what they brought the table as Captains Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer, respectively.
Beginning with Disc One, we have a 16-second introduction by Shatner to the Fan Collective. We then proceed into the introduction to “City on the Edge of Forever”, which is the longest of the interview segments at 12:45 in length. Shatner discusses the complexities Kirk, like any of us, faced in making one decision over another. He also discusses how the time travel element worked in this episode because of the elements of emotion and regret over terrible things happening at some point in life. The introduction continues as Shatner and surprise guest Joan Collins discuss working together on the episode, as they recall how Collins brought an understated sensuality to the simplistic appearance of Edith Keeler. Collins also reflects how she brought a back story to her character, how Edith had no interest in men until Kirk arrived on the scene.
Continuing on Disc One, we also have the first installment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? At 3:40 in length, Shatner discusses how a captain should not have the appearance of doubt in his command decisions, trusting in the decisions he makes and relying on intuition, fearlessness, and working around dilemmas to make the right choices. Next is the first installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:41), as Shatner describes it as a good dramatic device for recording his inner personal thoughts and command decisions. Finally, Shatner reflects on CAPTAIN KIRK’S LEGACY (2:27), about how he wanted to play Kirk’s death scene in GENERATIONS. He recalls the restless night before the shoot, asking questions about what happens when people die, and ultimately giving Kirk the same qualities of awe and wonder about death as he did throughout life.
Moving to Disc Two, we have Stewart’s introduction to “In Theory” (2:48), in which he owns up to a bit of personal bias toward this episode because it marked his directorial debut on TNG. He gives high praise to Brent Spiner’s work as Data in the episode and to the complex story about how Data was ill-equipped to handle a romantic relationship with a female crewmember. Stewart also provides introductions to “Chain of Command” and “Darmok”, each running 1:17 apiece. He recalls how he relished working with Amnesty International in studying how prisoners are brutally and sometimes wrongfully tortured and incarcerated without trial, something that is still extremely relevant in today’s times in the recent light of Iraqi prisoners freed from al Qaeda torture chambers, making “Chain of Command” just as timely today as it was back in 1992. He also recalls how “Darmok” helped reenergize interest in the mythical tale of Gilgamesh on the academic scene, and how the episode focused on the relationship between two men who are unable to understand one another because of the lack of common communication grounds.
From there Stewart goes into the second installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:06), reflecting how it was a good thematic device of moving the story forward without having to shoot lots of scenes. In PLAYING A CAPTAIN (1:32), he recalls his father and how he was the only one of the three sons who did not pursue the military as a career. Stewart also comments on how, 20 years after TNG, he doesn’t mind being called “Captain”, and he also shares how, during a recent stage production of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, he got lots of laughs from the audience after referring to his sidekick as “Captain”. In LOOKING BACK (2:15), he reflects on the friendships he made with his cast members over the course of the series and the four films, cherishing those friendships all the more since his recent move from Los Angeles to the U.K., seeing those friendships drift further away as he gets older, and finding himself missing Jonathan Frakes at a recent Christmas party that reunited him with his TNG cast mates. Next, in STAR TREK AND THE STAGE (2:06), Stewart comments on how he always viewed TREK as a sidestep in his career in classical theater, and how in between matinee performances of THE TEMPEST he received cheers and applause from his co-workers because of his work in the campy “Q-Pid”. Finally, he reflects on PICARD’S FUTURE (:51), musing how Picard needed more human connections in his life and how he probably never made admiral.
On Disc Three, in his introduction to “Far Beyond the Stars” (1:46), Brooks comments on how he got the script from Ira Steven Behr and wanted to direct the episode but also had to find the connection between directing and acting on screen. He also enjoyed the chance to direct his DS9 cast mates without makeup, and he relished how the episode dealt with the timeliness of racism and sexism in the 20th century, something not implausible in the world of writing. In A CAPTAIN AND A FATHER (1:05), Brooks briefly discusses the importance of juggling his responsibilities as a Starfleet captain and as a single father, nothing how in today’s society many young black boys and girls don’t have that father figure in their lives. In SISKO AS EMISSARY (1:10), he comments on how uncomfortable Sisko was in being seen as a religious figure, but he also notes the relationship between the spiritual and the divine in many African Americans’ lives. Brooks also notes in DIRECTING (1:21) how he wanted to direct in earlier series he had appeared in, among them SPENSER FOR HIRE and HAWK, but never had the chance until DS9 came along. He also comments that he doesn’t find directing and acting, not only other cast members but also himself, that much of a stretch, since he has a MFA in directing and acting.
Brooks muses on IMAGINING THE FUTURE (:45) how if mankind can imagine it, it will happen, and he’s all for it. Brooks further adds in SOCIAL COMMENTARY (1:04) how all of the different incarnations in TREK are infused with allegories about real life, and how the overall riding theme in the franchise is peace on Earth. He further reflects on these themes in ASPIRATIONS (:58), nothing that he wants to be remembered not so much for his work on DS9 but for something bigger in this world, the chance to be part of the equation of saving and giving life to those around him. Finally, in STAR TREK’S IMPACT (1:57), Brooks notes how he’s done fewer conventions than his counterparts, but he also notes how during a dinner date with an actress friend, he found that people around him connected more with the roles they as actors essayed on television than with themselves as individuals.
Moving to Disc Four, in her introduction to “Counterpoint” (1:59), Mulgrew talks about how she had dealt with being the first female captain to lead a TREK series, and how the fifth season VOYAGER episode was her personal favorite because Kathryn Janeway found herself torn between love and duty. In her introduction to “The Omega Directive” (:48), Mulgrew discusses how Janeway worked well with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) because of their mutual appreciation for science. Finally, in her introduction to “Flashback” (:59), she comments on the fun factor it was in working with both Tim Russ and George Takei.
In the next installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:13), Mulgrew comments on Janeway’s necessity to record everything that happened thousands of light-years away from Starfleet territory. In CAPTAIN JANEWAY’S BEST QUALITIES (1:47) and the next installment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN (1:35), she explores the woman’s perspective of being a woman, a strong leader, and a starship captain. In JANEWAY’S FUTURE (1:11) she notes how Janeway made a career for herself as a Starfleet admiral. Finally, in the second part of LOOKING BACK (:46), Mulgrew reflects on her seven years on VOYAGER and the friendships she made during the series’ production.
On Disc Five, Bakula introduces his personal pick “Judgment” (2:47), talking about working with J.G. Hertzler and delivering a solid performance as Jonathan Archer in the segment. From there he adds an introduction (1:40) to the fan-picked episode “These are the Voyages”, but I have to strongly disagree with his comments that final episodes are often disappointing but that the fans warmed up to the final ENTERPRISE segment. DUH!!!!! How sorely misinformed he is! Wake up, Scott! You had your chance to be completely honest about what you really felt about the segment, and you royally blew it!
From there Bakula muses on the final segment of WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN? (3:26) and CAPTAIN ARCHER’S BEST QUALITIES (3:30), noting that a captain like Archer should be accessible to his crew but also strong and determined in his command, in addition to his no-nonsense attitude of taking no prisoners in getting the mission accomplished. In the last segment of THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTAIN’S LOG (1:36) Bakula adds his two cents’ worth on the necessity of recording his thoughts and actions at any given point during a mission. In the final segment of LOOKING BACK (3:16) Bakula reflects on the friendships with his fellow cast members and notes that he didn’t get a solid grasp of the STAR TREK franchise and universe until he was a part of it. Finally, the set is rounded out with a 39-second closing statement to the fans.
In addition, while unadvertised, we have two DVD trailers at the star of Disc One. The first is a generic spot for all of the TREK series and the first four Fan Collectives on DVD, while the other is a generic spot for MACGYVER, WALKER TEXAS RANGER, and THE SENTINEL on DVD. Thankfully, these are not forced trailers, so you have the option of skipping through these promos and getting to the main menu screen.
I’ve got two major concerns with the CAPTAIN’S LOG set. First, “Chain of Command” has been altered from their original TV presentations for this DVD release. For the first time the main title credits have been condensed and isolated to the start of Part 1, while the end credits for Part 1 have been removed, along with the Part 1 recap, main titles, and episode credits for Part 2. The result is one seamless movie-length segment. This is certain to bother some fans, who clearly remember “Chain of Command” airing as a two-part episode back in 1992 and appearing intact on the sixth season TNG set. Yet nowhere on the packaging is this alteration listed. I hope this is not a sign of things to come in any future condensed re-releases.
Second, if memory serves, didn’t “These are the Voyages” tarnish a lot of fans’ mindsets when it came to the end of ENTERPRISE and the TREK franchise at that point? As bad as it was, and following such a wonderful two-part tale in “Demons” and “Terra Prime” that could have effectively ended the series, why in the world was this episode chosen for the Fan Collective to begin with? All this episode serves is to remind us of the big middle finger that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga gave to the fans who had loyally stuck through a declining series, not to mention franchise, with a mediocre subplot, piss-poor generic thugs, and an ineffective end for one of the main cast members (which Michael Martin and Andy Mangels have seen fit to correct in recent Pocket Books novels). If anything, I would have chosen a far better episode like “Zero Hour” or the highly entertaining two-part “In a Mirror, Darkly”, anything that was infinitely better than this major clunker.
My initial thoughts on the Fan Collective sets remain consistent with this latest release. I for one am not impressed with the concept of the Fan Collectives, since it seems pointless to continually re-release the respective STAR TREK series’ episodes on DVD. As I said earlier, the only benefit of this set is to provide a cost-effective way to introduce a newcomer to the franchise without having to break his or her pocketbook. Furthermore, with just new interview segments as the only significant extras on this set, not to mention an altered version of one of the most acclaimed TNG segments, and the inclusion of the worst clunker in TREK history this side of “Spock’s Brain” or “Shades of Gray”, there’s not much else to interest me. Your mileage, however, may vary.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Popeye the Sailor - Volume 1: 1933-1938
Okay, I know that last time I promised I'd have that "Star Trek: Captain's Log" DVD review ready for today, and I was all prepared to divide it into two parts and post it. But between the time I wrote the bulk of it out and today, for some reason I just can't lay my hands on the blasted thing. So it looks like it's on hold yet again 'til who knows when. But, in its place I've got a commentary on a new release that I'm sure when the DVD review boards select their top releases for 2007, this will most certainly be the animated release of the year.
Way back in my youth, I recall that the first time I ever saw "Popeye the Sailor" on TV was in an animated half-hour program each day on one of the local syndicated stations. These were a series of three or four color cartoons each, selected mostly from the 1960's and some from the 1950's, all of them variants on the same theme of Popeye the do-gooder in the scenario fighting off the big bully Brutus to win the honor of long-time girlfriend Olive Oyl. These segments were cheesy and for the most part good clean fun. Then, of course, there was the big 1980 live-action feature film directed by the late Robert Altman with Robin Williams (seemingly miscast) as Popeye and Shelley Duvall (perfectly cast, though) as Olive Oyl - I thought that was the biggest thing to come down the pike since sliced cheese. Not to mention all of those Saturday morning cartoon series throughout the 1980's. Who would have thought that there was so much history to Popeye that came decades before? Certainly not me!
Believe it or not, Popeye has been around since the early 1930's, when he made his debut in E.C. Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theater". For that matter, when the strip began, he wasn't even the star at first - that honor went to Olive Oyl and her family. Popeye didn't come onto the scene until at least a full year later, and at that time he was a supporting player. But once he arrived, things fell in place, and "Thimble Theater" really took off with Popeye as the star. Then, in 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer brought Popeye to life as the star of a series of aniimated theatrical shorts released by Paramount Pictures that ran for at least the next two decades. From time to time I would catch portions of these segments on TV, thinking how cheesy and amateurish they were - how little I knew. But at the time of their release, animation was emerging and growing as a thriving theatrical form in the 1930's.
Now, Warner Home Video has brought together 60 of these classic shorts from the 1930's together into the new four-disc "Popeye the Sailor - Volume 1: 1933-1938". And before I go any further, I've got to say this - if you've never seen Popeye before, or even if you're a long-time fan, you're going to be absolutely blown away by this new set!
All 60 of these segments represented in this new set have been lovingly restored and mastered from the best nitrate sources available and presented in chronological order of release, so what you're getting are seven hours of cartoons that look incredibly crisp and full of detail. Granted, we're talking animated films that are 70-75 years old, and there's some obvious age and grain present at times, but overall the crispness and clarity in each segment is beyond belief! Over the past decade we've seen a lot of cheapjack releases slapped together from poor prints, looking and sounding questionable at times - not so with Warner's release. While the sound is English mono soun, it's perfectly acceptable when given the stunning visual quality here!
The set starts off with the initial installment from 1933, entitled, aptly enough, "Popeye the Sailor", which features Popeye singing his signature theme song and even appearing alongside long-time cartoon star Betty Boop for a number. If that weren't enough, it's got lyrics to it that I've never heard before! How's that for initiation? Now someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I clearly remember seeing in print these lyrics:
"I'm Popeye the sailor man,
I live in a garbage can.
I love to go swimmin' with bow-legged women,
I'm Popeye the sailor man."
Can anyone confirm if these lyrics were ever recorded and used in one of the cartoons?
From there the set just gets better and better with each successive segment across the four discs. As if that weren't enough, in addition to the black-and-white one-reelers, Warner has included two of its most stunning Popeye efforts to date, the Academy Award-nominated "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" on Disc 3 and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" on Disc 4. Both of these impressive Technicolor two-reel entries, running nearly 20 minutes each, were at the time of their releases the pinnacles of the Fleischer Studios, and at many theaters at the top of the marquees - and this was before the overwhelming success of Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and the Fleischers' own adaptation of "Superman" in the 1940's! If you think the black-and-white segments are something, just wait until you see how beautiful these two color segments look!
Another thing that Warner has done that earns big points in my eyes is that they have kept all of these segments intact and unedited as originally shown in theaters in the 1930's, complete with a disclaimer at the start of each disc stating these views. In this day and age of political correctness, it would have taken a miracle to get these cartoons released in the theaters or on television with the amount of racial, ethnic, and sexual connotations that were obviously present in these entries. Case in point: check out the entry with Popeye and Betty Boop - as Betty dances hula style, it becomes clearly obvious that all she has on is a grass skirt and lei and nothing else! For that matter, in "The Twisker Pitcher", they've clearly kept in a bit where once a baseball is hit, it jumps up in black face and says, "Mammy!" which is not only a tip of the hat to Al Jolson but also a poke at black stereotypes at the time. (And you thought that Disney was the only one who got away with some of this sneakiness!) Furthermore, with the recent rash of TV series and movies released on DVD with alterations left and right, it's refreshing to see a DVD release that is preserved as it was originally intended, despite its sometimes controversial content.
As if that weren't enough, Warner has seen fit to include quite a generous amount of supplement on this four-disc "Popeye" set. First off, it has interview segments and no less than 22 different audio commentaries from numerous contributors to the set, among them historians Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, Daniel Goldmark, and Glenn Mitchell; animators Dave Tendlar, Mark Kausler, Jorge Gutierrez, and Sandra Equihua; filmmaker Greg Ford; directors Eric Goldberg, John Kricfalusi, Eddie Fitzgerald, and Terry Gilliam (yes, that Terry Gilliam of "Monty Python" fame!); "Superman" and "Batman" writer/producer Paul Dini; film producer Michael E. Uslan (who produced the first four "Batman" theatrical films); actor Jack Mercer; and cartoonist Kali Fontecchio, among others. Now how's that for an impressive line-up! All of the above participants also contributed to two retrospective documentaries - "I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor" on Disc 1 and "Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation 1900-1920" on Disc 2 - and no less than eight brief yet separate "Popumentaries" on the set, including "Mining the Strip: Elzie Segar and Thimble Theater" and "Me Fickle Goyl, Olive Oyl: The World's Least Likely Sex Symbol" on Disc 1; "Wimpy the Moocher: Ode to the Burgermeister" and "Sailor's Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye" on Disc 2; "Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye" and "Popeye in Living Color: A Look at the Color Two-Reelers" on Disc 3; and "Me Lil' Swee'pea: Whose Kid is He Anyway?" and "Et Tu, Bluto? Cartoondom's Heaviest Heavy" on Disc 4.
"I Yam What I Yam" covers the history of Popeye's origins in "Thimble Theater" and his growth throughout the 1930's cartoons. "Forging the Frame" is extremely interesting, as it takes a look back at the origins of animation in film, providing viewers with some extremely vintage animation footage from the first 20 years of film, something that as time passes becomes harder and harder to preserve - thank goodness for studios like Warner! "Mining the Strip" takes a look at how the cast from "Thimble Theater" was translated from comic strip to screen, as well as Segar's involvement in the creation of the Popeye cartoons with the Fleischers. "Me Fickle Goyl" is a humorous look at how the beanpole-thin Olive Oyl became the center of Popeye's affections over the decades. "Wimpy the Moocher" is an equally humorous look at the lovable character who made "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" a household slogan.
"Sailor's Hornpipes" is a look at the different voices for the Popeye character, while "Blow Me Down" looks at the creation of Popeye's signature theme for the series. "Popeye in Living Color" analyzes the Fleischers' first attempts at bringing the cast to life in both of the two-reel segments, the combination of animation and physical sets, the entries' overwhelming success, and their inspiration for the "Superman" segments of the 1940's. "Me Lil' Swee'pea" is an affectionate look at the series' youngest cast member and puts to rest once and for all just who the baby's parent really is. Finally, "Et Tu, Bluto?" looks at Popeye's frequent nemesis and competition for Olive Oyl's hand. All of these documentaries and featurettes can be accessed either through the main episode menu or through the separate bonus features menu on each retrospective disc.
If you think all that material is enough to make you want to pick your jaw off the floor, think again. Warner has taken the extra step in giving viewers a look at no less than 16 vintage animated reels from Hollywood's golden years! On Disc 1 we have a look at three silent shorts from Bray Productions - "Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat" (1915), "Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing" (1916), and the Mutt and Jeff short "Domestic Difficulties" (1916). Disc 2 contains three more Bray Productions shorts - "Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum" (1918), "Feline Follies" (1919), and "The Tantalizing Fly" (1919). Disc 3 has six short subjects from its "Out of the Inkwell" series - "Modeling" and "Invisible Ink" (1921), "Bubbles" and "Jumping Beans" (1922), and "Bedtime" and "Trapped" (1923). Finally, on Disc 4, we have three more "Out of the Inkwell" shorts - "A Trip to Mars" (1924), "Koko Trains 'Em" (1925), and "Koko Back Tracks" (1927) - along with a Fleischer short subject from 1933, "Let's Sing With Popeye", which is basically a short pre-music video/karaoke sing-along segment lifted from the opening moments of the first Popeye segment.
All of these vintage cartoons are taken from the best surviving elements out there, including some prints preserved by the George Eastman House. The quality is obviously rough and in not the best of shape, given the age of these elements, but at least we should be glad that these animated segments were preserved to begin with. Without them, a major piece of cinematic history would be forever lost. But through these short subjects we see the genesis of film animation and its influences not only on the Fleischers but also Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and many more over the generations.
But we're still not yet done. Disc 4 also contains a trailer gallery for upcoming animated DVD releases, such as "Tom and Jerry" and the first season release of "The Smurfs", among others. In addition, at the head of Disc 4, are unadvertised trailers for the net "Looney Tunes" compilation and the forthcoming "Superman: Doomsday" direct-to-DVD project coming in September. Furthermore, Best Buy customers can also pick up this four-disc set in an exclusive collector's tin.
Whew! Now how's that for a DVD feast? Simply put, Warner Home Video has done an extremely outstanding job in producing a very high quality release with an equally staggering amount of main and supplemental content for Popeye and classic film and animation fans alike, and they have reset the bar to a higher level than ever for preserving a major slice of film history. Other studios, take notice - this is how the game is played. Don't be surprised that this set walks away with a slew of major DVD awards next year from different review boards and web sites! To everyone at Warner Home Video, take a bow, ladies and gentlement, for a DVD well done - you deserve it!
Way back in my youth, I recall that the first time I ever saw "Popeye the Sailor" on TV was in an animated half-hour program each day on one of the local syndicated stations. These were a series of three or four color cartoons each, selected mostly from the 1960's and some from the 1950's, all of them variants on the same theme of Popeye the do-gooder in the scenario fighting off the big bully Brutus to win the honor of long-time girlfriend Olive Oyl. These segments were cheesy and for the most part good clean fun. Then, of course, there was the big 1980 live-action feature film directed by the late Robert Altman with Robin Williams (seemingly miscast) as Popeye and Shelley Duvall (perfectly cast, though) as Olive Oyl - I thought that was the biggest thing to come down the pike since sliced cheese. Not to mention all of those Saturday morning cartoon series throughout the 1980's. Who would have thought that there was so much history to Popeye that came decades before? Certainly not me!
Believe it or not, Popeye has been around since the early 1930's, when he made his debut in E.C. Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theater". For that matter, when the strip began, he wasn't even the star at first - that honor went to Olive Oyl and her family. Popeye didn't come onto the scene until at least a full year later, and at that time he was a supporting player. But once he arrived, things fell in place, and "Thimble Theater" really took off with Popeye as the star. Then, in 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer brought Popeye to life as the star of a series of aniimated theatrical shorts released by Paramount Pictures that ran for at least the next two decades. From time to time I would catch portions of these segments on TV, thinking how cheesy and amateurish they were - how little I knew. But at the time of their release, animation was emerging and growing as a thriving theatrical form in the 1930's.
Now, Warner Home Video has brought together 60 of these classic shorts from the 1930's together into the new four-disc "Popeye the Sailor - Volume 1: 1933-1938". And before I go any further, I've got to say this - if you've never seen Popeye before, or even if you're a long-time fan, you're going to be absolutely blown away by this new set!
All 60 of these segments represented in this new set have been lovingly restored and mastered from the best nitrate sources available and presented in chronological order of release, so what you're getting are seven hours of cartoons that look incredibly crisp and full of detail. Granted, we're talking animated films that are 70-75 years old, and there's some obvious age and grain present at times, but overall the crispness and clarity in each segment is beyond belief! Over the past decade we've seen a lot of cheapjack releases slapped together from poor prints, looking and sounding questionable at times - not so with Warner's release. While the sound is English mono soun, it's perfectly acceptable when given the stunning visual quality here!
The set starts off with the initial installment from 1933, entitled, aptly enough, "Popeye the Sailor", which features Popeye singing his signature theme song and even appearing alongside long-time cartoon star Betty Boop for a number. If that weren't enough, it's got lyrics to it that I've never heard before! How's that for initiation? Now someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I clearly remember seeing in print these lyrics:
"I'm Popeye the sailor man,
I live in a garbage can.
I love to go swimmin' with bow-legged women,
I'm Popeye the sailor man."
Can anyone confirm if these lyrics were ever recorded and used in one of the cartoons?
From there the set just gets better and better with each successive segment across the four discs. As if that weren't enough, in addition to the black-and-white one-reelers, Warner has included two of its most stunning Popeye efforts to date, the Academy Award-nominated "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" on Disc 3 and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" on Disc 4. Both of these impressive Technicolor two-reel entries, running nearly 20 minutes each, were at the time of their releases the pinnacles of the Fleischer Studios, and at many theaters at the top of the marquees - and this was before the overwhelming success of Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and the Fleischers' own adaptation of "Superman" in the 1940's! If you think the black-and-white segments are something, just wait until you see how beautiful these two color segments look!
Another thing that Warner has done that earns big points in my eyes is that they have kept all of these segments intact and unedited as originally shown in theaters in the 1930's, complete with a disclaimer at the start of each disc stating these views. In this day and age of political correctness, it would have taken a miracle to get these cartoons released in the theaters or on television with the amount of racial, ethnic, and sexual connotations that were obviously present in these entries. Case in point: check out the entry with Popeye and Betty Boop - as Betty dances hula style, it becomes clearly obvious that all she has on is a grass skirt and lei and nothing else! For that matter, in "The Twisker Pitcher", they've clearly kept in a bit where once a baseball is hit, it jumps up in black face and says, "Mammy!" which is not only a tip of the hat to Al Jolson but also a poke at black stereotypes at the time. (And you thought that Disney was the only one who got away with some of this sneakiness!) Furthermore, with the recent rash of TV series and movies released on DVD with alterations left and right, it's refreshing to see a DVD release that is preserved as it was originally intended, despite its sometimes controversial content.
As if that weren't enough, Warner has seen fit to include quite a generous amount of supplement on this four-disc "Popeye" set. First off, it has interview segments and no less than 22 different audio commentaries from numerous contributors to the set, among them historians Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, Daniel Goldmark, and Glenn Mitchell; animators Dave Tendlar, Mark Kausler, Jorge Gutierrez, and Sandra Equihua; filmmaker Greg Ford; directors Eric Goldberg, John Kricfalusi, Eddie Fitzgerald, and Terry Gilliam (yes, that Terry Gilliam of "Monty Python" fame!); "Superman" and "Batman" writer/producer Paul Dini; film producer Michael E. Uslan (who produced the first four "Batman" theatrical films); actor Jack Mercer; and cartoonist Kali Fontecchio, among others. Now how's that for an impressive line-up! All of the above participants also contributed to two retrospective documentaries - "I Yam What I Yam: The Story of Popeye the Sailor" on Disc 1 and "Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation 1900-1920" on Disc 2 - and no less than eight brief yet separate "Popumentaries" on the set, including "Mining the Strip: Elzie Segar and Thimble Theater" and "Me Fickle Goyl, Olive Oyl: The World's Least Likely Sex Symbol" on Disc 1; "Wimpy the Moocher: Ode to the Burgermeister" and "Sailor's Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye" on Disc 2; "Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye" and "Popeye in Living Color: A Look at the Color Two-Reelers" on Disc 3; and "Me Lil' Swee'pea: Whose Kid is He Anyway?" and "Et Tu, Bluto? Cartoondom's Heaviest Heavy" on Disc 4.
"I Yam What I Yam" covers the history of Popeye's origins in "Thimble Theater" and his growth throughout the 1930's cartoons. "Forging the Frame" is extremely interesting, as it takes a look back at the origins of animation in film, providing viewers with some extremely vintage animation footage from the first 20 years of film, something that as time passes becomes harder and harder to preserve - thank goodness for studios like Warner! "Mining the Strip" takes a look at how the cast from "Thimble Theater" was translated from comic strip to screen, as well as Segar's involvement in the creation of the Popeye cartoons with the Fleischers. "Me Fickle Goyl" is a humorous look at how the beanpole-thin Olive Oyl became the center of Popeye's affections over the decades. "Wimpy the Moocher" is an equally humorous look at the lovable character who made "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" a household slogan.
"Sailor's Hornpipes" is a look at the different voices for the Popeye character, while "Blow Me Down" looks at the creation of Popeye's signature theme for the series. "Popeye in Living Color" analyzes the Fleischers' first attempts at bringing the cast to life in both of the two-reel segments, the combination of animation and physical sets, the entries' overwhelming success, and their inspiration for the "Superman" segments of the 1940's. "Me Lil' Swee'pea" is an affectionate look at the series' youngest cast member and puts to rest once and for all just who the baby's parent really is. Finally, "Et Tu, Bluto?" looks at Popeye's frequent nemesis and competition for Olive Oyl's hand. All of these documentaries and featurettes can be accessed either through the main episode menu or through the separate bonus features menu on each retrospective disc.
If you think all that material is enough to make you want to pick your jaw off the floor, think again. Warner has taken the extra step in giving viewers a look at no less than 16 vintage animated reels from Hollywood's golden years! On Disc 1 we have a look at three silent shorts from Bray Productions - "Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat" (1915), "Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing" (1916), and the Mutt and Jeff short "Domestic Difficulties" (1916). Disc 2 contains three more Bray Productions shorts - "Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum" (1918), "Feline Follies" (1919), and "The Tantalizing Fly" (1919). Disc 3 has six short subjects from its "Out of the Inkwell" series - "Modeling" and "Invisible Ink" (1921), "Bubbles" and "Jumping Beans" (1922), and "Bedtime" and "Trapped" (1923). Finally, on Disc 4, we have three more "Out of the Inkwell" shorts - "A Trip to Mars" (1924), "Koko Trains 'Em" (1925), and "Koko Back Tracks" (1927) - along with a Fleischer short subject from 1933, "Let's Sing With Popeye", which is basically a short pre-music video/karaoke sing-along segment lifted from the opening moments of the first Popeye segment.
All of these vintage cartoons are taken from the best surviving elements out there, including some prints preserved by the George Eastman House. The quality is obviously rough and in not the best of shape, given the age of these elements, but at least we should be glad that these animated segments were preserved to begin with. Without them, a major piece of cinematic history would be forever lost. But through these short subjects we see the genesis of film animation and its influences not only on the Fleischers but also Walt Disney, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, and many more over the generations.
But we're still not yet done. Disc 4 also contains a trailer gallery for upcoming animated DVD releases, such as "Tom and Jerry" and the first season release of "The Smurfs", among others. In addition, at the head of Disc 4, are unadvertised trailers for the net "Looney Tunes" compilation and the forthcoming "Superman: Doomsday" direct-to-DVD project coming in September. Furthermore, Best Buy customers can also pick up this four-disc set in an exclusive collector's tin.
Whew! Now how's that for a DVD feast? Simply put, Warner Home Video has done an extremely outstanding job in producing a very high quality release with an equally staggering amount of main and supplemental content for Popeye and classic film and animation fans alike, and they have reset the bar to a higher level than ever for preserving a major slice of film history. Other studios, take notice - this is how the game is played. Don't be surprised that this set walks away with a slew of major DVD awards next year from different review boards and web sites! To everyone at Warner Home Video, take a bow, ladies and gentlement, for a DVD well done - you deserve it!
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