FUTTOCKS END-TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from SRO about Futtock’s End: Futtock’s End is a classic British ‘sound effect’ comedy that stands in illustrious company alongside Peter Sellers’ Running Jumping and Standing Still, Eric Sykes’ The Plank and Ronnie Barker’s A Home of One Own, The Picnic and By The Sea.

I have always been a big fan of the Two Ronnies and with the Silent Comedy shorts they have done together and separate including this one. They did two together that were “The Picnic” and “By The Sea”. This story is about a weekend gathering at a decaying country home called “Futtock’s End” while having saucy mishaps going on between the staff and his guests. This short film stars Ronnie Barker as General Futtock and Michael Horden as his trusty butler with Richard O’ Sullivan (Man About The House). This disc also includes an audio commentary by the director of the film, Bob Kellett.

VIDEO

The video quality is not that bad! There are a few specks and dirt but not bad. The film is 47 minutes long. The film was released in 1969.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. It is also Mono on this set.

Disc 1- 1. “Futtock’s End”-with Ronnie Barker, Michael Horden and Richard O’Sullivan

Extras

Disc 1: Audio Commentary by Director Bob Kellett

Verdict

A laugh out loud film! With lots of slapstick! I would recommend it!


Rating: ****!

THE AMAZING MRS PRITCHARD-TV DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Acorn Media about The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard- “She’s got people talking!” That’s what everyone says about Ros Pritchard, the successful supermarket manager and mother who ignites a political firestorm when she stands for Parliament and ends up winning the general election.

The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard is about a manager of a big grocery store that has had enough of the politics of England and thinks she could do better. She becomes the 2nd female Prime Minister in England’s History. The show is best described as West Wing with an Anti-establishment slant. Ros Pritchard succeeds Tony Blair as Prime Minister. A scandal erupts and Ros has a choice of either resigning or staying with the job. You’ll have to watch to find out! This set includes a Cast Fimography.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Each episode is approx. 59 mins each. It is presented in Widescreen.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “Episode 1”
2. “Episode 2”
3. “Episode 3”

Disc 2- 1. “Episode 4”
2. “Episode 5”
3. “Episode 6”

Extras

Disc 1: Cast Filmographies- (Text Only)

Disc 2: None

Verdict

A Sleeper of a show. Defiantly watch & and then buy it! It is showing on Masterpiece Theater.

Rating: ****!

MONARCHY-SET 2 TV DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Acorn Media about Monarchy Set 2- With a deft blend of disciplined scholarship and dramatic flair, Dr David Starkey continues his epic documentary on English royal rule.

The documentary series continues from the 1660’s to 1789, going through the plague that swept across Europe with millions of people dead, to the madness of King George III. The set also includes a biography of Dr David Starkey.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Each episode is approx 48 miss each. The show is presented in Wide screen.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “Return Of The King”
2. “The Glorious Revolution”
3. “Rule Britannia”

Disc 2- 1. “Empire”
2. “Survival”

Extras

Disc 1: Dr David Starkey Biography- (Text Only)

Disc 2: None


Verdict

Lavishly produced and painstaking researched! Well Done!!!

Rating: *****!

MONARCHY-SET 1 TV DVD REVIEW

A short blurb from Acorn Media about Monarchy Srt 1- Eminent scholar and entergetic storyteller Dr David Starkey serves as your guide through nearly 10 centuries of royal rule in England.

Renowned British Academic David Starkey begins the history of the Royal Rule of England from the Dark Ages to 1644. The storytelling is in a way that is not boring to watch. The series has been shown on PBS. This set includes a David Starkey biography.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! Each episode is approx. 52 mins. The show is presented in Widescreen.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Is also in Mono but very clear!

Disc 1- 1. “The Early Kings”
2. “Medieval Monarchs”
3. “A New Dynasty”

Disc 2- 1. “The Imperial King”
2. “A Question Of Succession”
3. “Revolution And The Republic”

Extras

Disc 1: David Starkey Biography-(Text Only)

Disc 2: None


Verdict

A very likable Documentary series. Set 2 is on the way!

Rating: ****!

DOCTOR WHO-ROBOT TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from BBC Warner about Doctor Who-Robot: Mortally weakened by the Spider Queen on Metebelis 3, the Doctor is forced to regenerate. His recuperation is cut short as UNIT investigates a spate of robberies involving components for a top-secret disintegrator gun.

The first story for the fourth Doctor sets off the first of one of the longest running Doctors in the history of the series. Tom Baker played the Doctor from 1974 to 1981. This story was the first story to totally be done on Videotape instead of the tried but true BBC way, which was to have all exterior shots, be done on film and all interior shots be done on videotape. The story in a way plays like King Kong. Plans of a new disintegrator gun has been stolen and it all points to a think tank that has created an Robot to protect the group that are wanting the launch keys for the nuclear weapons they can start World War III. With all of this going on the doctor has ”regenerated” from the 3rd to the fourth doctor, and his facilities are not all there. The Restoration team has done a wonderful job restoring the Video and Audio of this story. The disc also includes an Audio Commentary with Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen and Terrance Dicks, a documentary about Tom Baker among other things a photo gallery with production notes on the story.

VIDEO

The video quality is great! The performance was done on videotape and there are a few dropouts of picture and sound. The total story is performance is 98 minutes long.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. It is also Mono on this set.

Disc 1- 1. “Robot”-with Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen and Ian Marter (98 mins)
Part One (24:12)
Part Two (24:59)
Part Three (24:32)
Part Four (24:28)

Extras

Disc 1: Audio Commentary by Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen and Terrance Dicks
Are Friends Electric? (38:56)
The Tunnel Effect (13:47)
Blue Peter (02:14) in the Dr who set
Photo Gallery (51) pictures
Radio Times Listing on DVD Rom
Production text notes


Verdict

A great first story for Tom Baker! I had the pleasure of Meeting Elizabeth Sladen back in 1983 at a Dr Who convention in Tampa, Florida and she said that she really liked this story. I would recommend it!


Rating: ***!

YOUNG INDIANA JONES-VOLUME 1 TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from Paramount Home Video about “Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 1: From George Lucas comes an all-new, must see 12 disc DVD collection. This first volume of a three volume series contains more than 20 hours of Interactive entertainment that combines real-world history with the boyhood adventures if one of cinema’s greatest heroes: Indiana Jones.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a great TV series that ran from 1992 to 1996. The show entertained as well as educated. The TV series started out as a prequel to the raiders of the Lost Ark series that was done with River Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The journeys of this show started in 1908 to 1920. This volume covers 1908 to 0000. Harrison Ford actually showed up in on of the later episodes as a 50-year-old Indiana Jones. The show was originally shot on 16mm but for this release the video and audio was distally reasserted. What is also great about the series is that all of the Historical figures that Indy Jr meets such as Adolf Hitler, Al Capone, Eliot Ness, Ernest Hemmingway, George Patton and Theodore Roosevelt to name a few. This set also is crammed full of documentaries, some which are about Archeology and Slavery with a Timeline and much, much more!

VIDEO

The video quality is great! All episodes are shot on 16mm film but have been Digitally Remastered.


Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. It is also Mono on this set.

Disc 1- 1. Egypt 1908-“My First Adventure”-with Tony Robinson (85 mins)

Disc 2- 1. Paris-Kenya 1908-1909-“Passion For Life”-with Lukas Haas (94 mins)

Disc 3- 1. “Passion For Life”-Special Features Disc

Disc 4-1. Florence-Vienna-“Perils of Cupid”-with Max Von Sydow (93 mins)

Disc 5- 1. “Perils of Cupid”-Special Features Disc

Disc 6- 1. Russia-Greece 1910-“Travels With Father-with Michael Gough (92 mins)

Disc 7- 1. Indian-China 1910-“Journey to Radiance” (95 mins)

Disc 8- 1. Princeton-Mexico 1916-“Spring Break Adventure_-with Ed Bishop (95 Mins)

Disc 9- 1. “Spring Break Adventure”-Special Features Disc

Disc 10-1. Ireland-England 1916-“Love’s Sweet Song”-with Vanessa Redgrave (92 Mins)

Disc 11- 1. “Love’s Sweet Song”-Special Features Disc

Disc 12- 1. Bonus Disc

Extras

Disc 1- Archaeology-Unearthing Or Past- (19:17)
Howard Carter and the Tomb of Tutankhamun (36:05)
Colonel Lawrence’s War-T.E. Lawrence and Arabia (24:00)
From Slavery to Freedom (30:07)

Disc 2- None

Disc 3- Theodore Roosevelt & and The American Century (30:51)
Ecology-Pulse of the Planet (24:12)
American Dreams-Norman Rockwell & The Saturday Evening Post (24:16)
Art Rebellion-The Making of the Modern (26:06)?
Edgar Degas-Reluctant Rebel (22:53)
Braque and Picasso-A Collaboration (23:14)

Disc 4- None

Disc 5- Giacomo Puccini-Music of the Heart (25:32)
It’s Opera- (29:02)
The Archduke’s Last Journey-End of an Era (20:56)
Powder Keg-Europe 1900 to 1914 (26:06)
Sigmund Freud-Exploring the Unconscious (21:57)
Carl Jung and the Journey to Self Discovery (19:30)
Psychology-Charting the Human Mind (26:33)

Disc 6- Seeking the Truth-The Life of Leo Tolstoy (31:14)
Unquiet Voices-Russian Writers and the State (26:00)
Aristotle- Creating Foundations- (21:37)
Ancient Questions-Philosophy and our Search for Meaning (23:52)

Disc 7- Jiddu Krishnaruiti-The Reluctant Survivor (26:50)
Annie Besant-An Unlikely Rebel (26:56)
Medicine in the Middle Kingdom (26:49)
Eastern Spirituality-The Road to Enlightenment (29:06)

Disc 8- None

Disc 9- Thomas Edison-Lighting Up the World (26:51)
Invention and Innovation-What’s Behind a Good Idea (22:54)
The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer (26:15)
Wanted Dead or Alive-Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico (28:10)
General John J Pershing and his American Army (28:25)
George S Patton-American Achilles (29:34)

Disc 10- None

Disc 11- Easter Rising-The Poet’s Rebellion (25:54)
The Passion of William Butler Yates (27:42)
Sean O’Casey vs. Ireland (25:18)
Ireland-The Power of the Poets (26:53)
Winston Churchill-The Lion’s Roar (33:47)
Demanding The Vote-The Pankhursts and British Sufferage (27:06)
Fighting for the Vote-Women’s Sufferage in America (31:28)

Disc 12- Interactive Timeline (DVD Rom)
Historical Lecture: The Promise of Progress (41:26)
Revolution-Interactive Game (DVD Rom)

Verdict

I highly recommend this set and the other two she liked remainder of the other two!


Rating; *****!

TRAPPED-A COMEDY TRILOGY TV DVD REVIEW

A blurb from BFS Video about “Trapped”: From three first-class comedy writers, Jonathan Harvey, Simon Nye and Tim Firth comes this comic trilogy in which obsessive characters-desperate to break free from their self-imposed prisons-face their moments of truth.

Trapped-a comedy trilogy. When I first saw the paperwork for this, I thought this could be fun, and it was! The premise of “Trapped” is 3 stories that find their situations, “Trapped”. One is trapped in an obsessive world of “The Sound Of Music”. The next is trapped in an old family mansion that the occupant just wants to be loved and finally, my personal favorite, trapped on a roof of an appliance store and trying to get away without being electrocuted. The cast is just as good with Caroline Quentin, Martin Clunes, Mark Benton and Richard Wilson. Produced by Granada Television in 2004.

VIDEO

The video quality is great. The trilogy runs approx 150 minutes.

Audio

Was originally recorded in Mono. Audio quality is also in Mono.


Disc 1-
1. “Von Trapped”-with Caroline Quentin, Una Stubbs and Jim Carter

Disc 2-
2. “Beauty”-with Martin Clunes and Peter Vaughn

Disc 3-
3. “King Of Fridges”-with Richard Wilson and Mark Benton


Extras


Disc 1- None

Disc 2- None

Disc 3-None


Verdict

Well-written and out loud funny in places!


Rating: ****!