samdvd1

Picture:
Arrow Films have presented us with the an anamorphic transfer set at 1.78:1. It’s a nice print but there is quite a lot of dirt in the image, perhaps trying to give the film a gritty feel, yet leaving it feeling a little soft. There was also some minor edge enhancement evident, most noticeable during the rowing scenes. It’s a decent enough print that is certainly better than VHS, but I imagine it could be a lot cleaner looking.

Audio:
Arrow have provided us with a selection of two soundtracks. We have the choice of a remixed English Dolby Digital 5.1 track and the original English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. For review purposes I listened to the 5.1 track and like the picture, it was decent but could have been improved. The surrounds are used to a rather minimal effect and didn’t really make enough use of the LFE channel. Dialogue was clear though and volume levels were consistent throughout. English subtitles have been included, but only for the Director’s Son’s Cut.

Extras:
We have been given a two disc set which features some nice extras.

The final extra on disc one is an image gallery that runs for one minute, 23 seconds. Set inside a fairytale book, the gallery would’ve been a heck of a lot better set to the films score, rather than being presented in silence.

The rest of the extras are on disc two.

We start off with a series of a six feature reports:
- The Evolution Of A Director (4:20)
- The Casting Of A Comedy/Adventure (8:44)
- The Special Effects Of Erik The Viking (3:26)
- Making Movie Magic On Malta (3:01)
- Jones & Cleese: A Grand Reunion (4:42)
- Creating The Look (3:37)
They are all pretty self explanatory, and are short vignettes narrated by an American guy causing me to think they were made for US television to publicise the film. Thankfully, instead of being full of backslapping like todays similar offerings, these are actually interesting and insightful into different sctions of the film.

We finish off the extras with a half hour making of featurette. Made for American television, the featurette re-iterates what we have already heard in the feature reports, albeit without repeating the same footage.

Overall:
Average film that has a few flaws but on a well presented double disc set.

Film – C+
Picture – B-
Sound – B-
Extras – B
Overall – B-

Picture:
Arrow Films have presented us with the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It’s a very nice print and is free of any major problems though there is a little dirt here and there. Colours seem to be well defined especially during the scenes which take place in dark and grimy settings such as toilets and a warehouse. All in all, the picture is of great quality although not quite reference material. Subtitles have been provided in English (optional) and they are pretty much perfect.

Audio:
Arrow have provided us with a Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track and there is certainly no need to be disappointed. Dialogue is clear at all times (as in I could hear them - don’t understand Czech) and music levels consistent throughout. The film is mainly dialogue driven but there are a few fantasy scenes of a car blowing up or a shooting which would have definately benefited from the use of a 5.1 track. The track we have got though, does what it needs to.

Extras:
None

Overall:
A film that deserves to be seen but I the fact there are no extras bugs me.

The Hammer Of God - A retired colonel, who is now a landlord, is found dead with his skull smashed in after having an adulterous affair with one of his tennents when her husband is away.

The Oracle Of The Dog - Father Brown finds himself staying at the house of a colonel in order to use his library. The colonel soon turns up dead but no murder weapon can be found.

The Curse Of The Golden Cross - A mysterious voice in a cave tells an archaeologist he is going to die after he is accused of stealing a golden cross.

The Eye Of Apollo - Father Brown suspects foul play when a self proclaimed priest of Apollo manages to get a follower to change her will only for her to die.

The Three Tools Of Death - A Scottish philanthropist is found dead shortly after having a live radio discussion with Father Brown.

The Mirror Of The Magistrate - Father Brown must race to stop an innocent man getting sent down for the murder of a controversial magistrate.

The Dagger With Wings - When a man’s children start to die after he dabbles in black magic, it is up to the resourceful Father Brown to investigate.

Video:
Acorn Media have provided us with the original aspect ratio of 4:3 and it’s pretty poor. The colours are extremely washed out throughout and there are a large amount of scratches on the print. Dirt is also present for all episodes aswell as edge enhancement and ghosting, probably caused by a PAL>NTSC transfer. No subtitles have been included.

Audio:
Acorn Media have provided us with the original mono track in English, and it’s perfectly adequate. For a dialogue driven show with little background music or need for sound effects, you don’t need much more. Volume levels are consistent and dialogue is clear 99% of the time, with the occasional mumble. There is also an occasional crackle in the mix but nothing too bad.

Extras:
Nothing substantial but we do get a Biography for G.K. Chesterton and filmographies for six cast members all on disc one.

OVERALL:
Distinctly average show that only big fans of murder mysteries should pick up.

Show – C-
Picture – D
Sound – B-/C+
Extras – E
Overall – C-/D+

One of the main things with the show is it’s ‘hidden’ pop culture it hides behind. Rigsby often takes what most would assume to be racist stabs at Philip, but really, it is just showing his ignorance to other cultures which is shown very well in the opening episode where he has just come back from a holiday in Spain. Both students also annoy Rigsby by always arguing with him about their differing views on things ranging from politics to the environment, the kind of arguments you’d have with your Dad because of the era in which you are growing/grew up. What the show has done is managed to get four different people into a single house, all with completely different characteristics, yet you can connect with them all on different levels. This shows the hidden depth of the level of scriptwriting, yet the jokes still manage to come thick and fast with the cast all managing to give great performances and excellent delivery in their respective roles. Rising Damp was recently the highest rated ITV sitcom ever made in a poll by the British Broadcasting Association and if you buy this and watch it, you’ll see why it so highly regarded. It has aged a little though so beware it might not be as good as you originally remember. Here is a small episode guide:

That’s My Boy - Rigsby returns home from a holiday in Spain to find that Ruth has returned as a tennent and there’s a woman with a baby staying.

Stage Struck - Hillary, the new tennent, causes disruption in the house as he has to contend with Rigsby’s homophobia and writing a script for a play.

Clunk Clink - To try and finaly win Ruth over, Rigsby buys a sports car, only to get into a crash drink driving. With a magistrate….

The Good Samaritan - When Rigsby thinks his new tennent is going to try and top himself, he decides to call the good samaritans, who think Rigsby is the suicidal one.

Fawcett’s Python - Ruth believes the new tennent to be a prostitute so asks Rigsby to evict her. She’s just an exotic dancer though, with a really big snake,

The Cocktail Hour - After managing to impress her with the car in Clunk link, Alan becomes engaged to the daughter of a wealthy family.

Suddenly A Home - When a hypochondriac tennent is taken into hospital, Rigsby comes up with an extreme theory.

Video:
Acorn Media have provided us with the original aspect ratio of 4:3 and it’s pretty average. The colours are washed out, grain is evident and there are a couple of small cases of ghosting (due to the PAL>NTSC transfer), however, it isn’t as bad as it sounds. All the problems (apart from washed out colours) are only present if you’re really concentrating on finding flaws, and it appears to be the same print used as the re-runs on television in the UK.

Audio:
Acorn Media have provided us with the original mono track in English, and it’s perfectly adequate. For a dialogue driven show with little background music or need for sound effects, you don’t need much more. Volume levels are consistent and dialogue is clear at all times, but a small bit of background hiss is present. No subtitles have been included which is an unfortunate (and stupid) stance to take.

Extras:
Nothing substantial but we do get some production notes and filmographies for the four main cast members.

OVERALL:
Fans of British comedy will love this show and should buy it instantly. Others may want to take a dip by renting it first.

Show – B+
Picture – C/C-
Sound – B-/C+
Extras – E
Overall – B-/C+

Just like regular movies, if something sells well, you just rehash it again. Well, health and fitness DVD’s follow the same route. After selling over 400,000 copies of her book “The Miracle Ball Method” in two years and having her first DVD “The Elaine Petrone Method” rank at number one for four weeks in the VideoScan fitness charts, Elaine Petrone is back, this time with a disc aimed at relieving stress and upper body aches by using her ‘miracle ball method’. Now then, more than anyone, I’m a sceptic with these health and fitness releases, and don’t think these can particularly improve your health as much as getting off your backside and getting down to the gym or joining some sort of sports team. Despite this, I followed all the instructions of this self-help DVD for reviewings sake and to be honest, I don’t know what to think. The whole facade is about using a five inch ball that is included with the pack to help release stress and tension in your neck, shoulders and back. Unfortunately, rather than being purely instructional, Elaine kind of sees this as a big promotional push for herself with the first ten minutes of an already short 55 minute feature being full of testimonials from old ladies who obviously haven’t got much of a clue. We then move onto something just as worrying. Breathing exercises. Elaine Petrone asks her two subjects (a male named ‘Brad’ and some woman) to sit on a chair and breathe, hinting at us to do the same. No offense, but what was I going to do? Not breathe? So thats another five minutes wasted. However, after that, it all starts to change a bit and now she has got the self advertisement out the way we move onto using the ball. Again, this is not an exercise DVD, and the basis of the feature is using a ball to balance part of your body to help pain. I don’t have any pain that this is supposed to relieve so it is kind of lost on me but I do stress a bit. As I did the bits and pieces that Petrone instructs you do, I did feel a little better and more relaxed, and the ball certainly felt like it helped to alleviate some of this. I do believe these methods can help, but unfortunately there is too much self promotional activity, and not enough help provided on the disc. Shame really.

Video:
Acacia have given us a 4:3 transfer for this feature and as to be expected there is nothing wrong with it mainly due to the fact it was only shot last year. A lot of light colours are used and I imagine this is all part of the ambience they are trying to set to give a more relaxed feel to the surroundings. It could’ve had a bit more clarity but does it really matter with this type of thing?

Audio:
A lone dolby digital stereo track in English is what Acacia have provided us with here. With no need for a surround track this is fine and certainly adequate. Dialogue is clear at all times and sound levels consistent. There is also no trace of background hiss. Unfortunately, Acacia have overlooked the capability of subtitles for this DVD which means it could miss out on a few sales.

Extras:
Surprisingly, we do actually get a couple of extras. The first is an interview with Elaine Petrone entitled Elaine’s Story which essentially gives us the backbone of how this method originally came to light after Petrone noticed minor problems with herself as a young dancer. Other than that we get a 6 page biography for her.

OVERALL:
Recommended to people who have high stress levels and upper body aches, but only if you can sit through the self-appreciating testimonials that sometimes make it seem like a late night TV advert.

Film – C-/D+
Picture – B
Sound – A
Extras – D-
Overall – C/C-

It should also be noted that with this release, part of the proceeds of this release (equating to about £1.70 per unit) will go directly to support the Heaven’s Angels campaign, a major initiative addressing the issue of healthcare delivery in sub–Saharan Africa. Backed by Richard Branson’s charity foundation Virgin Unite, the Heaven’s Angels campaign is raising funds to provide a force of trained health workers on motorbikes to transport vital medicine to remote rural communities. Currently, it is estimated that over 10,000 people die from treatable and preventable diseases such as HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria in this region. Costing five thousand pounds for the first year of operation each bike can reach over ten thousand people. Network and a range of affiliated companies are aiming to fund the recruitment of local health workers and the purchase of the new motor bikes which deliver the medicines – with the goal of providing at least one hundred bikes – a practical solution to the above diseases.

Here is a brief episode guide (4 episodes on each of discs 1-6):

The Judas Game - Simon Templar goes undercover into an enemy camp in the Alps to save an old flame who he believes is being held against her will Little does Templar know, she may have actually defected to the enemy.

The Nightmare Man - An Italian women has a vision of her Husbands death causing Simon Templar to come to her aid.

Duel In Venice - A good friend of Simon Templers’ daughter is kidnapped, but little does he realise the kidnappers have abducted her to lure him into a trap!

One Black September - Simon Templar joins forces with an Israeli secret agent so that he can try and track down an arab terrorist that is in hiding in London.

The Village That Sold It’s Soul - Simon Templar investigates a murder which leads him to a small village in Italy that is being run by a psychotic aristocrat.

Assault Force - Simon must use his wits to outsmart the police from an Asian country after he saves a young girls life.

Yesterday’s Hero - Simon Templar spots a man who is believed to be dead and becomes embroiled in a British Intelligence operation.

The Poppy Chain - After a girl dies from a using ‘bad’ grade heroin, her grandfather helps Simon Templar infiltrate a foreign drug ring.

The Arrangement - Simon Templar is hired as a hitman when two women decide they want their husbands dead.

The Armageddon Alternative - A vengeful man threatens to blow up the English capital unless a sculptress is publicly executed.

The Imprudent Professor - After a couple of beautiful women try to get Templar to convince a scientist to defect, he takes it upon himself to stop the scientist from selling out his country

Signal Stop - A mental patient needs to find someone to believe him after he witnesses a murder through the window whilst a passenger of a train.

The Roman Touch - Simon must help out a professional singer whose producer is driving her to hard.

Tower Bridge Is Falling Down - Simon is asked for help by a woman who believes her husbad was murdered by his business partner and so-called friend.

The Debt Collectors - In this episode Templar helps a woman who is trying to save her brother from a gang of drug traffickers.

Collision Course: The Brave Goose - Templar finds a stash of gold from a robbery when he investigates the deaths of two wealthy men killed in a powerboat accident.

Collision Course: The Sixth Man - Part two of the above episode.

Hot Run - Simon’s ski instructor asks him for his help in investigating the murder of her brother in the Alps.

Murder Cartel - A despised oil sheik is saved by Templa as he investigates an assassination company.

The Obono Affair - Simon is reluctant to help a tyrannical African president whose son has been kidnapped whilst visiting in London.

Vicious Circle - When a retired race car driver is killed in a dramatic car accident, Simon Templar suspects foul play.

Dragonseed - When a millionaire’s son is killed in a tragic helicopter accident, Simon Templar sets out to prove it was murder.

Appointment In Florence - One of Simon’s friends is killed by terrorists in Florence so he vows to avenge his death and bring the organisation down.

The Diplomat’s Daughter - Simon helps rescue a diplomats daughter who has been kidnapped by a drug smuggling gang.

Video:
Network have provided all 24 episodes in the original aspect ratio of 4:3. Unfortunately it appears that little has been done to preserve or restore the picture with evident signs of grain and print damage. Colours sometimes appear a little washed out, yet at other times a little dark. Don’t get me wrong, the picture isn’t terrible, but plenty could’ve been done to make it look better than what I imagine it looked when it was originally broadcast. No subtitles have been included.

Audio:
Network have provided us with the original English Dolby Digital Mono here and there aren’t any huge underlying problems. Dialogue is clear at all times and the music levels are consistent, however, there was slight background hiss and sometimes a kind of high pitched sound that is obviously not intentional. Like the picture quality, the sound is adequate but could be better. How about a surround track for those actin scenes and cool theme tune?

Extras:
Network have provided us with a wealth of extras, with all apart from the commentaries being included on the seventh disc.

A full length version of the two Collision Course episodes entitled The Goose is the next extra up to the plate. Unfortunately it’s in a very poor condition with a lot of damage, unlike the individual episodes. Presented in the original aspect ratio of 4:3 and with the original 2.0 mono track, it runs for 98 minutes 24 seconds.

The final substantial extra is an episodic image gallery which gives us photos from all 24 episodes in a well presented slideshow accompanied by the theme tune. Very relaxing to sitback and watch this 11 minute 24 second feature.

We end the extras with a bunch of small ‘nice to have, but ultimately not substantial’ stuff:
Title Sequence Storyboard (3:14)
Promotional Gallery (2:16)
Merchandise Gallery (1:59)
ITC Home Video Trailer (0:49)
European Titles with “Taking It Easy” theme by Oliver Onions (1:34)
Unseen Rushes - mute footage (4:22)
Commercal Break Bumpers (0:12)
Textless Material (1:34)

OVERALL:

Show – A
Picture – C+
Sound – C+
Extras – A
Overall – A-

If you had to hazard a guess on which event has triggered the making of the most films, what would you guess? Well, this is something I have thought a lot about and I can’t think of any such event higher than World War II. With many war films following a rather formulaic feel good plot, it is usually the true stories based on certain people that give us the better, more gripping films. This film is one such story.

Video:
Unlike Network’s previous release which was presented slightly cropped and non-anamorphic, we have this time been treated to an anamorphic transfer in the films OAR of 1.66:1. I’m happy to say, it is a reasonable effort but it’s certainly not outstanding. There is minor grain throughout aswell as some minor scratches but none that are too intrusive. The picture also appears a bit darker than perhaps what it should be. Maybe Network have been treating us so well lately with bringing British classics to DVD with fantastic picture that I was expecting yet another infallible print, but I have to say I am a little disappointed here. Still a little better than average for films of this age though.

Audio:
Network have provided us with the original English Dolby Digital Mono here and like the picture, it isn’t without problems. The music levels are consistent but unfortunately the dialogue is sometimes muffled and I was having to go back over certain scenes so I could fathom on to what it was they were saying. I would’ve also liked to see a Surround track for this (even just a 2.0 one) but beggars can’t be choosers. As usual there are no subtitles included on this release, not even for the the scene where a bit of French is spoken between Violette and Etienne.

The rest of the extras are an image gallery (1:13) and a theatrical trailer (3:42).

OVERALL:

Film – C
Picture – C
Sound – C-
Extras – C-
Overall – C/C-

One of the great things about films is the ability to notice how the world changes in time, how things become more widely accepted and how peoples general perceptions change. One of the greatest examples of this is when people moved from the repressive mid-fifties into a more upbeat and ’swinging’ late fifties/early sixties. This film is a great example of bringing these changes to screen, by showing the open sexuality and open mindedness that most Brits seemed to take on board, by showing one scene with a couple of gay men (very unusual in fifties cinema) and some excellent lines of dialogue that would never have been dreamed of being said on the big screen five years earlier, the best of which being:

“Is that your wife?”
“Yes”
“Is she dead?”
“No, no. I regret to say the bitch is still going strong.”

Video:
Network have provided the show with an anamorphic transfer of 1.78:1 and a very nice one at that. Sometimes black and white films have a problem with a lack of detail or of the blacks sort of merging together rather than being distinct shades. No problems with that here and the only problem we do get is occasional grain and one or two scratches. Much better than you would think a film from the fifties would be treated.

Audio:
Network have provided us with the original English Dolby Digital Mono track here and there’s nothing wrong with it. Dialogue is clear at all times and sound level is consistent throughout. There is practically no background hiss and, basically, it just sounds great. I would definately have liked to see a nice little 2.0 Surround mix here though I don’t think the film would really benefit from a full on 5.1 mix. As usual with Network, no subtitles have been provided.

Extras:
Network have provided a several on this release.

The rest of the extras are an image gallery (2:54) and a theatrical trailer (2:52).

OVERALL:

Show – B+
Picture – A-
Sound – B+
Extras – B+
Overall – B+

Video:
Despite being a 2 disc Collector’s Edition, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment haven’t come up with the goods with regards to the picture. Presented non-anamorphically in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the picture lacks definition and has a grainy feel throughout (though it is better than VHS). There aren’t any scratches, but how a company can have the guts to release a non-anamorphic release in this day and age, especially on a two disc CE, is beyond me.

Audio:
Echo Bridge have given us just a single soundtrack for the film, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 one. Whilst all dialogue is clear and sound levels consistent, the surrounds aren’t used very much which is a shame. There are ample opportunities for the surrounds to be used to more effect, such as when Artie holds the stag party. There isn’t many explosions or sound effects, but it would’ve been more atmospheric to add a bit of background noise. The disc contains Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

On disc one, we start off with some start up trailers that play before you get to the main menu (though they are skippable). They are for:
- “Fifty Pills” (2:35)
- “Glow Ropes” (2:25)
- “The Big White” (2:01)
- “Running With The Hitman” (2:21)

Disc two starts us off with a short commercial parody for Beer Goggles. It’s basically a pretend product (obviously) that makes ugly people more attractive when you wear them. It runs for exactly one minute.

Then we have a featurette entitled Beer League: Behind The Scenes. Running for 18 minutes 38 seconds, it basically features some shots of behind the scenes footage with interview segments and finished scenes thrown in. Strangely, all the cast members look like they had better things to do in the interview segments with none of them seeming to look particularly bothered.

We finish the xtras with the recording of jokes (3:03) and ringtones (1:23), a photo gallery (5:30) and an unrated red band theatrical trailer (3:15)

OVERALL:

Film – C
Picture – C
Sound – C
Extras – C
Overall – C

Extras:

We have been given a few extras here, all of which aren’t particularly substantial but nice to have. We start with a text interview with director Sergio Martino who answers the standard questions on how the film came about and the making of the film. I would’ve preffered an actual proper interview with the director as I find information comes across so much better in this format. The interview is available in both English and Danish.

Next up are a couple of minor extras, the first being a filmography for director Sergio Martino. We then have several slideshows showing lobby cards from a few countries as well as poster art. A more detailed breakdown is shown:
- French Lobbycards (1:15)
- German Lobbycards (2:10)
- Italian Lobbycards (0:30)
- Spanish Lobbycards (0:55)
- Posters and Artwork (1:55)

We finish up the extras with the theatrical trailer which last 3:45 and a selection of bonus trailers for other films from Another World Entertainment:
- “Puzzle” (3:12)
- “City of the Living Dead” (2:53)
- “Cannibal Ferox” (4:17)
- “Cannibal Holocaust” (2:57)
- “Eaten Alive” (3:03)
- “The Beyond” (3:21)

OVERALL:
I don’t normally right a note in the overall, but this time I feel compelled to say that as the first release from this company, I am left quite impressed. I hope they become the Blue Underground / NoShame of Europe.

Film – B
Picture – A-/B+
Sound – B
Extras – C
Overall – B

Comparison available here.