|
|
|
Search Movie Review
Archives
|
|
|
| |
| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
|
|
“The Waltons-The
Complete Second Season“
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.33:1 Full
screen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
1.0 |
| Languages |
English,
French |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
Approximately
1250 minutes |
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
4/26/05 |
| Studio |
Warner Home
Video |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Includes
“The Thanksgiving Story” two hour TV movie |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Richard Thomas,
Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, Judy Norton
Taylor, Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, Kami
Cotlner, Earl Hamner Jr., Sissy Spacek, Ron Howard, John Ritter |
| Written
By: |
Earl Hamner
Jr., Nancy Greenwald, Richard Carr, Seth Freeman |
| Produced
By: |
Robert L.
Jakcs, Lee Rich |
| Directed
By: |
Ralph Waite,
Ralph Senesky, Lee Phillips, Philip Leacock |
| Music:
|
Jerry Goldsmith
(theme), Alexander Courage -- |
| The
Review: |
“The Waltons” took TV by storm when
it premiered wiping out its competition (“Mod Squad” and “Flip
Wilson”) in the ratings and proving that if you have a good
story to tell, you’ll attract an audience. The old fashioned
values of “The Waltons” appealed to viewers but what kept
them coming back was the storytelling skills of creator Earl
Hamner Jr. (“The Twilight Zone”) and the staff of writers
on the show. The second season featured some of the finest
episodes this series produced including the classic 2 hour
special episode “The Thanksgiving Story” where John Boy must
undergo dangerous surgery after suffering a hea wound in the
mill. This season also featured a number of notable guest
stars including Sissy Spacek and Ron Howard. My only complaint
is that by the time this entire series appears on DVD I’ll
be older and grayer than Grandpa Walton. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
A crystal
clear transfer for this fine series. While there’s not any extras
to speak of, Warner Brothers has done a terrific job with this
transfer. The vivid colors and sharp imagery is a highlight
of this set. An occasional episode suffers from a slightly soft
picture but, on the whole, the image quality is marvelous for
a series that’s 33 years old. There’s not much you could really
do to improve the mono sound here. The sound comes across with
nice presence, is crisp and clear almost all the time. A very
sharp, consistent transfer from Warner is a highlight of this
fine set. --- |
| The
Extras: |
We don’t
get any extras although the original uncut TV movie made for
airing in November of 1973 “The Thanksgiving Story” appears
as part of the set here. That’s only appropriate given that
it was shot during this season. I seem to recall that this
was a special TV movie for airing in 1973 so Warner could
have easily carved this out with the two hour pilot movie
and other two hour specials and put them into a set. Instead,
they’ve put it where it belongs. While that isn’t a special
per se, it’s a nice bonus to say the least. It would be nice
to have a couple of retrospective featurettes on the series
featuring the surviving cast members but at this price I’m
not going to argue. ---
|
| Commentary:
|
Many of the
original writers/directors that worked on the 1973 season are
no longer with us but there are still enough so that one or
two special commentary tracks might be a worthwhile addition.
I don’t know what sort of insight might be gleaned 33 years
on but I’m sure that gathering some of the original cast would
inspire some interesting tidbits. --- |
| Final
Words: |
A terrific
classic TV series debuts without much in the way of bells and
whistles but it does look mighty fine on DVD. A sharp, vivid
transfer is a highlight of the second season of “The Waltons”.
At this price, I’m not surprised that there aren’t any extras.
Although I’d personally like to see some on future sets, I’m
perfectly satisfied with the terrific transfer Warner has done
here to overlook this minor issue. I'd suggest a retrospective
featurette on the series and, perhaps, a featurette focusing
on the actors' favorite episodes. Also one or two commentaries
(particularly those directed by Ralph Waite) would be helpful.
|
|
|
