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Young Indiana Jones was one of the most underrated
ideas George Lucas ever had. The series, which ran on network
TV from 1992-1994, served as a prequel to the classic film
franchise, as well as a tool to educate viewers on world
history. The Years of Change is the final of three volumes
of the series, serving up some of Young Indy's finest adventures
- and a plethora of bonus documentaries. ***
All 7 episodes from the third and final season of the
series are included here, in this 10-disc set. The episodes
are as follows: Tales of Innocence (Ernest Hemingway, Edith
Wharton, Lowell Thomas, French Foreign Legion), Masks of
Evil (Ataturk Revolution, Halide Edib, Dracula, Ottoman
Empire), Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (Bronisaw Malinowski,
Anthropolgy, New Guinea), Winds of Change (Woodrow Wilson,
Gertrude Bell, Ho Chi Minh, Paul Robeson, Robert Goddard,
Treaty of Versailles), Mystery of the Blues (Al Capone,
Ben Hecht, Eliot Ness, Louis Armstrong, Jazz, Prohibition,
Hellfighters), Scandal of 1920 (Tin Pan Alley, Broadway,
Algonquin Roundtable), and Hollywood Follies (Erich von
Stroheim, John Ford, Irving Thalberg, Moguls.) ***
This series was a hit because George Lucas was able
to serve up the best of both words. Fans of the film franchise
who wanted more of the character got it, with a series that
explored his younger years and early adventures. Likewise,
viewers young and old alike who wanted to learn about history
now had an entertaining way of doing so. Lucas himself stated
that the series was intended for high school-aged audience
- and I seriously wish my high school history teachers had
shown it! Several guest stars appeared on the show, and
the final season was no exception. Amongst the famous faces
to show themselves in the final episodes of Young Indy were
Jeffrey Wright, Anne Heche, and Jane Krakowski. ---
Image And Sound:
Sadly, the DVD falters here. Considering the remastering
job George Lucas and company have given us on other DVDs,
including the Star Wars Trilogy and the Indiana Jones feature
films, the image quality here isn't up to snuff. It's not
horrible, and it's definitely better than watching your
old VHS copies, but you'd think for the price being charged
here some effort would have been given to cleaning up the
image quality. Sound quality falls in the same area - good
but not great, and you'll wish it would have been cleaned
up a little more. ---
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| Special
Features: |
There are a TON of documentaries in this set - over
two dozen. All of the episodes have 2-4 documentaries associated
with the historical figures/events/etc. explored in the
respective episode. For instance, an episode that deals
with Woodrow Wilson features supplemental material regarding
his life. While these documentaries are great supplements
to the situations explored in the episodes, this material
is excessive. The interactive bonuses on the ninth disc,
which consist of a game and a timeline, are nothing worth
writing home about, either. If you own either of the previous
Young Indy DVDs, you'll more-or-less have an idea what to
expect coming into this set. Like older sets, the price
of this set is ridiculously high (Amazon lists the MSRP
as $130, and even their discounted price is $80 - still
insanely high for a TV show on DVD.) It makes you wonder
if Lucas could have aborted the extras and given us a bare
bones set with fewer discs at a considerably cheaper price.
For educators who want to use Young Indy as a teaching tool,
this set is fantastic - it covers all the bases and then
some. But what about us casual fans who JUST WANT THE EPISODES?
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