Gazette – The Complete Series (1968/Network U.K./PAL/Region Two/2/DVD Import Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C+ Episodes: B
PLEASE
NOTE: This DVD set can only be operated on machines capable of playing back
DVDs that can handle Region Two/2 PAL format software and can be ordered from
our friends at Network U.K.
at the website addresses provided at the end of the review.
As
Associated British broke up and new networks arrived to great success,
Yorkshire needed a debut show to launch their network and wanted one that took
place in Yorkshire. The writer Robert Barr came up with a show
about a newspaper and the result was Gazette. At first the show was not doing well and was
ignored, but a strike that affected all the networks but Yorkshire
(color TV shows had to go black and white again because those technicians were
part of the walkout) and the show suddenly picked up. Network U.K. has issued The Complete Series on DVD for the
first time.
Jon
Laurimore (The Avengers, Callan, The Prisoner) played the editor Frank Walters, who has been running
the paper well, but is unhappy the local rival has news about the son of their
late owner moving back to town. James
Hadleigh (Gerard Harper, fresh off of Adam
Adamant Lives!) is ready to get involved somewhat, but the rich young man
and heir to his father’s estate is having mixed money situations, so he gets
involved in the paper more, trying to fire Walters. They do not get along, but Hadleigh’s father
gave him a contract too expensive to be bought out, so they have to put up with
each other for a while.
A fine
series premise, the writing is excellent and this is one of the best, smartest
shows I have seen about the newspaper world to date. In the Internet age, all of the social issues
discussed are as relevant as ever and the acting is by a fine cast that also
includes Gillian Wray as a female reporter dealing with obstacles but is good
at her job, plus Michael Blackham, Norman Claridge, Ralph Michael and
Christopher Hodge rounding out a palpable publishing world. I liked the energy, pace, realistic conflicts
and mature interactions of the show too.
Barr
wrote some of the teleplays, but also had help from Elwyn Jones (who also
edited on the show and worked on early Doctor
Who) and James Doran, who co-wrote the screenplay to the Spy classic The Ipcress File (1965), yet despite
its success and large, expanded audience gained during the strike, the show was
cancelled after only 13 hour-long shows.
That was
a mistake because this would have likely moved on to be a classic, eventually
shot in color and was far from finished in exploring the ideas of the press it
did so well to begin with. Yorkshire used the success for a spin-off, but more on
that in a minute.
The
relationship between the Wray and Laurimore characters is the biggest loss,
with the most possible potential and the Hadleigh character could have still
shown up plenty of times. His portrayal
as more of an unknown, private person (think George Jefferson on All In The Family before that spin off)
was also sadly trashed. Too bad, because
Harper had more to offer of this side of Hadleigh and commercial consideration
was put above great TV and we all lose in the end. That is why the release of Gazette – The Complete Series is one of
the year’s most important releases, because it is a lost British classic
unveiled once and for all. All serious
British TV fans will want to see it.
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot in black and white analog PAL videotape (with very limited
16mm) and can be soft and limited in depth.
Flaws include staircasing, aliasing, some video noise, video banding,
some tape scratching, tape damage and even PAL cross color despite the fact
that these are all black and white. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is about a generation down throughout and can be
distorted, but it sounds better than these look, which is a plus. Extras include stills, some in color, and a
featurette Man On The Hill about the
making of the show.
The show
was cancelled as noted, but Harper’s Hadleigh character was given his own show
in the aforementioned spin-off, which lasted four seasons. You can read more about that and Harper’s Spy
series Adam Adamant Lives! at the
following links for these complete series sets:
Hadleigh
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9191/Hadleigh+%E2%80%93+The+Complet
Adam Adamant Lives!
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9526/Adam+Adamant+Lives!+-+The+Compl
As noted
above, you can order this DVD import set of Gazette exclusively from Network U.K. at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo