Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset – The Thames Years 1969 -1989 (A&E DVD Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Series: B
Following
their love of releasing and re-releasing some of the best series of all time
A&E has chosen to re-release Benny
Hill: The Complete Megaset – The Thames Years
1969-1989. Fans that did not
purchase the previous set will be elated to get this one as the packaging is
fun and is now housed in a slimcases, as opposed to the old bulky
packaging. For those who did spend the
big dough years ago, no biggy, it is all the same material and you have had
many more years of fun than those who held out.
Benny
Hill is iconic and there is probably not a comedy troop out there who has not
been inspired by him. Whether it was
Hill dressed as a woman, getting pummeled by the police, or doing something
completely sexually deviant it was all genius. For the most part the
series has held up very well and audiences will be able to recapture their
favorite nostalgic moments as well as things they have never seen before.
The
technical features on this super sized set in new packaging are of the same
quality as the previous ‘complete series’ head to toe. The picture is
presented in a clear and crisp 1.33 X 1 Full Screen, but does have a certain
blurry and overly bright quality at times. The sound is simple but sharp
and has a good boost to it in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo format. When
the extras of these 6 volumes are viewed all together they are quite impressive
in quality and quantity. Extra features include such special gems as a
documentary on Benny Hill entitled ‘The World’s Favorite Clown’ that truly
captures the comedian’s essence and his contributions to the comedy world as
well as handing out some interesting facts people would have never realized.
Also
included are all six funny and silly Benny Hill Trivia Quizzes, Liner Notes
(kind of boring) and several intriguing featurettes on Hill’s Singers that give
insight into their lives working with Benny Hill and the man only they knew.
One of the best features is about the controversy behind The Benny Hill Show
entitled “Benny Hill: Laughter and Controversy” which delves into how for its
time Benny Hill was very cutting edge and pushing the boundaries between ‘right
and wrong.’ By today’s standards of Britney Spears baby tossing and Janet
Jackson’s breast Benny Hill is just dust in the wind, but back then the
censorship boards rode him like a bull. Overall every feature is
interesting and worth viewing; maybe just not all at once.
For a
more in depth review please follow the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6275/Benny+Hill:+The+Complete+Megaset
- Michael P. Dougherty II
