Bonnie
& Clyde (2013/TV Mini-Series/Sony DVD Set)/The Jimmy
Stewart Show: The Complete Series (1971 - 1972/Warner Archive DVD
Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C/D Episodes: C
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Jimmy Stewart Show
is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series and can be ordered from the link below.
Here
are two TV series that ran for a short time, one a mini-series and
one that was intended to last much longer...
Bruce
Beresford has directed some good dramas, but is best known in the
U.S. for Driving
Miss Daisy,
but even the earlier work makes him an odd choice for a TV
mini-series version of Bonnie
& Clyde
(2013) which tries to mystify the real life story of Bonnie Parker
(Holliday Grainger) and Clyde Barrow (Emile Hirsch, slowly making a
comeback) as the couple who become murdering robbers. The casting is
good (Holly Hunter and William Hurt show up) but the idea the
characters are fantasizing about fluff or we get so much superfluous
religious talk makes this too safe and childish an outing that it
robs it of realism and credibility.
There
are some tough scenes, but the teleplay still tires to gloss over
Clyde's sexuality and though the producers did put some money on the
screen, it runs too long at 174 minutes and does not say much. Of
course, it is no match for the innovate 1967 Arthur Penn film and
some editing, montages and shots are really poor. See when awake and
not operating heavy equipment if you must,
Extras
include three making-of featurettes. For more on the 1967 classic,
try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6880/Bonnie+&+Clyde+(1967/HD-DVD+++DVD-Video+Se
Still
a beloved star and appearing in major motion pictures, James Stewart
took on TV on occasion and this included a TV situation comedy
without a laugh track simply titled The
Jimmy Stewart Show: The Complete Series
(1971 - 1972) including Julie Adams as his wife, John McGiver as a
good friend of the family set at a school their that has their family
legacy attached to it. Creator Hal Kanter had produced The
George Gobel Show
and Julia
before this show and moved on to All
In The Family,
was a comedy writer for years. The show wants to be a drama with
some comedy, almost afraid to be a typical safe sitcom, but in trying
to do contradictory things just does not work. Stewart's character
even talks to the camera breaking the fourth wall at the beginning
and end of each show.
They
also juggle children and grandchildren, but storylines are always
safe and at least the scripts are intelligent and pleasant if nothing
else. Guest stars include Ned Wertimer (soon Ralph the Doorman on
The
Jeffersons),
M. Emmet Walsh, Cesar Romero, semi-regular Kate Jackson, Jackie
Coogan, Alan Oppenheimer, Fran Ryan, semi-regular Mary Wickes,
semi-regular Jack Soo, Doodles Weaver, Will Geer (his daughter Ellen
was a regular), Nita Talbot, Maida Severn, Lurene Tuttle, Jack
Somack, Jerry Hausner, Barney Phillips, Vincent Price, Regis Philbin,
Jimmy Lydon, Alice Frost, Gloria DeHaven, Arthur O'Connell and
William Windom.
All
that makes the show an interesting curio, but not much else, though
it has a good look and money was put into this show as well and it
was shot on 35mm film when more such shows were being going to analog
videotape. It deserves a DVD release and finally gets one here.
There are unfortunately no extras.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image (also issued on Blu-ray) on
Bonnie
is a bit soft for an HD shoot, stylized looks to create a sense of
the era notwithstanding, while the 1.33 X 1 color image on Stewart
comes from some great 35mm film prints, but it too has some minor
detail issues, aliasing errors and minor print flaws. However, at
its best, there are some great shots Bonnie
never achieves, leaving both releases at a draw visually. In the
sound department, the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Bonnie
is a bit soft and more confined to the front channels (and sometimes
center channel) than I would have liked, so the professionally,
clearly recorded, lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on the Stewart
episodes can more than compete. It helps that they are in fine shape
and have no phony laugh tracks in their mix or their way.
You
can order The
Jimmy Stewart Show
DVD set and much more from
the Warner Archive website by going to this link for it and many more
great web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.warnerarchive.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
