Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Documentary > History > Culture > TV > It's The Neighborhoods (Pittsburgh Series)

It’s The Neighborhoods (Pittsburgh/WQED Public Television)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Main Program: B

 

 

One of the most recent entries in the WQED/Rick Sebak Pittsburgh Series is one of the riskiest and most personal.  It’s The Neighborhoods (2004) does not have a food or single location focus, but goes all over the present neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to expose its very rich present and how the rich past made it possible.

 

What could have been boring and awkward becomes very reveling as the usually successful Sebak crew goes in and gets even more personal interviews than usual about people’s memories and they are willing to open up about their past and the history of where they live.  In an era of horrible so-called “reality TV”, this program mows over the phoniness, hatred and ugliness of that cycle by always respecting and never exploiting the interviewees or the audience.  Like Things That Aren’t There Anymore, his much-imitated 1990 classic reviewed elsewhere on this site, Neighborhoods will likely be imitated over and over by other public TV stations as the show gets around the country, assisted by syndicati0on and this great DVD.

 

To people not from Pittsburgh, it might at first be like tuning into a “superstation” on cable or satellite, or watching TV when you are on vacation.  However, that can also be a nice change of pace and there is always something interesting to learn if you have a good attention span and enjoy variety.  Pittsburgh is particularly rich because of so very many immigrants and how when it was “The Steel City” it could support so many workers like you would not believe.  This show demonstrates that legacy that has survived long past The Industrial Age into The Information Age.  Pittsburgh is a survivor and that alone is reason enough to marvel at It’s The Neighborhoods.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is one of the best transfers we have seen from the WQED series to date, with added depth, more color richness and a little more detail than the previous full screen installments in the series, as good as they do look.  The change in aspect ratio has not hurt the feel of what Sebak and company have established over the years in these shows.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo may not have any real surround information, but it is clean and clear as usual.  Why do these simple soundtracks form Public TV sound better than so many similar professional productions from commercial venues?

 

Extras include promos for other programs by Sebak and company from both The Pittsburgh Series and extended sections on the Bloomfield street fair and Regent Square running event, plus four similar segments form other Sebak specials, including the to be issued later Houses Around Here that we cannot wait to cover.  In the meantime, It’s The Neighborhoods is a little gem and another winner from The Pittsburgh Series.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com