Secret Army – The Complete First Season (1977/Umbrella Entertainment DVD/Region Four/4/PAL
Format)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on
machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Four/4/PAL format
software, and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the
website address provided at the end of the review.
It has been a long time since I have seen the excellent
BBC-produced TV series Secret Army,
but it is finally arriving on DVD from Umbrella Entertainment and the story of
how the Belgian resistance fought against the Nazi Occupation no matter what
the cost. The series has a stark honesty
you would likely not find in any show today if any had the guts to take on the
same subject matter, but it inspired the hit comedy ‘Allo ‘Allo (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and is practically a
lost classic; a status that will hopefully change with the release of this set.
The four
DVD, 16 episodes set starts off immediately with the Nazis tormenting a family who
they believe is hiding an agent of the group.
They are correct, as she is hiding on the roof, but they do not find
her. They take the parents away for
questioning, leaving two children behind.
That is nothing as compared to what they are prepared to do or what the
opposition is to counter it.
The
writing and acting is outstanding and from Britain’s last great age of TV
production, taking risks and being surprisingly mature and stark for TV of any
time. As compared to the supposed
advantages current cable TV fare has in realism, most seem to miss the mark as
compared to the fine, edgy work here. It
is one thing to have writing this good, but another to have the actors,
filmmakers and consistent production to pull it off. Secret
Army does just that and more.
The cast includes Ian Francis, Christopher Neame and Michael Chapman.
The 1.33
X 1 images were originally shot on 16mm film, but these are older PAL analog
video masters. If the BBC did not throw out
the original camera materials, they should be upgraded for HD, but these are
still very watchable. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Mono is better, though the sound is down a generation. Still, these shows are so compelling that
problems are not as annoying. There are
no extras.
As noted
above, you can order this import exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
