Jackie Mason – The Ultimate Jew: Live On Broadway (Eagle DVD/CD set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+/B- Extras: C+ Concert: C+
Jackie
Mason has been a successful, surviving stand-up comic for many decades, so it
was an event in the world of comedy that he retired after so long. Jackie
Mason – The Ultimate Jew: Live On Broadway is from his farewell shows and
has its share of clips from his long career.
Of course, most of the jokes are about him and his long history, though
he has some politically incorrect things to say too.
However,
he seems bored, out of his element, tired and not much of this is funny. He has not made me laugh for years anyhow,
though I liked him a long time ago. But
here is this show from his final farewell and it may offer a few smiles and
reminisces, but it is not on par with the last jokes of the likes of George
Carlin. Mason may have been
groundbreaking in the beginning, but Carlin and other bolder comics cut ahead. Too many of the jokes (esp. on religion) are
too obvious too often, but here it is for serious fans at best.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is on the soft side with some
good color, but definition issues and is likely a 1080i taping. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on the DVD and
PCM 16/44.1 2.0 Stereo on the bonus CD seem a bit compressed and limited
sonically, even for a joke-based recording.
Besides the CD, the only extra is a behind the scenes look at the making
of this show. That shows how much there
was left to really say.
- Nicholas Sheffo