The Main Chance – The Complete Second Series (1970/Network U.K./Region Two/2/PAL DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B-
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD set can only be
operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Two/2/PAL
format software and can be ordered from our friends at Network U.K. at the
website address provided at the end of the review or at finer retailers.
Among the
many interesting legal dramas you may not have seen (or seen in a long time), The Main Chance is a still-impressive
British entry with the very good John Stride (The Wilde Alliance, reviewed elsewhere on this site) as David Main,
a solicitor who has decided to go into private legal practice. He is a good guy and wants to do the best he
can, including using his connections to bring justice about and even solve the
occasional mystery, which is always underlying in many legal dramas in the
search for truth and how to rule on it.
The
series was created by Edmund Ward, a longtime writer whose work included dramas
and thrillers for the big screen (Violent
Enemy, Amsterdam Affair) and
small (episodes of Man In A Suitcase,
The Professionals) also write many
of the scripts for this hit. This is
smart television and if you do not know the British Legal System, you might get
a little lost, though you can also learn about it at the time and that is what
makes it a cut above most such shows on either side of the Atlantic. Few U.S. legal shows have been as
layered. It is believable the whole way
through.
Regulars
(or semi-regulars) this season are played by top rate actors including Margaret
Ashcroft, Philip Bond, Bernard Kay, John Wentworth, Glynn Edwards, John Arnatt,
David Lodge and Anna Palk as Main’s secretary.
As strong as any episode here is First
You Eat: Later We Ruin You with no less than Peter Jeffrey and Vladek
Sheybal in the same show, but the 13 hour-long episodes (on 4 DVDs) also boast
a guest cast that includes Peter Bowles, Bernard Kay, Freddie Jones, Cynthia
Grenville, John Harvey, Wensley Pithey, Paul Massey, Basil Dignam, Hugh Morton,
Felix Aylmer, David Blake Kelly, James Copeland, Walter Gotell, Percy Herbert,
Nicholas Courtney (Dr. Who) and
Norman Claridge.
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot mostly in PAL analog video with some 16mm in spots (here off
of the PAL video of the time, unfortunately; hope that footage survived) and
you can see a little haloing here and there, plus some color weakness. Detail varies, but is never razor sharp,
unfortunately, but color can look good.
I also like the train opening on each show. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is good for its age
with some expected distortion, but the sound fares better than the picture
overall, including the terrific instrumental theme song by John Malcolm, who
also write a few of the shows. Stills are
the only extras.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import
exclusively from Network U.K.
at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
