Release Date:June 15, 2004 Availability:Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:We sell brand new shrink-wrapped items only. Guaranteed or your money back.
From Amazon.com "It's destiny, fate that brings us together. Redundancy. They just don't care that your mother used to eat insurance men and that yours was struggling to bring you up nicely as a little poof." So says Clegg (Peter Sallis) to his companions, Compo (Bill Owen) and Blamire (Michael Bates), three fellows getting on in years reunited by unemployment after knowing each other all their lives in a small Yorkshire town. There's no real story to Last of the Summer Wine, simply the well-observed banter of the central trio and a gallery of eccentric supporting characters. Compo, the irreverent and scruffy "village idiot" and Clegg, the amiable working man are well-loved figures, complemented by the middle-class Conservative Blamire (a nicely rounded portrayal by Bates) and Foggy (Brian Wilde), who joined the series in 1976. This set is a reminder of how good the longest-running comedy in British television history once was, when it was new, fresh, and laugh-out-loud funny. --Gary S. Dalkin
Great DVD Presentation of a Great SeriesJune 21, 2004 John 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Summer Wine fans rejoice, this is a first class DVD presentation of this superb series. The extras (described by others here) are all interesting and fun--the Christmas special (which we don't seem to get here in the US on public TV) is a real treat. The transfer is of an excellent quality. The "1995 Vintage" was a fine one and the episodes have that combination of humor and gentle commentary on human nature that makes this series so unique. Let's hope that the powers that be are sufficiently happy with sales of this to issue further "vintages".
Pure Gold DVD ReleaseJune 15, 2004 www.summerwine.co.uk(England) 6 out of 8 found this review helpful
The first and most important thing to point out about this DVD release is that it is inly suitable to play on either Region One or Multi Region DVD players. Although my own DVD player was for the UK region, I managed to find the code on the internet to change it to multi region, so I was able to play this amazing DVD. If you want to find your code, I suggest putting the model and number of your DVD player into a search on the internet. It is possible in a lot of cases to change the region code of your player...anyhow, the DVD...
The cover of the double DVD is very eye catching - and the clear picture on the front cover of the three characters is very impressive, crisp and clear and gives in instant sense of fun. The back cover is actually, even better than the front with more pictures of Compo, Clegg and Foggy, along with Nora, Edie, Glenda, Ivy and Pearl. The only dissapointment to the DVD sleeve is that it doesn't actually provide the episode titles which are on the DVD.
Now, in most cases of DVD releases of vintage BBC comedies, the special features have been very few, if not non existant, but on this DVD, they are something very, very special....
It includes the documentary Thora - A tribute to her Life and Career which is a delightful look back at the beloved actresses career in film, stage, radio and television, it includes a long since seen sketch from Compo, Clegg and Foggy called The Funny Side of Christmas, a short ten minuet section on how not to enjoy Christmas (although Compo has other ideas!). Also included are very informative biographies of the cast and crew plus, the special 2002 programme 30 Years of Last of the Summer Wine - an hour long programme starting from the very beginning in 1972 and bringing us right up to date, introducing Bill Hardcastle, Entwhistle and Alvin.
The episodes included on the release are; Leaving Home Forever, Or Till Teatime (3 Sep 95) Bicycle Bonanza (10 Sep 95) The Glamour Of The Uniform (17 Sep 95) The First Human Being To Ride A Hill (24 Sep 95) Captain Clutterbuck's Treasure (1 Oct 95) Desperate For A Duffield (8 Oct 95) The Suit That Turned Left (15 Oct 95) Beware Of The Elbow (22 Oct 95) The Thing In Wesley's Shed (29 Oct 95) Brushes At Dawn (5 Nov 95) A Leg Up For Christmas (24 Dec 95) These are all very, very funny episodes - a personal favorite, A Leg up for Christmas. The very, very good thing about this DVD, is that it is almost like a time capsual all in one box. The episodes are from 1995, and are very, very crisp and clear and the music is great - plus, this is the very first time that these episodes have been seen in widescreen. Along with the series from 1995, is the documentary, which takes us back to the start and brings us up to date, plus the short sequence The Funny Side of Christmas which is almost like a mini episode in itself, so, whatever era of the series you like best, your are sure to see part of it on this DVD.
I have no doubt in my mind at all that this will be a huge seller....and lets keep our fingers crossed for many more to come. I highly reccommend this title - it is pure gold for summer wine fans!
Check out www.summerwine.co.uk for more information.
Not for the uninitiated viewer!May 6, 2004 J. Kelley(Mid-Atlantic coast) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I find it sad that reviewers here expect LOSW to compare with Fawlty Towers, Father Ted, or even some of my own favorites, The Young Ones and Bottom. With the exception that all are in comic veins, LOSW is a different sort of humour.
LOSW is a *quiet* comedy show. What I love most about the entire run of the series is that it portrays characters who obviously feel they are still the kids they once were. There is some slapstick comedy, and certainly the aspects of French farce are more involved since the intro. of Howard, Pearl, and Marina, but none of the wild or completely improbable situations of other Britcoms. The writer of this show continually shows his love for Yorkshire, its strong and very human people, beautiful scenery, and the county's northern community standards. I love his feel for dialogue, relatioships, and community life.
I'm still waiting for all the seasons to make it over here on VHS or DVD. I'd love to view the entire run of the series.
Gentle, slow, and relaxing humourMay 1, 2004 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you are looking for Fawlty Towers, AB FAB, Father Ted, or other fast, loud, Britcoms on speed then you should think carefully before purchasing Last of the Summer Wine. I find Last of the Summer Wine, gentle, slow, with a relaxing sense of humour that is wonderful to watch while trying to forget the modern pace of life. The majority of episodes on this dvd set are early episodes, which if you have been brought up on Foggy, (the guy on the far right of the dvd cover, makes for an enjoyable change.
The countryside of Yorkshire is wonderful to see and I will be buying the next dvd set when it comes out.
Don't believe the hypeApril 12, 2004 0 out of 3 found this review helpful
If a comedy isn't funny-is it still a comedy? The episodes in this set are tedious-and what little humor there is, isn't vey funny at all. The characters are not very amusing or likeable and what little plot there is meanders along at a pace that slows time down to an unbearable level. I am a great fan of Britcoms--but this isn't one I'd recommend. It could be my own sense of humor--but rating Fawlty Towers as a 10--Black Adder and Father Ted as 9's--One Foot in the Grave and Ab Fab as 8's, Keeping Up Appearances and Vicar of Dibley as 7's etc etc--this show is over rated as a "1" Along with "Allo Allo"--this is one of the two worst Britcoms I've ever seen. *it could be this show improved with time--as the episodes in this set are the only ones I've seen--and so they are the episodes I specifically refer to
