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Upstairs, Downstairs: The Complete Series - 40th Anniversary Collection
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Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
DVD
October 25, 2005 "Please retry" | Collector's Edition | 24 |
—
| $150.98 | $9.93 |
DVD
November 26, 2002 "Please retry" | — | 20 |
—
| $229.99 | $17.35 |
Purchase options and add-ons
Genre | Drama |
Format | Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC, Black & White |
Contributor | Jackson, Gordon, Various, Marsh, Jean, Langton, David |
Language | English |
Number Of Discs | 21 |
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Product Description
Product Description
"Great fun and marvelous television" --The New York Times
"One of the brightest gems ever to come over the ocean from the British" --The Washington Post
Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War.The most popular and successful British drama series in television history, Upstairs, Downstairs won seven Emmy® Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody. This epic saga of life and love in Edwardian England captivated viewers for five heart-tugging, humorous, and satisfying seasons. Seen by a billion people in over 40 countries, it’s beloved around the world.
The ensemble cast of top British actors includes Jean Marsh (Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse), Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), David Langton (The Spoils of War), Gordon Jackson (The Professionals), Simon Williams (Sword of Honour), and Lesley-Anne Down (North and South).
Set Contains:
Acorn Media's 40th Anniversary Edition of the beloved British TV series aims to be definitive, and it is: at 21 discs and something like 28 hours (including the audio commentaries) of bonus material, it replaces previous collections of the show. Perhaps the most significant aspect of this release is the improved video and audio quality of the episodes, an upgrade that addresses a complaint about previous editions. This version includes a 1996 documentary, Upstairs Downstairs Remembered, which provides a useful overview, but there's also a new offering, The Making of Upstairs Downstairs, which clocks in at more than 4 hours and has everything you'd want in behind-the-scenes info. We also get segments featuring 1970s British chat show host Russell Harty interviewing cast members, which are flip and amusing, and capture some of the surprise of the show's huge success. (There's also an odd Harty special passing through the Upstairs Downstairs set, with the cast in character, just after the final episode.) Shorter pieces highlight writer Alfred Shaughnessy and composer Alexander Faris. The commentary tracks, more than 20 of them, might be the real fun of the set. The participants are exceptionally articulate and amusing, especially whenever Jean Marsh or Simon Williams is around; the first episode also features novelist Fay Weldon, who scripted a few shows. There's good dish on the quirks of actors, on how certain episodes took final shape, and even disagreements about the meaning of it all. Wonderful stuff for devotees. --Robert Horton
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 3 x 5.5 x 7.7 inches; 2 Pounds
- Item model number : UDFA400
- Director : Various
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC, Black & White
- Run time : 54 hours and 10 minutes
- Release date : March 29, 2011
- Actors : Jackson, Gordon, Langton, David, Marsh, Jean
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Studio : ACORN MEDIA
- ASIN : B004H0ZHD4
- Number of discs : 21
- Best Sellers Rank: #9,461 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1,420 in Drama DVDs
- Customer Reviews:
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I was also able to look at the opening titles with the drawings from "Punch" (A British humor magazine) and admire how the producers selected amazingly apt drawings to fit the particular episode.
Some of the initial episodes, sadly, are recorded only in black and white due to a technicians' strike in the early 70's. It doesn't actually detract from the enjoyment, just makes it a bit sad we can't see the sets and costuming as they were filmed. The black & white are sharp and clear, but the color episodes can be somewhat lower in resolution. The colors can be dim as well, but it doesn't detract. The cropping is often odd. This is not a perfect conversion from the television to DVD, but it's adequate and probably a lot has to do with changes in technologies since the 70's and the early days of television-to-DVD remastering.
The extras are lavish:
Extras:
5-part documentary: The Making of Upstairs Downstairs
24 episode commentaries
Upstairs, Downstairs Remembered - with Gareth Hunt (51:50)
Russell Harty Goes Upstairs Downstairs (30:00)
Sandy's Last Stand with composer Alexander Faris (13:15)
Simon Williams and Alfred Shaughnessy in Conversation (22:50)
"Russell Harty Plus" Interview with Gordon Jackson (6:40)
"Russell Harty Plus" Interview with Jean Marsh (11:15)
"Russell Harty Plus" Interview with Angela Baddeley (9:40)
Alternate version of Episode 1 "On Trial"
Essay by star and co-creator Jean Marsh
It's nice to go visit old friends again and have all the episodes and extras. There is a lot of value here, plenty to watch and re-watch, especially if you are a fan of BBC historical drama series. If you are a fan of "Downton Abbey" and don't know this series, you are in for a treat.
The characters of Up/Down were many faceted and always interesting, not merely presented as one-dimensional, i.e., rich versus poor. One could even sympathize with the clueless and wealthy Bellamy family on occasion, theirs was a cocoon of privilege and comfort, yet their breeding never eschewed vulgarity or crassness, but embraced kindness, concern and responsible humanity toward their Downstairs "family". Similarly, their Downstairs family, in turn, showed respect, warm feelings of pride of service and true concern for their "upstairs" family as well. The viewer was entwined in the lives of both "families", experiencing their joys, sorrows and frustrations. All within a 25 year framework encompassing the Victorian and Edwardian ages, culminating in the death of Edward VII, the sinking of the Titanic and loss of Lady Marjorie Bellamy, World War I and its aftermath, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, forever changing the world of the Bellamys first shown in 1904. Up/Down is, simply, a breathtakingly unforgettable series.
This 40th anniversary release is equal to the many superlatives written on these pages of reviews. I had VHS taped some of the original Up/Down episodes when they were re-shown on PBS in the 80's, which I still have. However, I wanted the DVD version, and decided to purchase this 40th anniversary set through Amazon. Let me say that it is simply superb in every way.
The episodes have been remastered to splendid effect, they are all excellent in both video and audio quality. I do not understand how some of the reviewers could state that they are not! They are all exceptionally good. There are 21 DVD's in this set, with an added 25 hours of extras, narrating the making of Up/Down,interviews with many of the characters who are still living, and they seem to enjoy reminiscing, sharing many little unknown facts about the particular episodes being presented. Priceless. There are also narratives and commentaries in the episodes by some of the actors, scene selection, and an enclosed brief written narrative by Jean Marsh, one of the co-creators who also portrayed Rose, the under-house parlor maid. The audio commentaries by the actors and writers on each episode are great fun, listening to Jean Marsh and Simon Williams' comments give one a marvelous insider perspective. This is the definitive collection, it just doesn't get much better than this. I urge all Up/Down devotees, new and old, to purchase it. Also, the price on Amazon is about the lowest I have seen anywhere. It is well worth the price for this timeless and iconic series, presented as grandly as the series itself. Don't miss it.
Top reviews from other countries
Well one should not be too modern...
I have been watching the series on my 2005 Sony Trinitron WEGA and I have absolutely no complaints with the visuals or the audio. The picture is very clear for a program of that vintage. I really wonder if some people were comparing programs that were filmed in HD with those that were not and then making an unfair comparison--apples and oranges as it were. Perhaps also people complaining about the visuals were watching it on a TV that had seen better days and/or using a wonky DVD player.
As for the series itself, it is as good as gold. It is just so damned engaging. The acting is top notch and the scripts are always very well written. It is a series that can be watched and re-watched, so investing in this grand series is money well spent.