Rake-Complete Third Series (2013) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy Drama |
Main Menu Audio Outtakes |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2013 | ||
Running Time | 448 | ||
RSDL / Flipper |
Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3) |
Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Peter Duncan Jessica Hobbs Jeffrey Walker Rachel Ward |
Studio
Distributor |
ABC Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Richard Roxburgh Toni Collette Matt Day |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $39.95 | Music |
Michael Lira David McCormack Antony Partos |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English for the Hearing Impaired | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Australian television has been improving over recent years especially the quality of shows coming out of the ABC after changes a few years ago. One example of this is the marvellous comedy drama series, Rake. Rake has been running for three seasons now (the third is included in this three disc set) but this may be the last. The series was the brainchild of star Richard Roxburgh, writer Peter Duncan and lawyer Charles Waterstreet. They are credited as the creators of the concept.
In this context the word rake refers to a dissolute man in fashionable society, which is an excellent description of the main character, Cleaver Green (Richard Roxburgh). The character is loosely based on the well-known lawyer and man about town Charles Waterstreet. Cleaver is a highly skilled criminal barrister who defends all sorts of people, many of whom are guilty as charged. His life style is a miasma of prostitutes, gambling, associating with criminals, political corruption, drink and drugs. He has loyal friends but also many people who are either annoyed with him, angry with him or want to hurt him. His friends include Barney Meagher (Russell Dykstra), a solicitor who briefs him for a lot of his cases, Wendy (Caroline Brazier), his ex-wife, Missy Partridge (Adrienne Pickering), a former prostitute and now successful author, and his long-suffering secretary, Nicole (Kate Box). Those who are somewhere in the spectrum of enemies include the former NSW Police Minister & Attorney General, Cal McGregor (Damien Garvey), the Opposition Spokesman for many portfolios, 'Harry Sorry' David Potter (Matt Day) plus a variety of others who sometimes switch from one camp to the other. This series opens with Cleaver in gaol having been convicted and sentenced to 11 months inside. He has an appeal coming up however the evidence seems to be stacked against him, whether real or fabricated. During the season he needs to get out of jail, avoid the various crims after him, get his business moving again, attempt to carry on an adult relationship, help the new mate he makes in jail, solve issues with his son and ex-wife and help his mate, Barney, deal with his problems.
Each episode covers one legal case as well as continuing the storylines of the major characters and their relationships. This series includes 8 episodes, each of just under an hour. I would not have really thought it possible however season 3 improves upon the marvellous first two seasons of the show. This show is a great combination of amusing dialogue, interesting cases and drama. It is very engaging and highly entertaining. Roxburgh is marvellous as Cleaver Green, funny, emotional, superbly raffish and shambling from one disaster to the next in his personal life.
This is great Australian television. Highly recommended!
The video quality is very good.
The series is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.
The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout. The shadow detail was very good.
The colour was very good with no issues to report.
There was some motion blur but no other noticeable artefacts.
There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read.
The layer changes are not obvious.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The audio quality is good.
This set contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.
Dialogue was mostly clear and easy to hear and understand, although the subtitles were useful at times. The soundtrack displayed some good front separation.
The music sounds great and is a big part of the show's jaunty atmosphere.
The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The menu included music.
A funny set of stuff-ups and jokes. Better than most.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This set does not seem to be available outside of Region 4.
The video quality is very good.
The audio quality is good.
One extra.Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | SONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output |
Display | Sharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
Amplification | Marantz SR5005 |
Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer |