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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Land of the Giants-The Complete First Season (1968)

Land of the Giants-The Complete First Season (1968)

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Released 20-Aug-2014

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Science Fiction Alternative Version-Pilot Episode
Interviews-Cast
Trailer
Notes
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1968
Running Time 1274
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered
Multi Disc Set (7)
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Harry Harris
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring Gary Conway
Don Matheson
Don Marshall
Kurt Kasznar
Stefan Arngrim
Deanna Lund
Heather Young
Case ?
RPI ? Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     I recently reviewed The Time Tunnel, one of the great science fiction series from the 1960s by Irwin Allen. In that review I mentioned that that show had really stuck in my mind from when I was a child. This series, another Irwin Allen production, Land of the Giants, had a similar impact on my wife. Personally, I don't really recall this one from my childhood, however my wife loved it and has greatly enjoyed revisiting it. I have enjoyed viewing it for what I believe is the first time.

     In the 1960s one man was behind most of the best Science Fiction television (except Doctor Who of course). That man was Irwin Allen who was responsible for shows such as Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants and movies like The Poseidon Adventure.

     This was the fourth major television series Irwin Allen created and produced, following Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea which started in 1964, Lost in Space which started in 1965 and The Time Tunnel. This series was made in 1968 - 70 and ran for two seasons. Like other Allen series it was very expensive to make which is one of the reasons it didn't last very long.

     The show is set in the far flung future of 1983 and starts with a commercial sub-orbital flight which sets off from Earth and becomes lost, ending up landing on a strange planet which is similar to Earth, except for one thing...everything is much bigger with all the people being about 12 times bigger than the people on the plane. They must avoid getting captured by the giants who want to experiment on them and investigate why they are so small. They must also avoid huge creatures such as dogs, lizards and more. The tension between the various characters starts from the first episode, however they must find enough common ground to work together. The recurring characters include

     In each episode, they face new problems and challenges such as members of the group being kidnapped or running into oversized animals. There is a lot of fun to be had with this series and for its age it has marvellous production design, special effects and sets. This set contains the complete first season of 26 episodes, spread over 7 DVDs. They are organised in production order rather than the order they were initially shown on US Television. When originally shown they were all jumbled up, causing confusion as people's behaviours seemed erratic. A listing in the original transmission order is also included if you wish to watch them as they were shown.

     Recommended.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The video quality is excellent considering the age of this show. It has obviously been remastered carefully.

     The episodes are presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 4x3 full frame.

     The picture was very clear and sharp for a series of this age with only a little film grain at times. Shadow detail was quite good.

     The colour is excellent with the costumes and sets showing off the money spent on them.

     There are no obvious artefacts other than the mild grain.

     There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which were clear and easy to read.

     There are no obvious layer changes during the episodes.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good.

    The discs contain an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. The sound is obviously quite front focused.

     Dialogue was clear and easy to understand throughout.

     The tense and exciting music sounds good on this transfer.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

     A good collection of extras but not quite as fulsome as The Time Tunnel.

Menu

     The menu featured music.

All Discs

Episode Synopses

Text Synopses for each episode.

Disc 7

The Crash - Unaired Pilot (49:08)

     A earlier unaired version of the series pilot which although telling the same story is quite different to the aired version. Well worth a look. If you are interested in a detailed description of the differences then check out this link .

Gary Conway Interview (13:08)

     A mildly interesting interview from one of the actors involved. He discusses the lasting legacy of the series, the link to Gulliver's Travels, shooting challenges and tells some anecdotes.

Don Marshall Interview (2:41)

     Another actor talks about the series, writing, shooting and fans reactions.

Presentation Reel (8:54)

     Promo films for the various Irwin Allen Shows.

Special Effects Shots (1:27)

     Silent footage.

Original US Airdates

     Text listing of the original sequence of airdates.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This show is available in the US but according to reviews is not well presented being on flipper discs. Buy local.

Summary

    A fun 1960s science fiction television series available in restored glory with decent extras.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    Decent extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Review Equipment
DVDSONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplaySharp 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 DecoderBuilt into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationMarantz SR5005
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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