Robin Hood-Complete Series One (2006) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Adventure |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Episodes 2, 4, 8 & 13 Featurette-Hood Academy Biographies-Character Featurette-Making Of Featurette-Dressing Hood & Designing Hood |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2006 | ||
Running Time | 575:03 (Case: 700) | ||
RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL (17:42) Multi Disc Set (5) |
Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Graeme Harper Declan O'Dwyer Richard Standeven Matthew Evans |
Studio
Distributor |
Tiger Aspect Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Jonas Armstrong Lucy Griffiths Richard Armitage Keith Allen Sam Troughton Gordon Kennedy Harry Lloyd Joe Armstrong Anjali Jay |
Case | Slip Case | ||
RPI | ? | Music | Andy Price |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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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 |
Robin Hood is one of the best known characters in the history of the English language and his story has been converted to film and television on numerous occasions. The most famous versions are probably Douglas Fairbanks in 1922, Errol Flynn in the 1938 classic, the Kevin Costner opus from the early 1990s, the Disney animated version and the 1980s TV series but there are many more. Due to this, it is actually difficult for a new version to make an impact, however, this version is a ripper!
This latest incarnation of Robin Hood was made for the BBC in 2006 and has been shown here on the ABC. The second season is currently in development and this release contains all 13 episodes of Season 1, which is quite a long series for English shows. This show is a great combination of fast paced action, drama, romance, comedy and much more. It features a wonderful ensemble cast with many good looking young actors and actresses, who as well as looking good also do a great job at their roles. The series was shot on location in Hungary over a six month period and it is obvious that the cast built up great rapport with each other during that time. They really seem to have enjoyed themselves.
All the famous characters (with the exception of Friar Tuck) are here but they have been modernised and given multi-dimensional personalities. Marian is no longer a Maid and has also become somewhat of a vigilante, helping poor people while maintaining a respectable face to the sheriff. It's great to see a strong and resourceful female character, rather than just a handbag for Robin as she has been in previous versions. Robin himself is also a very interesting character who is sometimes grumpy, sometimes vindictive and sometimes needs his friends to keep him on the right course. The full major character list is
There are lots of elements which make this show great to watch in addition to the cast. These include excellent writing (mostly by Dominic Minghella, brother of Anthony Minghella), wonderful cinematography, great sets and locations and a brilliant score by Andy Price.
The thirteen episodes are about 45 minutes each. They are spread across four discs with the fifth disc of the set being restricted to extras. They are as follows:
Disc 3
Disc 4
The set is nicely packaged in a fold out cardboard box with an outer cardboard slipcover. This allows lots of space for photos of the cast. Each of the discs features a photo of one of the main characters. I highly recommend this excellent television production.
The video quality is variable from excellent to good. The first two discs set a very high standard, probably due to not housing as many episodes which is not followed through on by discs 3 & 4. The bitrate is much higher on the first two discs.
The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 16x9 enhanced, which is the original aspect ratio.
The picture was wonderfully clear and sharp on the first two discs however the third and fourth are affected by MPEG grain, which although never terrible does effect the sharpness. There was no evidence of low level noise. The shadow detail was very good.
The colour was realistic, with excellent representation of the greens of the forest.
The only artefact I noticed were some very mild jagged edges.
There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which were clear, easy to read and exact to the spoken word.
There was a layer change at 17:42 in episode 2 which was well done. I did not notice layer changes on the others discs. The last disc is a DVD5.
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Overall |
This DVD contains two audio options (not including commentaries); an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448 Kb/s and an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack encoded at 192 Kb/s. The surround track is certainly the pick providing much more presence and atmosphere, although specific directional effects are pretty few and far between.
Dialogue was mostly clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync. Some lines of dialogue were a little difficult to make out.
The score of this series by Andy Price is a corker with an excellent theme tune and different themes used for each of the main characters. Wonderfully good for a TV show.
The surround speakers provided lots of atmosphere but very little in the way of surround effects.
The subwoofer was used quite a bit for the music and action scenes.
Dialogue | |
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Overall |
A large collection of worthwhile extras are included, spread across all the discs in this collection. All are 16x9 enhanced, with optional subtitles.
The menus are well designed utilising the arrow motif used for transitions during the show along with the target (also from the show). It features an introduction, music and motion along with all the normal functionality you would expect.
This is a friendly and jokey commentary where everybody (including the audience) has a good time. They tell anecdotes about the production, makes jokes at each other's expense and also provide some good info about making the show, goofs, locations and the link between this show and Spinal Tap!
16x9 enhanced. This featurette goes behind the scenes of the two week training camp for the actors before shooting began. It covers their training is fighting, shooting arrows and horse riding and includes interview material with the cast and stunt co-ordinator. Good stuff.
These are all similar in nature and involve scenes from the shows plus interviews about the specific characters. There is some crossover to the other featurettes. On this disc are:
Another friendly and jokey commentary which is OK but not as good as the first one. Still worth a listen.
These are all similar in nature and involve scenes from the shows plus interviews about the specific characters. There is some crossover to the other featurettes. On this disc is:
Another friendly and jokey commentary which features information about shooting, locations and includes some interesting anecdotes.
These are all similar in nature and involve scenes from the shows plus interviews about the specific characters. There is some crossover to the other featurettes. On this disc is:
One of the best of the commentaries, this is a bit more information while still retaining the casual atmosphere.
Hosted by Foz Allen & Dominic Minghella this follows the development process, casting, the concept, locations and sets, learning Hungarian, shotting, stunts and how the cast kept themselves amused while in Hungary. Good stuff.
Featurette focused on the costumes which were all made locally in Budapest. Includes camera test footage of the costumes.
Featurette focused on the production and art design including the impressive building project they undertook over three months. Covers where CGI was used as opposed to actual construction and also problems encountered during the building works.
These are all similar in nature and involve scenes from the shows plus interviews about the specific characters. There is some crossover to the other featurettes. On this disc are:
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This series is available in both Region 1 & 2 in the same format. Draw
The video quality is variable.
The audio quality is very good.
The set has an impressive array of mostly excellent, well made extra features.
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Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV667A DVD-V DVD-A SACD, using Component output |
Display | Sony FD Trinitron Wega KV-AR34M36 80cm. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL)/480i (NTSC). |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Pioneer VSX-511 |
Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Yamaha YST SW90 subwoofer |