Chappelle's Show-Season 1: Uncensored! (2006) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Main Menu Audio Deleted Scenes Audio Commentary Additional Footage-Ask a Black Dude with Paul Mooney
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	215:06 (Case: 283)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Rusty Cundieff Andre Allen Neal Brennan Scott Vincent
Studio Distributor	Comedy Central Beyond Home Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$24.95	Music	Jared Gutstadt Ahmir-Khalib Thompson

     Dave Chappelle rocked the comedy world in 2003 with Chappelle's Show, a sketch/variety show whose bread and butter was lampooning racism in society. The format saw Chappelle host from a studio, cutting to skits after a humorous lead-in and each episode featured a musical guest. The series stirred controversy from its very first episode onwards, largely on the condescending belief that the bulk of the show's audience were laughing at the skits because they were racist rather than because they were lampooning ever-present racial prejudice in society. Case in point, the sketch that caused the most outrage in the first episode, which also outlines the band of humour to a tee, was a spoof profile of a blind white supremacist who didn't realise he was actually black himself. This controversy, coupled with the pressure it put on Chappelle personally, would ultimately kill the show during the production of its third season, although whilst it lasted it was magnificent. Though a few of the spoof-commercials are a little dated, the series holds up well today, particularly its more controversial sketches.

     Though the series rated reasonably well, its real success (and that which saw Chappelle sign a record-breaking production deal) lay in DVD sales. Sales of this very DVD set in fact (this set is identical to the US release, right down to NTSC formatting) quickly became the biggest selling TV on DVD release of all time.

Video

     The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 full frame aspect in NTSC. The show looks reasonable for a cable TV sketch/variety show produced a few years ago. The image is reasonably sharp and clear. There is a decent level of detail in the shadows. The colours are vibrant and bold. Minor aliasing is noticeable throughout the show, particularly in the live introductions to the sketches. Occasional mild pixilation is also noticeable, but never really bothersome.

     This is a dual layer disc, but the layer break is between episodes.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

     A single English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps) audio track is present. The audio is basic, but of good quality. The dialogue is clear and easy to discern. There is no discernable surround usage and modest subwoofer-level bass in the mix. The musical segments sounds particularly good.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Audio Commentary with Dave Chappelle

     Five Episodes (1,6,9,10,12) include audio commentary from Chappelle and co-creator Neal Brennan. Reasonably funny, although marred by occasional dead air and pretty disposable stuff.

Deleted Scenes and Outtakes

     Just under 29 minutes of deleted scenes featuring optional commentary from Chappelle (which is funnier than some of the scenes themselves). The quality here varies wildly (well, they were deleted...), but there are some hilarious alternate takes and deleted skits here.

"Ask a Black Dude with Paul Mooney" unaired footage

     20-odd minutes of unaired material from the recurring "Ask a Black Dude with Paul Mooney" segment of the show, in which comedian Paul Mooney answers every naive question imaginable from his own perspective. Very funny stuff.

    This release is identical to the US Region 1 release right down to the NTSC formatting, albeit with a localised logo at the start of the disc.

     A classic sketch comedy series, whose laughs hold up well 8 years down the track - even the reasonably topical content.

     Video is as good as you could expect form an 8 year old series in NTSC. Audio is good. Extras are fair in number and will appeal to fans.

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