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M*A*S*H - The TV Series, Season 1
Fox // Unrated // January 8, 2001
List Price: $39.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
For folks like me, who only caught M*A*S*H on late night reruns, the M*A*S*H Season One DVD set (the set is 3 discs, although only disc 1 was available for review) is a chance to catch up with the genesis of that long running show. Based on Robert Altman's feature film, M*A*S*H uses a Korean war military hospital as a setting for surprisingly standard sitcom comedy. After all, the "sit" in sitcom stands for "situation" and the situations in M*A*S*H are some of the most convoluted on television. In fact, the first episode already finds Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and his cohorts sneaking around and cheating their superiors in order to throw a party to raise money through a raffle. The path between the purpose of the fundraiser (to send Ho-Jon, a Korean kid, to med school) and the raffle prize (a weekend trip to Tokyo with one of the most sought after nurses) is strained to the limit; By the end of the 22 minute episode it's practically impossible to remember how it started. And that's only the pilot. The problem is that every episode is practically the same: Hawkeye has his eyes on some nurse cutie and conspires to make her his. The big wigs in charge, of course, have some reason to want to stop that, and Hawkeye and his buddies twist the rules all around. Like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, Hawkeye has to begin the pursuit anew at the start of each episode. What always confused me was that such immature sex farce could follow the grim, melancholy opening credits, which feature war casualties being evacuated from helicopters. The opening always promises weighty subject and mournful reflection, but the show never delivers. (One note: The pilot features a greatly extended version of the opening sequence) Years of The Simpsons and Seinfeld have made the antics of M*A*S*H look quaint, but that ignores the fact that it had a lot of influence over later shows. Still, M*A*S*H manages to feel overly jokey and corny. It has a lot of fans, many of whom will definitely snap up this set, but newcomers will likely wonder what the big deal is all about. Most of the episodes feature the same old jokes and the lack of urgency in the wartime setting hurts the show's chance at uniqueness. In other words, it has retained its place in the sitcom canon but doesn't appeal much beyond that. VIDEO:
The full frame video for the pilot is amazingly crisp at times (it varies often from shot to shot). After years of reruns it is almost shocking to see it looking so cinematic and fresh. Other episodes appear a little closer to their syndicated versions, with softness and damage evident. An apparent reliance on stock footage also helps the show look a little choppier. AUDIO:
The Dolby stereo sound is fine, if a little lacking in oomph. A second stereo track features a similar mix but minus the laugh track. Once you've watched an episode without the notorious canned laughter you can't help but notice how ridiculous it sounds to have audience chuckling in the show's numerous outdoor scenes. Still, the show is obviously paced for the laugh track and it drags a bit without it. A mono French track is also included, as are English, French, and Spanish subtitles. EXTRAS:
The first disc, which was all that was included for review, had no extras. FINAL THOUGHTS:
A must for M*A*S*H fans, but not really offering much to the uninitiated. For those with a passing interest in the show, reruns should suffice. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
For folks like me, who only caught M*A*S*H on late night reruns, the M*A*S*H Season One DVD set (the set is 3 discs, although only disc 1 was available for review) is a chance to catch up with the genesis of that long running show. Based on Robert Altman's feature film, M*A*S*H uses a Korean war military hospital as a setting for surprisingly standard sitcom comedy. After all, the "sit" in sitcom stands for "situation" and the situations in M*A*S*H are some of the most convoluted on television. In fact, the first episode already finds Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and his cohorts sneaking around and cheating their superiors in order to throw a party to raise money through a raffle. The path between the purpose of the fundraiser (to send Ho-Jon, a Korean kid, to med school) and the raffle prize (a weekend trip to Tokyo with one of the most sought after nurses) is strained to the limit; By the end of the 22 minute episode it's practically impossible to remember how it started. And that's only the pilot. The problem is that every episode is practically the same: Hawkeye has his eyes on some nurse cutie and conspires to make her his. The big wigs in charge, of course, have some reason to want to stop that, and Hawkeye and his buddies twist the rules all around. Like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, Hawkeye has to begin the pursuit anew at the start of each episode. What always confused me was that such immature sex farce could follow the grim, melancholy opening credits, which feature war casualties being evacuated from helicopters. The opening always promises weighty subject and mournful reflection, but the show never delivers. (One note: The pilot features a greatly extended version of the opening sequence) Years of The Simpsons and Seinfeld have made the antics of M*A*S*H look quaint, but that ignores the fact that it had a lot of influence over later shows. Still, M*A*S*H manages to feel overly jokey and corny. It has a lot of fans, many of whom will definitely snap up this set, but newcomers will likely wonder what the big deal is all about. Most of the episodes feature the same old jokes and the lack of urgency in the wartime setting hurts the show's chance at uniqueness. In other words, it has retained its place in the sitcom canon but doesn't appeal much beyond that. VIDEO:
The full frame video for the pilot is amazingly crisp at times (it varies often from shot to shot). After years of reruns it is almost shocking to see it looking so cinematic and fresh. Other episodes appear a little closer to their syndicated versions, with softness and damage evident. An apparent reliance on stock footage also helps the show look a little choppier. AUDIO:
The Dolby stereo sound is fine, if a little lacking in oomph. A second stereo track features a similar mix but minus the laugh track. Once you've watched an episode without the notorious canned laughter you can't help but notice how ridiculous it sounds to have audience chuckling in the show's numerous outdoor scenes. Still, the show is obviously paced for the laugh track and it drags a bit without it. A mono French track is also included, as are English, French, and Spanish subtitles. EXTRAS:
The first disc, which was all that was included for review, had no extras. FINAL THOUGHTS:
A must for M*A*S*H fans, but not really offering much to the uninitiated. For those with a passing interest in the show, reruns should suffice. E-mail Gil at [email protected]
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