I have a quesion about the DVD sets. I went on amazon.com and found the "complete series" made up of 14 DVDs. Then I went to amazon.co.uk and searched for the same but I found "the complete box set" made up of 16 DVDs. Does this mean that the DVD set from the UK has additional content or is it just a newer/older edition that was just produced differently? I want be sure because the set from the UK is much more expensive.
Thanks
Well, now that's odd. I just compared the full series information - I own a region 1 set, individually boxed series - and noticed this: The runtime of the R-1 set works out to be 2,100 minutes (35 hours) on 14 dvd's, but the British set (R-2) while it consists of 16 dvd's has a stated runtime - according to amazon.co.uk's listing - of 999 minutes? Intriguing to say the least.
shareI checked the Acorn Media UK site (the studio) and they don't give very much detail about it but they do list the runtime: 2312min! It's here http://www.acornmediauk.com/productinfo.asp?productid=899
Like yours the Region 1 version (by A&E http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=74624 ) says it run 2100+ min. How many more min is '+' I haven't the faintest idea but do they mean more than the 200min difference? and what would be contained in those additional min? I wish I knew :(
Thanks
Yes, the A&E individually boxed is the set I have.
I'm not at all sure. I wonder though if it might be this - that those extra 200 minutes amount to the absolute disc runtime - the shows, intros. features and all?
That could be the case, I saw some of the videos from the A&E full set and they each have a short intro (< 1min) by John Mortimer. I wouldn't think that those interviews to could count for a total of 200 min. It is a very interesting situation let's hope that someone with the British set can shed some light on this question.
shareOh...well, no - Mortimer's intros would be just drops in the bucket of course. But they could conceivably amount to possibly as much as 42 minutes, figuring them at about 1 minute per episode. An outside estimate of 45 minutes would be roughly correct by the time you figure the up the "longs and shorts" and work out the odd timing.
The interview with Abigail McKern is in the Series 3 set also, but no time given on that.
Agreed. Perhaps someone who owns the British set will light the lamp and show us the way on this question.
The complete UK discs are as follows:
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 1 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 2 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 3 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 4 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 5 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 6 - 2 DVDS
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SERIES 7 - 2 DVDS
+
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SPECIAL - Play for Today
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY - SPECIAL - Rumpole's Return
= 16
Hope this helps.
Sean.
Thanks that helps to clarify somethings
It appears that the main content is the same (there aren't any interviews by John Mortimer or Abigail McKern). It must be a misprint or something as the set seems to contain the same number of episodes. I do wonder how the manage to compress all the stuff into 14 DVDs of the US set instead of 16 or more. Maybe the UK set is just a newer, less compressed, higher quality transfer? That happened to me once, I saw the US version of "last of the summer wine" but then bought the one from the UK (it had some missing episodes not included in the US version) and the difference in quality was night and day. The UK set was a much better transfer. I hope that is not the case and that it is just a case of "clever layout" of the DVD. Thanks again to all of you.
Aha! There's the answer. The UK set includes the originial "Plays For Today" pilot (known to us region 1 folks as "Rumpole of the Bailey: The Lost Episode" - sold separately) and also "Rumpole's Return" which should be a special feature on one of the R1 discs. I think it is, anyway. Should be part of the First Series set, the bonus feature on the fourth disc of the R1 A&E set.
Odd, I just checked the US Barnes & Noble site and found something I'd forgotten: They have an earlier set produced by HBO and released in 2002 according to their information, which is titled "Rumpole of the Bailey: the Complete First and Second Seasons." The HBO-release set appears to be virtually identical to the UK release, except that the "Plays For Today" program is not there. They did, however, include "Rumpole's Return." The set must not have sold very well in the US or something, because just the single "HBO" set is available. I recall I very nearly bought that set when it came out, excepting that the funds were a bit tight.
We may be a bit slower than old Rumpole, but it would appear we've solved this mystery at last!
I think I'll settle and watch for a bit - missing the old darling today.
I ordered the complete set from Amazon while it was on sale. I cannot wait.
Valeyard
There were 44 episodes of Rumpole made. Seven series of six episodes = 42, plus the original Play for Today and a Thames TV 2 hour special "Rumpoles Return" Are all 44 episodes on the U.S. complete box set, they certainly are in the U.K. Turning to quality of the releases, As a rule of thumb the U.K region 2 (PAL) format will always be superior to the U.S. region 1 (NTSC) format as follows .....(excerpt taken from various websites regarding picture quality)
"In principle, PAL DVDs have a compelling advantage over NTSC DVDs. PAL DVDs have 576 pixels of vertical resolution versus 480 pixels of vertical resolution. That's a 20% increase in resolution for a PAL DVD as compared to an NTSC DVD. Increased resolution translates into a better looking image. PAL is a higher resolution format for DVD than NTSC. All else being equal, a PAL DVD of a movie should look significantly better than the equivalent NTSC DVD. Movies on PAL DVDs play back 4% faster than their NTSC counterparts. Movies on NTSC DVDs play back at the correct speed, but they achieve this by utilizing a process called "3:2 pull-down". A detailed discussion of this process is beyond the scope of this article, but the net effect of this is that any image pan is not smooth, but takes place in a series of uneven steps, an artefact known as judder. As with PAL's 4% speed-up, the great majority of people will never notice this artefact, but for a small minority, this is intolerable. Personally, I find this artefact all but intolerable and find it very hard to watch a movie on an NTSC DVD because of it".
I don't own any of the Rumpole DVDs so I cannot refer to their actual content, however, I notice in this thread no reference to the technical aspects of Region 1 vs R2 dvds and a search for a relevent site that compares DVDs from across various Region releases would be a good start. In Australia (Region 4) I refer to www.michaeldvd.com.au website for comparisons/reviews of R1/R2/R4 releases. Unfortunately nobody there has done a review of Rumpole yet. Probably due to "generation" gap aspects more than anything else. It would appeal to people over 40, due to the quality of the script, product and acting, but perhaps missing younger audiences due to lack of car chases, shoot-outs, sex, violence and "CSI" forensics. Yes, this is a generalisation, but it is only my humble opinion and is offered as such. No need for flames please.
I am in Australia where our Region 4 standard is PAL, like the UK and Europe. I am told PAL formats runs some 17% slower than North American NTSC formats due to physical factors such as frame rate and resolution both of which can extend the comparable running time. I tend to import my DVD releases from Amazon UK due to the superiority of quality of R2 PAL releases and also because they are almost physically identical to R4 releases (content, cover jackets etc. not withstanding). This also includes European R2 releases through Amazon UK for the same reason.
So in essence, look beyond only comparing the content. :)
ciao ciao
et tu Brute!
Locked my wire coat-hanger in the car - good thing that I always carry spare keys my pocket :)
I just received the region 2 complete series 1-7 boxed set and it appears that while it does contain Rumpole's Return, it does NOT contain the pilot, Confession of Guilt.
It appears to be 15 discs, not 16. I assume the region 1 set is similar, save for the edits and (I think) the non-inclusion of Rumpole's Return.
Seeking information, I want to revive this thread, please.
My friend in Region 1(USA) claims to have a boxed set comprising 18 DVDs.
I'd like to get a really complete Region 1 set and don't know where to turn: A&E? Amazon? Wal-Mart?
Can anyone help?
Sandman
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YBYSAIA
It's been a while mind you (10 years or a bit more perhaps) but the only 18 disc dvd version of Rumpole I recall seeing or hearing anything of was a Region 2 widget.
However, if you're in the market for a complete set of Rumpole in NTSC format, Amazon has a 14 disc set that's quite economically priced all things considered. See http://www.amazon.com/Rumpole-Bailey-Complete-Leo-McKern/dp/B003X2P9B2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430630352&sr=8-1&keywords=rumpole+of+the+bailey+the+complete+series+megaset
You mentioned the A&E sets offered some years ago. I own one of those and can confirm that the content on the complete set linked above is or certainly appears identical to mine.
The one item not available in the Region 1 sets is the 1975 broadcast of "Rumpole & The Confession of Guilt."
If you want that early program, see http://www.amazon.com/Rumpole-Bailey-The-Lost-Episode/dp/B0000V4712/ref=pd_bxgy_mov_img_y
Hope you'll find this helpful!
Thanks, Doug
Sandman
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YBYSAIA