8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
During World War II, an international group of POWs run special operations missions from the very camp in which they are held.
Starring: Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, John Banner, Robert Clary, Richard DawsonComedy | 100% |
War | 64% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Twenty one-disc set (21 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It always feels like there's some need to balance timing and tragedy. "How soon is 'too soon?'" is a recurring refrain when it comes to television or cinema depictions of real-life horrific events. Decorated World War II veteran Audie Murphy was understandably reluctant to star in 1955's To Hell and Back, an autobiographical film based on his own memoirs. At only a decade removed from the war, the film became Universal's then-highest grossing film. When Platoon released just a little over a decade after the end of the Vietnam conflict, Oliver Stone's hard-hitting snapshot of the horrors of war certainly hit close to home for those returning veterans who lived it. The question was perhaps never so relevant when both United 93 and World Trade Center debuted just five years after 9/11. All of that is to ask "how soon is (or in this case, was) 'too soon' for Hogan's Heroes, a World War II P.O.W. camp comedy that debuted two decades after the war ended, when most veterans would be entering middle age? The show was a hit, and it was apparently not "too soon" for American audiences who supported the show for six seasons, the longest-running series to emerge from World War II. Of interesting note, it would also be about two decades from the end of hostilities in Korea that the classic TV show M*A*S*H debuted, ran for over a decade, and became one of the great all-time TV shows.
The pilot episode is presented in black and white. It looks fine, offering good grayscale balance and solid black levels (especially some nice and deep
nighttime exteriors). The image is filmic and grainy, though some flickering is apparent at times, and there is a fairly steady barrage of stray scratches
and speckles. Still, the image is impressively crisp and sharp, offering superb detail on the Nazi uniforms, Hogan's leather jacket, details around the
camp, and fine facial definition.
The show is in color from episode two forward. The image looks very good with satisfyingly grounded colors, nothing that leaps off the screen but
finding enough red punch to Nazi emblems, depth to natural wood colors, and other tones seen throughout the show, including some yellow accents on
Schultz's uniform, sweaters and scarves, and so on. Various headquarters areas offer more robust colors, such as blue maps on the wall, for some nice
pop and depth. For the most part, however, the show's tonal range holds within earthy colors rather than pop with any kind of radical intensity and
pizzaz. Black levels are fine, whites are decently crisp, and skin tones look healthy and natural.
As with the black-and-white premiere, there is a good bit of print damage on display. The good news is that while some flickering, speckles, and
scratches remain, they are only at times
so intrusive as to be bothersome and detract from the image. By the time the series winds down in season six, the density and frequency of various
examples of print damage are reduced. Still, such issues hold for the duration in some form or fashion. Overall, the image is pleasantly filmic and
texturally robust, offering quality definition to uniforms, faces, and various environments, especially the camp, whether inside the barracks or outside
on
the grounds. The picture is very crisp and sharp and when comparing the end product here to how the show looks in the supplements one can see just
how great it looks. While there is certainly room for improvement, there's no denying that Hogan's Heroes has never looked better for home
consumption.
At best, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack presents an adequate audio experience. The material does not generate much in the way of high yield sonic content. It's a bit flat overall with some disbalance at play, especially with the laugh track, which is very prominent with a mild tinniness about it. Music is a little on the crunchy side, but it is does play with solidly engaged front end width and detail. Dialogue drives the show and it presents with good front-center imaging and suitable clarity.
This Blu-ray release of Hogan's Heroes: The Complete Series includes various extras scattered throughout the set but limited to only a
handful of the discs. See below for a
breakdown
of what is included, and where. Each season ships in its own Amaray case, all of which are packed into a slip box.
Season Two, Disc One:
Higan's Heroes is a safe show, free of any obvious, overt, or overpowering drama and danger, unlike its cousin, Stalag 17, which blends overt P.O.W. camp humor with a darker facade. There's no such darkness here. While there is certainly the implied darkness of prisoner of war life, the show gleefully overlooks the challenges and horrors of wartime captivity with a decidedly lighter side look at life in the German stalag, and it does so to great success. This is a wonderful little show that delights even through unyielding humor, unchanging setting, and unforgettable characters. This Blu-ray release of Hogan's Heroes delivers very solid, but not perfect, 1080p video, a decently performing 2.0 lossless soundtrack, and a good number of extras which are packed together on just a few of the series discs. Highly recommended!
Extended Cut
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25th Anniversary Edition
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Pasqualino Settebellezze
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