7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Family | 100% |
Romance | 39% |
Western | 19% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Little House on the Prairie: Season
Three capped that season with the tale of the Ingalls once again setting off for supposedly greener pastures, this time in search of
the
always alluring gold, only to realize that, to quote a certain Dorothy Gale, there’s no place like home. The fourth season of Little House
on
the Prairie finds the Ingalls once again ensconced in their Walnut Grove locale, espousing both the virtues and occasional tribulations of
hearth
and home. The series had settled into a very comfortable and frankly predictable rut by this season, though the show continued to mine
rather
commendable amounts of emotion out of the various interwoven stories of the Ingalls and various other townsfolk and, of course, weekly
guest
stars who passed through Walnut Grove. This season does introduce one of the ongoing storylines which would inform at least some of the
long running show’s subsequent years, namely the affliction which begins to affect Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson). (This issue will be
mentioned
explicitly further on in the review; those who haven’t seen the series and don’t want things spoiled should probably skip down to the
technical
aspects of the review, below.) The rest of the season has its requisite heartstring tugging moments, and while overly formulaic, there’s
simply
no denying the simple, homespun allure that Little House on the Prairie continues to offer in its fourth year.
Our reviews of the previous seasons on Blu-ray can be found by clicking on the following links:
Little House on the Prairie:
Season One Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie:
Season Two Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie:
Season Three Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie: Season Four is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. This release follows pretty much in the same footsteps as the generally excellent previous seasons in high definition. The elements are in very good condition, though the eagle eyed will still catch various anomalies like small scratches, dirt and the like. Once again the restorative efforts may have included a bit (emphasis on a bit) of high frequency mitigation, as grain is slightly variable, though overall looks organic and resolves naturally. There are also minor inconsistencies with contrast and brightness, perhaps endemic to the elements. The oddest thing I noticed throughout this season is a somewhat variable color space, though I'm attributing at least some of that to different second units and the vagaries of the location shoots out of doors on different days under varying conditions. But a cursory comparison of the blues of the sky in screenshots 2 and 6—to cite just one example—can give an indication of some of the differences. That said, colors are very nicely saturated for the most part, though greens are sometimes a bit on the anemic side. Detail continues to be at very good to excellent levels, and image stability is consistent. There are some baked in issues with shadow detail in some of the nighttime sequences or those filmed in the darker environs of the Ingalls cabin, as with previous seasons, which at their worst feature noticeable crush.
Little House on the Prairie: Season Four continues as with the previous seasons, with a completely serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which capably supports the series' emphasis on dialogue and occasional ambient environmental sounds and sound effects. Everything is very cleanly presented, and the series' good underscore is also conveyed vividly. Fidelity is fine and there are no issues of any kind to report.
There's just a slight feeling of attrition that starts to afflict Little House on the Prairie during its fourth year, with a few too many return visits to faux tragedies and simple molehills blown up into temporarily unscalable mountains. But the series continues to mine both gentle humor and a lot of heart out of the everyday lives of the Ingalls. The single most interesting aspect of this fourth season comes very late in the game, when Mary's health takes a precipitous decline. Technical merits continue to be very strong on this latest volume, and Little House on the Prairie: Season Four comes Recommended.
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1974-1975
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1975-1976
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1976-1977
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1978-1979
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1979-1980
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1980-1981
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1981-1982
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1982-1983
2008
1991
55th Anniversary Edition
1960
2014
1993
1982
1987
1994
2005
2002
1991
Standard Edition
1994
1955
The Man from Snowy River II
1988
Koneko monogatari
1986
1957
2005
1993
2017
2018