7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
In season seven of this timeless series, change is in the air! It's wedding bells and a baby on the way for Laura and Almanzo. Adam's sight returns, and he and Mary open a law practice. Laura begins teaching in Walnut Grove; Nellie's pregnancy ignites a family disagreement; and Albert's love for Sylvia stirs rumors. The townswomen fight for equal property rights, and the Ingalls consider adoption.
Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert (I), Melissa Sue Anderson, Lindsay GreenbushFamily | 100% |
Romance | 40% |
Western | 18% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Consumer (and/or viewer) interest can make a difference. I’m old enough to remember begging my father, who had taken me out to
dinner
that evening, to get me home in time to watch a spring 1968 episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2, since it had been
revealed that an “important announcement” would be broadcast at the episode’s close, and (being the geek I was and having followed the news
about one of my favorite shows so closely) which I suspected was a renewal announcement for a third season. That turned out to be the case,
though as long time Star Trek fans know, it was only a temporary reprieve, and the Starship Enterprise’s supposed five year journey into
worlds unknown came to a premature close at the end of the 1968-69 television season. NBC’s response to a somewhat limited but still very vocal
campaign to save the series, one which evidently buried the corporate headquarters in Rockefeller Center under a mountain of fan mail, turned the
tide and allowed Gene Roddenberry’s iconic series to live for at least a little while longer. Something at least a little similar has happened with
another
vaunted NBC property, the beloved Michael Landon adaptation of the equally beloved books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the
Prairie. Lionsgate started releasing the series in 2014, and brought out new volumes of subsequent seasons every few months thereafter,
until
suddenly with the advent of the sixth season, no further announcements of upcoming Blu-ray product were made (initial press releases mentioned
only DVDs). Once again, a rather rabid (in a good way) fan base kicked into gear, and while the technology had changed (emails instead of snail
mail),
the result was the laudable decision to release the subsequent seasons as Amazon Exclusives. Interestingly (at least for those of us who work in
the
reviewing game), Lionsgate didn’t seem to be overly concerned about publicizing these final seasons, and in fact never sent screeners for official
review purposes. While fans of this series will no doubt be thrilled that they can complete their collections, sticklers may have at least a quibble or
two with some decisions that were made with regard to the final three years of the series.
Our reviews of the previous seasons of the series can be accessed 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 Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie: Season
Five Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie: Season
Six
Blu-ray review
Little House on the Prairie: Season Seven is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. Despite back cover verbiage touting a "Fully Restored Picture", this season continues the somewhat precipitous decline in video quality that I first addressed in our Little House on the Prairie: Season Six Blu-ray review, and in fact is considerably worse looking, at least in passing, than even the sixth season. The palette is oddly wan throughout this season, with little of the warmth and immediacy that graced at least the first few seasons of this series on Blu-ray. Several episodes have a kind of purplish or bluish tint that is completely unnatural looking and which tends to further detract from already problematic detail levels. Certain isolated moments also look like they were sourced from secondary elements, with a marked decrease in clarity and an increase in pretty splotchy grain, something that can lead to minor compression anomalies (see screenshot 3). It's certainly supportable to at least slightly upgrade my score in terms of the overall look of this season, but I'm low balling this a bit to make sure fans are forewarned and not expecting the generally excellent appearance of the series' first few seasons on Blu-ray. There are also some tangential authoring issues which may bother the more detail oriented videophile, including a static main menu and chapter stops that aren't really very logical. Subtitles don't always line up with dialogue, and while I didn't spend much time listening to them, several members have reported that the foreign language audio tracks are out of sync as well. Finally, "Divorce, Walnut Grove Style" is evidently missing some footage, though I didn't notice any egregious gaps in storytelling.
Even more concerning for some Blu-ray consumers will be the decision to afford this season of Little House on the Prairie a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, rather than the lossless audio of the previous seasons. While probably not a deal killer for many (maybe even most) fans, the lossy audio presentation does rob the series of some sonic immediacy, especially in the mid to lower ranges, where things can sound a little thin at times. Higher registers show a hint of distortion that may derive at least partially from too hot amplitude. That said, dialogue, effects and score are all presented cleanly enough, with no appreciable age related wear and tear.
Either surprisingly (considering the supplements afforded the previous seasons) or unsurprisingly (considering this is a "MOD" Amazon Exclusive), this season of Little House on the Prairie has no supplementary material.
You know that old adage "be careful what you ask for", and some may feel like it's at least somewhat relevant to this release. The good news is that there even is a release, but the technical merits of this season are decidedly lackluster when compared to the series' previous releases on Blu- ray. The series continues to mine its at times still potent heartstring tugging proclivities, and fans will probably be willing to overlook any shortcomings, either technical or indeed of the series itself.
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1974-1975
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1975-1976
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1976-1977
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1977-1978
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1978-1979
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1979-1980
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1981-1982
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1982-1983
2008
1991
55th Anniversary Edition
1960
2014
1993
1982
1987
1994
2005
2002
1991
30th Anniversary
1994
1955
Koneko monogatari
1986
The Man from Snowy River II
1988
1957
2005
1993
2017
2018