7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the 19th century American West.
Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert (I), Melissa Sue Anderson, Lindsay GreenbushFamily | 100% |
Romance | 39% |
Western | 18% |
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 (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The music business is rife with stories of artists who storm out of the gates incredibly strongly with a first album that enjoys incredible sales, with at least one hit single (and sometimes several hit singles), only to experience a so- called “sophomore slump” with the release of a second album that either fails to live up to expectations or simply fails outright. Many “one hit wonders” actually had at least two albums to their name, but only rabid collectors will often know of—or own—anything past the first, most celebrated, album. Television is a different entity altogether, of course, and yet Little House on the Prairie suffered something akin to a sophomore slump in its second season. The show had been one of NBC’s most anticipated series of the 1974-75 season after a well received made for television (pilot) movie aired to good ratings and considerable critical acclaim in early 1974. The first season of Little House on the Prairie did extremely well, placing in the Top 20 for that year, a feat which, if not exactly up to Michael Landon’s Bonanza legacy, at least guaranteed a second year for the show. However, despite retaining its same airing time and supposedly resting on the laurels and audience appreciation of that first season, the second year of Little House on the Prairie was decidedly less alluring to viewers for some reason. This is peculiar on at least a couple of fronts, for while the sophomore year of the series does trundle along in some fairly obvious ruts on more than one occasion, it’s also undeniable that the cast is much more at ease in their roles (especially with regard to the kids), and that the series’ finely tuned amalgamation of pioneer grit and heartstring tugging emotion was generally finding its target more often than not. Landon, assuming a kind of trifecta as star, frequent director and writer, continues to recycle some ideas and outright plot points from his long tenure as Little Joe in Bonanza, including having a gaggle of new kids show up to keep the show’s population stocked and diverse. Little House on the Prairie really has no pretensions of greatness, and while perhaps unambitious in terms of its storytelling techniques, it still manages to provide gentle lessons in morality while offering a wholesome look at a family and community working together to overcome each and every obstacle or temporary problem which may arise.
Little House on the Prairie: Season Two is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. This second season of the series continues the largely winning ways which were witnessed in Little House on the Prairie: Season One, though commendably without as much of what appeared to be some minor but noticeable high frequency filtering in the first volume. The elements here are in generally very good condition, though virtually every episode still has manifold (small) specks and flecks, along with occasional little bits of dirt which crop up now and again. Colors are accurate looking and nicely saturated. As with the first volume, sharpness and clarity can be somewhat variable (some of which is surely due to varying shooting conditions), as can contrast. There's some minimal crush apparent in some darker sequences, notably some of the "loft" moments in the Ingalls cabin where Charles tends to talk to the girls at night before they go to bed.
As with the first season, the second year of Little House on the Prairie on Blu-ray offers up excellent sounding DTS- HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mixes which more than capably recreate the somewhat limited sonics of the series. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly and some of the sound effects (like carts being horse drawn through the wilderness) are surprisingly vivid. There's no damage of any major import to discuss, and, while narrow, the tracks on the 22 episodes in this set sound just fine, if not particularly amazing.
This second season of Little House on the Prairie sees everyone settling down into a routine—perhaps too much of a routine in some cases, for this season, after all only the second of a series which would go on to chalk up a rather lengthy run, already begins to show some signs of a tiresome repetitive quality. But the better angels of the show —and there are many—far outnumber any niggling issues some may have with this or that episode. This second season provides more than enough heartfelt drama and occasional comedy to satisfy even the hardest of hearts. As with the first season, technical merits continue to be generally very strong, and this second season comes Recommended.
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1974-1975
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1976-1977
Deluxe Remastered Edition
1977-1978
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