7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In booming 1932 Los Angeles, a down-and-out defense attorney takes on the case of a lifetime.
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Tatiana Maslany, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, John LithgowCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
To some longtime fans of Perry Mason in what is probably the character's best known presentation (the CBS series with Raymond Burr), aspects like the story of this HBO production being set in the 1930s or the fact that Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys) isn’t even an attorney for much of the tale, and is instead a troubled World War I veteran with a drinking problem who manages to scrape together a living as a kind of Dashiell Hammett-esque private eye, might matter less on a visceral level than what some of these fans may feel is a more glaring departure from perceived canon: the lack of Fred Steiner’s memorable, maybe even iconic, theme for the long running Raymond Burr version that was a broadcast network staple from 1957 until 1966. Steiner’s percolating theme, one he’s called “symphonic R&B”, and one which bears the official title of Park Avenue Beat, remains one of the most recognizable signature tunes from the Golden Era of television credits underscoring, and it instantly set the tone (no pun intended) for the Burr series’ at least initial combo platter of smooth urban suavity and more of a gritty noir undercurrent. Terence Blanchard, who is in charge of this HBO series’ understandably jazzy score, does pay homage to Steiner’s theme, but as more of a both figurative and literal coda of sorts. That perhaps problematic omission aside, there is certainly a glut of other changes to what might be called the "expected" treatment of the Mason mythos, but perhaps surprisingly, the changes are often quite interesting and even effective, even if for those who either loved the Burr series or even the original Erle Stanley Gardner novels which gave birth to it, this may not qualify as "real" Perry Mason material.
Perry Mason: The Complete First Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.00:1. Kind of interestingly, and perhaps instructively, the pull quote featured prominently on the back cover of this release touts how "beautiful" the production is, without addressing any of the changes made to the Gardner concept or even the basic story. This is a gorgeous looking series, though, however "gritty" some of the presentational aspects may be. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta Venice, a camera model I don't think I've run across before, but there's no info on the resolution of the DI. I frankly wouldn't be surprised if this was a 4K DI, as fine detail is typically excellent across the board, with the possible exception of some of the darkest material. There's a really nicely burnished appearance to the imagery which is probably even further enhanced by some backlighting choices which tend to bathe the frame in a kind of reflected glow. Grading choices are utilized but don't materially affect detail levels. The production design of this series is one of its strongest assets, and this high definition presentation supports the period aesthetic extremely well. I noticed no compression anomalies.
Perry Mason: The Complete First Season features a well wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, with an understanding that there are regular dialogue scenes in every episode where surround activity can ebb intermittently. Some of the outdoor material, including everything from scenes at the Mason farm to some of the urban Los Angeles sequences, feature nicely placed ambient environmental effects. Terence Blanchard's jazzy score also resides in the side and rear channels regularly. Dialogue is offered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track. Optional subtitles in a variety of languages are available.
Disc One
I'll close this review with a couple of sidebars which may be of interest to some. For those who love Fred Steiner's theme for the Burr series as much as I do, and who may not be aware, Steiner was the father of singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman, who had a number of seriously great releases on Warner in the 1970s which I highly recommend, but who may be best known to the public at large as one of the co-writers of Vanessa Williams' huge hit "Save the Best for Last" (Maria Muldaur fans may also recognize her name as the writer of "Mad Mad Me"). On another note (pun unavoidable), just by chance author Jack El-Hai, whom I know courtesy of the intersection of his fantastic biography of the infamous Dr. Walter Freeman called The Lobotomist with my own research into the real history of Frances Farmer, just published an absolutely fascinating article in The Smithsonian about a real life murder investigation undertaken by Mason scribe Erle Stanley Gardner. Those whose interest is piqued can read it here. This may be Perry Mason in name(s) only, but it's often very effective with good performances and an impeccable production design. Technical merits are solid, and Perry Mason: The Complete First Season comes Recommended.
2016
2011
2019
1979
2009
2007
1990
2007
2017
1981
2014
2014
2011
2020
2017
Warner Archive Collection
1981
2004
1966
1954
1990