As Time Goes By: The Complete Series (1992-2002)
Lionel and Jean
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Buy As Time Goes By: The Complete Series on DVD.
Perhaps the droll British humor of this series makes its stupid sitcom
laugh track palatable, but the truth is that whenever I watch it, I can
tune it out. Geoffrey Palmer and Judi Dench and star in constantly
superior performances as Lionel and Jean, an autumnal couple who meet
and re-kindle their romance after three decades apart. Like any episode of
"Friends" or "Coupling," "As Time Goes By" has fun playing with the
differences between men and women, especially as they get more set in
their ways. Not stodgy at all, the show works just as well for younger
audiences as it does for older audiences -- and how many shows are there
for people over 60? My wife and I watch this nearly every weekend on PBS, and
we received a lovely surprise on our first trip to London; we bumped
into actor Paul Chapman ("Stephen") in a pub. He must have been
surprised and flattered to know that a couple of thirtysomething Yanks
had seen his show several thousand miles away. This new DVD (1997, BBC Video) collects the
seven half-hour episodes from Season Six, during which Jean eases into
her retirement and Alistair and Judy get used to their recent breakup.
The disc also contains cast biographies and trailers.
Other TV shows recently released on DVD include the following:
The Adventures of Jim Bowie: TV Collection (1956, VCI Entertainment)
Scott Forbes starred as the title character, who carries a big knife he
named after himself, in this rather stiff, silly Western series from the
early, tentative days of television. VCI's two-disc set comes with 13
half-hour episodes. Not nearly as engaging as "The Rifleman," which came
only a year or so later.
The Persuaders (1971, A&E Home Video)
A pre-Bond Roger Moore and a post-Some Like It Hot Tony Curtis star as
a pair of playboys who team up to fight crime in this strangely
homoerotic cult series. For some reason they can hardly keep their hands
off of each other. This box set collects 13 episodes on four discs and
includes commentary on the pilot episode by Roger Moore, producer Robert
S. Baker, and executive in charge of production Johnny Goodman, plus
Roger Moore and Tony Curtis biographies and a photo gallery.
Prime Suspect 1 (1991, HBO Video)
Oscar-nominee Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) had perhaps her best role on
this mini-series as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison. HBO has
released the first set in a handsome two-disc box set running about four
hours, but with no extras. Future stars Ralph Fiennes and Tom Wilkinson
appear in small roles.
