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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“7th Heaven-Sesaon
1”
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.33:1 Full
screen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 2.0 (stereo) |
| Languages |
English,
French |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
Approximately
965 minutes |
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
9/14/04
|
| Studio |
Paramount
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Stephen Collins,
Catherine Hicks, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Jessica Biel
|
| Written
By: |
Brenda Hampton,
Elaine Arata, Christopher Bird |
| Produced
By: |
Brenda Hampton
|
| Directed
By: |
Stephen Collins,
Karen Arthur, Bradley M. Gross |
| Music:
|
Dan Foliart |
| The
Review: |
Heartwarming drama during the 90’s
meant one of two things; instant death due to insulin shock
or well meaning equals boring equals instant ratings death.
Either way, you were doomed from the start. Then along came
“7th Heaven”. After Hollywood had done quirky to death, conspiracies,
paranoia, murder mysteries and monsters it was time to return
to topical dramas like this one. Eric Camden (Stephen Collins
of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”) who either loves kids
or suffers from insanity (or both) as he and his wife Annie
(Catherine Hicks of “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”—hmmm,
I’m beginning to see a link here) have five children ranging
in age from 16 to 5. Oh and I forgot to mention the dog. Where
else could you name a dog Happy without a sense of cruel irony?
The series deals with a number
of topical issues and interesting story arcs ranging from
racism to the suddenness of death. “7th Heaven does it all
without a smirk, wink or a trace of post-ironic cynicism.
It’s damn refreshing. Although “7th Heaven” leans a little
too much on the side of easy resolutions and pat solutions,
the series manages to tackle all of these complex subjects
with intelligence and humor. ---
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| Image
and Sound: |
The image
quality will make you feel like you’ve arrived at the Pearly
Gates. The sharp, crisp images feature nice texture and color
reproduction. While the image could benefit from a high definition
transfer, on the whole, it looks terrific for a boxed set. The
audio although it isn’t presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround,
has tremendous presence and the dialogue can be heard with a
clarity that other sets would envy. Although it doesn’t have
the aforementioned 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround soundtrack, the
series probably wouldn’t benefit from it significantly because
it’s not an action show. |
| The
Extras: |
If this
were the end of the world and only one boxed set were to survive
the inferno (or ice depending upon which side of the equation
you fall or if you like Robert Frost), they’d believe that
“7th Heaven” would represent real life. Why? There’s no special
features to distinguish this from a “reality” program (I use
the term very loosely here folks). Besides, after you die
and some alien civilization (or perhaps our ancestors with
disembodied brains floating around) should find this, the
last representative of our civilization, wouldn’t you want
them to know the behind-the-scenes stories behind this series?
---
|
| Commentary:
|
Just because
God is silent doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Clearly the stars
went in for a commentary track on the episodes included but
the studio decided to muzzle them for fear that they might offend
their audience. Or maybe they didn’t have the budget to do a
commentary track or were contractually prevented from doing
so. I like the first explanation as it has a whiff of paranoia
and conspiracy something not seen in this show. --- |
| Final
Words: |
A sturdy,
well written dramatic series that tackles issues with humor
and intelligence, “7th Heaven” doesn’t really get the critic
appreciation it should simply because it’s missing a gimmick.
That’s OK, great television doesn’t have to have a gimmick but
the ratings might go through the roof if Captain Kirk (William
Shatner natch) made a guest appearance as Eric’s long lost commanding
officer from his years in the Navy. Oh, and so we can have more
conflict we should point out that he courted Annie prior to
Eric and Annie meeting. Then all would be well in the “7th Heaven”
and “Star Trek” universe. |
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