A special treat for those of you who caught the first season of Mad Men on BBC4 recently.
The first season of this award-winning drama took us into the world of 1960s ad men with a look into not only how they came up with ideas and pitched for work but also how they conducted themselves in the office and at home. It "evolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the biggest ad man (and ladies man) in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. As Don makes the plays in the boardroom and the bedroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960s traditional family values."
It's a stunning series, beautifully acted, superbly written with a fantastic ensemble cast and production design that has real attention to detail. If you managed to catch it on BBCHD you'll know what I mean about the production values because the the HD format brings the colour and detail to vivid life. It's one of the best television dramas to appear in a long time and is highly recommended.
Mad Men Season 1 is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD and I'll be looking at that very soon with a full review. I've watched the first two episodes on the Blu-Ray and the quality is stunning and I would offer it as an example of why you should be watching films and television in High Definition because this set shows the format off to its best. The episodes all have commentaries and I've listened to two so far. They are a little dry to those of us used to ensemble commentaries featuring programme makers and actors discussing the work together. More later on that Blu Ray set.
S P O I L E R S
A H E A D
The second season premiered last Sunday in America on the 27th July (don't know if and when BBC4 will pick this season up in the UK) with 'For Those Who Think Young' and thanks to the series' AMC website you can see the premier via streaming video in four 15 minute segments. Here's the opening segment:
To pick up the rest of the episode go to Mad Men Season 2 Premier
Technorati Tags:
Cathode Ray Tube Mad Men Season 2 Episode One AMC
Director General
- Frank Collins
- Freelance writer and film and television researcher (for hire). He has contributed to a number of DVD and Blu-ray releases, magazines, books and websites about archive television and cinema including work for Moviemail, Frame Rated, Arrow Video and Indicator. Publications include The Black Archives #62: Kinda (2022) and #31: Warriors' Gate (2019), I.B Tauris's 'Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour - A Critical Celebration of the Matt Smith and Steven Moffat Era' (2013) and 'Doctor Who - The Pandorica Opens' (2010).
The Book(s) What I Wrote
"Merits attention from Doctor Who fans interested in the development of a script by going deep into the story’s genesis and shifts in tone, and the infamous production difficulties which plagued it. The glimpses of Steve Gallagher’s original scripts are fascinating, as are the changes made to them by seemingly everyone from directors to producers to cast members." We Are Cult. 17 June 2019.
"Whether you’re a fan of the show under Moffat or not, it offers an intriguing, insightful look at all aspects of the series" 7/10 - Starburst, January 2014
"A worthy addition to serious texts on Doctor Who" - Doctor Who Magazine 431, February 2011
"an impressive work, imbued with so much analytical love and passion, and is an absolute must-read for any fan" N. Blake - Amazon 4/5 stars
"...mixes the intellectual and the emotional very well...it's proper media criticism" 9/10 - The Medium Is Not Enough
"... an up-to-date guide that isn’t afraid to shy away from the more controversial aspects of the series" 8/10 - Total SciFi Online
"...well-informed new angles on familiar episodes... this is a great read from start to finish" - Bertie Fox - Amazon 4/5 stars
"Frank Collins has produced a book that is fiercely idiosyncratic, displays a wide-ranging intellect the size of a planet, but which is also endearingly open and inclusive in its desire to share its expansive knowledge..." 4/5 - Horrorview.com
"The book is great! It makes you think, it makes you work. It encourages you to go back and watch the series with a whole new perspective..." - G.R. Bundy's Blog: Telly Stuff And Things
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