Mad Men: The Complete Collection [Region 1]

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Still, ‘Mad Men’s’ second season is compulsively watchable (and makes way for its even crazier third season), beautifully photographed, expertly written (largely by series creator Matthew Weiner, a ‘Sopranos’ vet), and wonderfully acted. It’s now that I’ll say that when I started watching the show, in preparation for this review, I was afraid it would be all machismo swagger, a kind of period ‘Entourage.’ I’m sure others fear this too. But what I was so impressed by, from the very beginning of season one, was that the women characters are the most fully fleshed out and interesting, particularly Joan and Peggy. While the show may be called ‘Mad Men,’ it’s the women that keep you watching. From the first episode through the final credits of the season, ‘Mad Men’s colors are naturally saturated, contrast is comfortable and strong, and shadows are deep and well-delineated. The series’ warm palette holds up exceedingly well in spite of a variety of interior and exterior lighting schemes, allowing the characters’ yellow-hued homes to look every bit as good as the firm’s brightly lit offices. Detail has also been painstakingly preserved, imbuing the picture with crisp edges, clean patterns, and sharp textures. I continually marveled at the depth of the image and found myself entranced by everything from the creases in the firm’s leather chairs to the stitches and pinstripes in Draper’s suit coats. While a few random shots look a tad soft compared to the majority of scenes in the show, Lionsgate’s BD transfer really highlights the series’ critically acclaimed research, set design, and period accuracy. The Final Season Part 1 - Audio Commentaries, Technology: 1969, Gay Rights, The Best Things in Life Are Free, Gay Power, Trial of the Chicago Eight Part 1 and Trial of the Chicago Eight Part 2. Mad Men' is one of the best television shows to ever be released. It's attention to period details, the amazing characters, the writing, the music, the whiskey, the cigarettes, all of the retro set pieces, truly showed what a milestone in television 'Mad Men' is. These final seven episodes arenot to be missed. Pictures of Elegance -- This multi-layered HD photo gallery is divided into nine sections that include shots of the shoot, cast and crew, costumes, sets, advertising campaigns, and more.

Mad Men: Season One Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest Mad Men: Season One Blu-ray Review | High Def Digest

Advertising the American Dream (HD, 20 minutes) -- This marketing featurette explores the many ways American advertising has evolved over the decades. It digs into the early beginnings of product propaganda ushered in by the execs and firms of the early ‘60s and looks at their influence on modern materialism, culture, and merchandizing. There aren’t any technical issues, either. There is a fine layer of grain, however, which actually adds some authenticity to the show, and in a way adds to the period detail. Season Four - Audio Commentaries, Marketing the Mustang: An American Icon, Divorce: Circa 1960 Part 1, Divorce: Circa 1960 Part 2, How to Succeed in Business Draper Style and 1964 Presidential Campaign. An Era of Style (HD, 21:44) This is a historical overview of the fashion styles of the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s (“one of the most important times in fashion history,” says the show’s costume designer). It’s just as snappy as the feminist documentary, with a lot less heft. Still, it’s a lot of fun to watch (and anyone who loves the show, should) and a great little doc, but could have done with a longer running time. Season Five - Audio Commentary, Mad Men Say the Darndest Things, What Shall I Love If Not the Enigma?, The Party of the Century, Scoring Mad Men: Themes of Season Five, Scoring Mad Men: Inside a Session and The Uniform Time Act of 1966.Earth Day 1970 (HD, 3 Mins.) - This focuses on the start of the movement that wanted to make the planet better, ecologically. The series finale, which has been widely discussed almost as much as the finale of ' The Sopranos', leaves us with an image of Don Draper that seems to tell us that this character has been met with as much success as he's had failures, but he has finally found his place in the world, and who he really is, which is followed by one of the most famous ads to ever come out. There have been a ton of theories on how fans and critics should interpret this, but I'm guessing that the true fans of the show know the true outcome, which is a good one. Audio Commentaries - There are seven audio commentaries, all with Matthew Weiner and another cast or crew member, including Jon Hamm. All of these commentaries are a must-listen if you're a fan of the show. Weiner and crew discuss most of the information, ranging from the characters, to the storylines, to bringing the show to a close. It's fantastic.

Mad Men: The Final Season, Part 2 Blu-ray Review | High Def Mad Men: The Final Season, Part 2 Blu-ray Review | High Def

Still, ‘Mad Men’ works overwhelmingly well as a remarkably-detailed period drama, a fascinating glimpse into the birth of modern corporate culture, and a tragic study of manipulation and greed. I can’t guarantee everyone in TV land will enjoy its slow pace and niche subject matter, but I can definitely say it deserves all the attention and accolades it has received over the last year. Set in the amoral arena of advertising executives in the early ‘60s, ‘Mad Men’ focuses its eye on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a junior partner at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency who has become extremely successful at wooing the firm’s toughest clients with brilliant, revolutionary ad campaigns. His good friend and direct manager, Roger Sterling (John Slattery), has big plans for Don and readily embraces his thoughts and vision for the company. However, Don doesn’t have it as easy as his colleagues assume. He has to contend with a young office upstart named Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), a psychologically troubled wife (January Jones), a feisty mistress (Rosemarie DeWitt), and the truth of his own secretive past. Birth of An Independent Woman (HD, 43:09) This is, bar none, the highlight of the entire set, special features-wise. It’s a really wonderful, two-part documentary examining the roles of women in the world, before and during the period that ‘Mad Men’ is set. Occasionally they try to shoehorn the show into conversation in weird ways (“You wanted to be called Mrs. Draper,” one feminist theorist says), but man, this is a snappily edited, intellectually stimulating, and 100 percent engaging documentary, drawing from a number of leading feminist organizers, professors and theorists. If you don’t think that ‘Mad Men’ is one of the most smartly feminist shows on television (it has one of the most female-heavy writing staffs on television), then this should clear that right up. Essential. Part of what makes ‘Mad Men’ such a fun watch is the period detail. Here, with the set’s sublime MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer (aspect ratio: a cinematic 1.78:1), this detail has never looked better. It was a perfect send off for this character as Don was always mysterious to us, and still remains a mystery in those final moments in the commune on the mountain, but it was in those final moments where we finally see the real Don Draper. As for the rest of the excellent cast of characters who we have followed through the years, we get to see them push forward in their lives with a slight amount of joy and goodness, which if any of you have seen the show, was not always the case.

Sound Quality

Directors: Phil Abraham , Michael Uppendahl , Jennifer Getzinger , Matthew Weiner , Scott Hornbacher , Lesli Linka Glatter For those of you who live in some kind of subterranean lair (or reside in an orbiting space shuttle), let me recap the basics of AMC’s award-winning series ‘Mad Men:’ The show takes place in the early 1960’s in an ad agency in New York. Our main character is creative director Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Draper has a beautiful wife (January Jones), a couple of cute little kids, and a kind of wizardly ability to come up with the perfect way to sell a product, no matter how bland it may be. Mad Men: The Final Season Part II' comes with an excellent 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. If you've seen the previous seasons, then you know just how great this video presentations look, and this one is no different. Detail is very sharp and vivid throughout with excellent closeups that showcase the amazing textures in that 60s/70s clothing and furniture.

Mad Men: The Complete Collection review - The Guardian Mad Men: The Complete Collection review - The Guardian

Widely labelled as one of the greatest television series of all time, Mad Men is an unmissable piece of live-action American period drama. Assemble your Mad Men collection There are two main dramatic thrusts at work in ‘Mad Men’ (at least at this point, in season two): One, will Don Draper ever get his shit together, stop cheating on his wife, and open up about his mysterious past? (Spoiler alert: his real name is not Don Draper.) Two, how will our characters and their lives buttress and collide with the tumultuous historical events swirling around this period. The two complement each others in certain ways, and the show always walks a fine line in terms of what it’s telling us (about history, about the characters) and what it’s keeping from us. Mad Men has garnered intense critical acclaim, becoming a multi-award-winning series and sustaining a massive 7 seasons across its time on air. With its impressive collection of Emmys and Golden Globes, this incredible show has cemented its place as one of the all-time greats of the late 2000s, alongside such hits as Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead - a bold but supported claim.Presenting a historically authentic rendition of the 1960s, Mad Men provides insight into the developing social mood of the United States throughout this time period. Presenting an ego-driven world of clashing personalities, there is a whole assortment of dramatisation and well-acted scenes for you to sink your teeth into. An award-winning sensation Establishing Mad Men (HD, 62 minutes) -- If eighteen hours of commentaries aren’t enough to satiate your supplemental appetite, then cast your eyes upon this meticulous, high-def look behind-the-scenes. Covering the writing of the first episode through the careful design of each set and costume. Plenty of interviews are included and the cameras are granted a rather revealing glimpse of the production team pulling together each episode of the show. This is a must watch for any ‘Mad Men’ fan and should probably be viewed before breeching the show’s commentaries.