This box set is an absolute monster...
Disc 3: Treasure of the Peacock´s Eye & Special Features
Disc three is the third disc and third consecutive platter that features both the full ninety minute film and the related supplements. However, unlike the first two discs, only three supplements are provided. The first, Bronislav Malinowski: God Professor (29:34) looks at the Polish professor who spent much of his time as an anthropologist who detailed the people of New Guinea. Malinowski is given credit for laying down the groundwork of modern anthropological techniques of studying culture and while this feature may feel dry, it is informative. For those unfamiliar with what the field of anthropology pertains to, Anthropology: Looking at the Human Condition (23:49) gives an ´fresh´ educational lesson on what anthropology is all about and begins by introducing an anthropologist who studies Latinos, low riders and does his studies in Texas. Essentially, an anthropologist studies people and this is a half an hour about modern day scientists and the people they study. New Guinea: Paradise in Peril (25:05) returns to the land studied by Malinowski to provide some very nice information on Australia´s neighbor.
Disc 4: The Winds of Change
Disc 5: The Winds of Change Special Features
Viewers may find themselves getting a break with Disc 4, which contains only the ninety minute film "Winds of Change," but the features are provided on a second platter, Disc 5, and there are six documentaries that are associated with the fourth film contained in Volume 3. The first, The Best Intentions: The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles (33:14) spends just over a half an hour looking at the gathering and treaty that ended the First World War in 1919. This documentary gives a very brief overview of the first war and the events that transpired to end the war and the repercussions against Germany and those responsible for the travesties of the war. Woodrow Wilson is just one of many famous people encountered by Indiana Jones and Woodrow Wilson: American Idealist (28:4) spends time looking at the American President who served as the Presiding during World War I. This is another quality documentary and ties in nicely with the first doc on the disc.
Four more documentaries on Disc 5 center around other famous persons. Gertrude Bell: Iraq´s Uncrowned Queen (33:07) touches on the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein before moving on to discuss Bell´s occupation of Iraq at the end of World War I. Ho Chi Minh: The Price of Freedom (31:01), the Vietnamese ruler who lived in America and Britain during the early 1900s. This feature touches nicely on the Vietnamese ruler and his legacy. Paul Robeson: Scandalize My Name (32:32) was an Ivy League educated lawyer, actor, singer and all American athlete that Indiana encountered during his travels and Robeson was known as one of the legendary bass vocalists in American history. James Earl Jones talks about Robeson and this is a good feature. This documentary-only disc ends with Robert Goddard: Mr. Rocket Science (31:35). Goddard is the man who pioneered liquid-fueled rocketry and anybody interested in space travel will love this feature.
Disc 6: Mystery of the Blues
Please note this disc contains the only appearance of Harrison Ford throughout the entire three volumes of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" and that the actor appears in ´bookends´ as a fifty year old Henry Jones, Jr.
Disc 7: Mystery of the Blues Special Features
"Mystery of the Blues" is the second film that is spread out over two platters with its supplements on a second disc. There are seven documentaries related to the film. The background subject matter on this film was music and crime and the documentaries look at the music and the crime during the times of the Blues. Jazz: Rhythm of Freedom (31:54) looks at the beginnings of the American music known as Jazz and its status as the ´music of the people.´ This documentary spends a nice balance of time talking about the musicians and the music and its beginnings as a self expression for freedom.
The disc takes a break from music and looks at crime during the rise of Jazz. Al ´Scarface´ Capone: The Original Gangster (27:55) looks more at the times of the Twenties and Chicago and not at the music as a biographical documentary on the legendary racqueteer, pimp, bootlegger and gangster is highlighted and his six years of rule over Chicago. Prohibition: American on the Rocks (32:44) discusses a time in American when alcohol was illegal. I found this to be quite interesting and felt the need to enjoy a Guinness while watching it. The final documentary to deal with Capone and Prohibition was centered on the law and On the Trail of Eliot Ness (29:20) spends time looking at the leader of the ´Untouchables´ and agent Eliot Ness. This is a fine companion piece to the first two features and between the three of them; they make an excellent hour and a half education on Chicago´s ´Crime Land´ during the late 1920s.
The special features return to music with Louis Armstrong: Ambassador of Jazz (31:54). The disc could have flowed a little better had this feature been set alongside the first documentary. Regardless, this look at Armstrong is very nicely done and provides another angle on Jazz music and the impact it has had on American and one of the true legends of Jazz music. Many consider Armstrong the father of Jazz and place his name as synonymous with the musical genre. Ben Hecht: The Shakespeare of Hollywood (31:16) again touches on crime, but through the eyes of Ben Hecht, a reporter who covered the crime and went on to become a screenwriter and playwright that became very respected by Hollywood, but held a disdain for the motion picture industry. The final feature on the disc, Hellfighters: Harlem´s Heroes of World War One (29:15) felt somewhat disconnected with the other documentaries on the disc, but Jazz music is associated with African Americans and this is a nice look at the African American involvement during World War I.
Disc 8: Scandal of 1920 & Special Features
The collection returns to possessing both film and supplements on one disc and "Scandal of 1920" contains just three documentaries. This was one of the films I did not watch during my review of the box set, but I found the supplements interesting none-the-less. Tin Pan Alley: Soundtrack of America (31:15) begins with a little baseball, but centers itself around the music of New York City during the late 1800s and ranging into the 1930s. This look at vintage American popular music is quite interesting and it took hours to get "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" out of my head. Wonderful Nonsense: The Algonquin Round Table (26:00) looks further into New York City in the 1920s and showed some very interesting footage of the Big Apple from the times. The third and final feature of the disc is Broadway: America Center Stage (29:58) and looks at the New York Theater district in 1927 and beyond. This was a very nice overview of the Golden Age of Broadway and it truly must have been amazing during that period of time.
Disc 9: Hollywood Follies & Special Features
The ninth disc of Volume 3 contains the episode "Hollywood Follies" and four documentaries that deal with Indiana Jones´ time in Hollywood. Eric von Stroheim: The Profligate Genius (32:50) is a biographical piece about the Austrian actor and director who was known for his tremendous ego and considerable talent. This nice documentary discusses not only Stroheim, but the actors and stories of Hollywood´s silent era. The second documentary, The Rise of the Moguls: The Men Who Built Hollywood (25:38) takes a look at the evolution of Tinsel Town during the 1930s. This documentary talks about the studio system and the heads of the studios that made Hollywood the entertainment powerhouse that it is today. The documentary also discusses Thomas Edison´s projector and a brief history of the movie industry beyond the basic scope of the documentary.
The second two features are related to the second half of "Hollywood Follies" that pertains to Indiana´s work with director John Ford and Wild West legend Wyatt Earp. Irving Thalberg: Hollywood´s Boy Wonder (32:30) talks about Irving G. Thalberg, the man responsible for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science award for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Thalberg directed a number of films for MGM during the ´sound explosion´ of the Thirties. The final supplement on this ninth disc is titled The World of John Ford (33:19) and focuses on legendary John Ford who was best known for his works with Hollywood heavyweight John Wayne and his adaptation of John Steinbeck´s "The Grapes of Wrath." This is a top quality documentary and one of my favorites of the box set.
Disc 10: Interactive Bonus Disc
The tenth and final disc is intended to be used with a Windows-based PC or Macintosh computer and features the following features:
• Interactive Timeline
• Historical Lecture – New Goals for Old
• Hunting for Treasure Interactive Game
Video:
In 2002, Rick McCallum announced that "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones." It took five years for the series to find its way to DVD and part of the reason was that Lucasfilm had given the series a visual touch up by remastering the picture quality of the original 16mm prints. Presented in 4:3 full frame video, the episodes contained in this disc (and the previous volumes) look good enough for a DVD release of a television series, but they hardly turn heads in an age where high definition has been around for a couple of years. The colors look slightly aged and muted and detail is slightly above average at times. I was more than pleased by how clean the prints used were and the steady nature of the transfer. The nine DVDs look good and both the episodes and the supplements are generally of the same quality, although the stock and historical footage of the documentaries can look quite dated. This is certainly a collection where content easily trumps the visuals and that is where I will leave the discussion of the video for this third volume of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones."
Audio:
The sound too was given an upgrade during the mastering process that occurred between 2002 and 2007. It can be said that the sound is clean and the jazz featured during "Mystery of the Blues," but the Dolby Digital Stereo mix is another example where it is clean but will never take ones breath away. Sound effects nicely pan from the left to right channel and vice versa. Dialogue is clean and intelligible and often nicely anchored to provide directional reference to the location of the character on-screen. Music was provided by Laurence Rosenthal and Joel McNeely, but the score will hardly replace the ever-familiar music of John Williams from the theatrical films. The music does have nice presence, but is certainly hindered by the fact that only the left and right channels are used. Ambient sounds are aplenty and provide nice depth to the two active channels. While I can certainly say I would have loved surround sound, the story and history lessons are what counts with this box set and the ´old´ technology can be looked over without feeling too guilty. English subtitles are also provided.
Closing:
This box set is an absolute monster when it comes to the amount of supplemental material in regards to the main content. There is roughly eleven hours of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones," but at least fifteen to twenty hours of bonus materials. Lucas intended these DVD volumes to serve as educational tools that could be educational and entertaining. He succeeded. After spending nearly two weeks of time fitting these episodes and history lessons into my schedule, I still do not feel as if I´ve had enough of "Young Indiana Jones" and will try and watch the remaining episodes and finish up any of the history lessons I only briefly scanned to write this review. The stories are nicely written and the documentaries are pertinent to the stories and quite interesting. Maybe my time of finally digging into one of these volumes will prompt me to discover the first two volumes. These are excellent box sets that should be a wonderful purchase for any fan of the series or of the character Indiana Jones. The sound and video is average for a television show and isn´t a selling point, but this is one of those situations where sound and video just doesn´t matter.
Disc three is the third disc and third consecutive platter that features both the full ninety minute film and the related supplements. However, unlike the first two discs, only three supplements are provided. The first, Bronislav Malinowski: God Professor (29:34) looks at the Polish professor who spent much of his time as an anthropologist who detailed the people of New Guinea. Malinowski is given credit for laying down the groundwork of modern anthropological techniques of studying culture and while this feature may feel dry, it is informative. For those unfamiliar with what the field of anthropology pertains to, Anthropology: Looking at the Human Condition (23:49) gives an ´fresh´ educational lesson on what anthropology is all about and begins by introducing an anthropologist who studies Latinos, low riders and does his studies in Texas. Essentially, an anthropologist studies people and this is a half an hour about modern day scientists and the people they study. New Guinea: Paradise in Peril (25:05) returns to the land studied by Malinowski to provide some very nice information on Australia´s neighbor.
Disc 4: The Winds of Change
Disc 5: The Winds of Change Special Features
Viewers may find themselves getting a break with Disc 4, which contains only the ninety minute film "Winds of Change," but the features are provided on a second platter, Disc 5, and there are six documentaries that are associated with the fourth film contained in Volume 3. The first, The Best Intentions: The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles (33:14) spends just over a half an hour looking at the gathering and treaty that ended the First World War in 1919. This documentary gives a very brief overview of the first war and the events that transpired to end the war and the repercussions against Germany and those responsible for the travesties of the war. Woodrow Wilson is just one of many famous people encountered by Indiana Jones and Woodrow Wilson: American Idealist (28:4) spends time looking at the American President who served as the Presiding during World War I. This is another quality documentary and ties in nicely with the first doc on the disc.
Four more documentaries on Disc 5 center around other famous persons. Gertrude Bell: Iraq´s Uncrowned Queen (33:07) touches on the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein before moving on to discuss Bell´s occupation of Iraq at the end of World War I. Ho Chi Minh: The Price of Freedom (31:01), the Vietnamese ruler who lived in America and Britain during the early 1900s. This feature touches nicely on the Vietnamese ruler and his legacy. Paul Robeson: Scandalize My Name (32:32) was an Ivy League educated lawyer, actor, singer and all American athlete that Indiana encountered during his travels and Robeson was known as one of the legendary bass vocalists in American history. James Earl Jones talks about Robeson and this is a good feature. This documentary-only disc ends with Robert Goddard: Mr. Rocket Science (31:35). Goddard is the man who pioneered liquid-fueled rocketry and anybody interested in space travel will love this feature.
Disc 6: Mystery of the Blues
Please note this disc contains the only appearance of Harrison Ford throughout the entire three volumes of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" and that the actor appears in ´bookends´ as a fifty year old Henry Jones, Jr.
Disc 7: Mystery of the Blues Special Features
"Mystery of the Blues" is the second film that is spread out over two platters with its supplements on a second disc. There are seven documentaries related to the film. The background subject matter on this film was music and crime and the documentaries look at the music and the crime during the times of the Blues. Jazz: Rhythm of Freedom (31:54) looks at the beginnings of the American music known as Jazz and its status as the ´music of the people.´ This documentary spends a nice balance of time talking about the musicians and the music and its beginnings as a self expression for freedom.
The disc takes a break from music and looks at crime during the rise of Jazz. Al ´Scarface´ Capone: The Original Gangster (27:55) looks more at the times of the Twenties and Chicago and not at the music as a biographical documentary on the legendary racqueteer, pimp, bootlegger and gangster is highlighted and his six years of rule over Chicago. Prohibition: American on the Rocks (32:44) discusses a time in American when alcohol was illegal. I found this to be quite interesting and felt the need to enjoy a Guinness while watching it. The final documentary to deal with Capone and Prohibition was centered on the law and On the Trail of Eliot Ness (29:20) spends time looking at the leader of the ´Untouchables´ and agent Eliot Ness. This is a fine companion piece to the first two features and between the three of them; they make an excellent hour and a half education on Chicago´s ´Crime Land´ during the late 1920s.
The special features return to music with Louis Armstrong: Ambassador of Jazz (31:54). The disc could have flowed a little better had this feature been set alongside the first documentary. Regardless, this look at Armstrong is very nicely done and provides another angle on Jazz music and the impact it has had on American and one of the true legends of Jazz music. Many consider Armstrong the father of Jazz and place his name as synonymous with the musical genre. Ben Hecht: The Shakespeare of Hollywood (31:16) again touches on crime, but through the eyes of Ben Hecht, a reporter who covered the crime and went on to become a screenwriter and playwright that became very respected by Hollywood, but held a disdain for the motion picture industry. The final feature on the disc, Hellfighters: Harlem´s Heroes of World War One (29:15) felt somewhat disconnected with the other documentaries on the disc, but Jazz music is associated with African Americans and this is a nice look at the African American involvement during World War I.
Disc 8: Scandal of 1920 & Special Features
The collection returns to possessing both film and supplements on one disc and "Scandal of 1920" contains just three documentaries. This was one of the films I did not watch during my review of the box set, but I found the supplements interesting none-the-less. Tin Pan Alley: Soundtrack of America (31:15) begins with a little baseball, but centers itself around the music of New York City during the late 1800s and ranging into the 1930s. This look at vintage American popular music is quite interesting and it took hours to get "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" out of my head. Wonderful Nonsense: The Algonquin Round Table (26:00) looks further into New York City in the 1920s and showed some very interesting footage of the Big Apple from the times. The third and final feature of the disc is Broadway: America Center Stage (29:58) and looks at the New York Theater district in 1927 and beyond. This was a very nice overview of the Golden Age of Broadway and it truly must have been amazing during that period of time.
Disc 9: Hollywood Follies & Special Features
The ninth disc of Volume 3 contains the episode "Hollywood Follies" and four documentaries that deal with Indiana Jones´ time in Hollywood. Eric von Stroheim: The Profligate Genius (32:50) is a biographical piece about the Austrian actor and director who was known for his tremendous ego and considerable talent. This nice documentary discusses not only Stroheim, but the actors and stories of Hollywood´s silent era. The second documentary, The Rise of the Moguls: The Men Who Built Hollywood (25:38) takes a look at the evolution of Tinsel Town during the 1930s. This documentary talks about the studio system and the heads of the studios that made Hollywood the entertainment powerhouse that it is today. The documentary also discusses Thomas Edison´s projector and a brief history of the movie industry beyond the basic scope of the documentary.
The second two features are related to the second half of "Hollywood Follies" that pertains to Indiana´s work with director John Ford and Wild West legend Wyatt Earp. Irving Thalberg: Hollywood´s Boy Wonder (32:30) talks about Irving G. Thalberg, the man responsible for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science award for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Thalberg directed a number of films for MGM during the ´sound explosion´ of the Thirties. The final supplement on this ninth disc is titled The World of John Ford (33:19) and focuses on legendary John Ford who was best known for his works with Hollywood heavyweight John Wayne and his adaptation of John Steinbeck´s "The Grapes of Wrath." This is a top quality documentary and one of my favorites of the box set.
Disc 10: Interactive Bonus Disc
The tenth and final disc is intended to be used with a Windows-based PC or Macintosh computer and features the following features:
• Interactive Timeline
• Historical Lecture – New Goals for Old
• Hunting for Treasure Interactive Game
Video:
In 2002, Rick McCallum announced that "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones." It took five years for the series to find its way to DVD and part of the reason was that Lucasfilm had given the series a visual touch up by remastering the picture quality of the original 16mm prints. Presented in 4:3 full frame video, the episodes contained in this disc (and the previous volumes) look good enough for a DVD release of a television series, but they hardly turn heads in an age where high definition has been around for a couple of years. The colors look slightly aged and muted and detail is slightly above average at times. I was more than pleased by how clean the prints used were and the steady nature of the transfer. The nine DVDs look good and both the episodes and the supplements are generally of the same quality, although the stock and historical footage of the documentaries can look quite dated. This is certainly a collection where content easily trumps the visuals and that is where I will leave the discussion of the video for this third volume of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones."
Audio:
The sound too was given an upgrade during the mastering process that occurred between 2002 and 2007. It can be said that the sound is clean and the jazz featured during "Mystery of the Blues," but the Dolby Digital Stereo mix is another example where it is clean but will never take ones breath away. Sound effects nicely pan from the left to right channel and vice versa. Dialogue is clean and intelligible and often nicely anchored to provide directional reference to the location of the character on-screen. Music was provided by Laurence Rosenthal and Joel McNeely, but the score will hardly replace the ever-familiar music of John Williams from the theatrical films. The music does have nice presence, but is certainly hindered by the fact that only the left and right channels are used. Ambient sounds are aplenty and provide nice depth to the two active channels. While I can certainly say I would have loved surround sound, the story and history lessons are what counts with this box set and the ´old´ technology can be looked over without feeling too guilty. English subtitles are also provided.
Closing:
This box set is an absolute monster when it comes to the amount of supplemental material in regards to the main content. There is roughly eleven hours of "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones," but at least fifteen to twenty hours of bonus materials. Lucas intended these DVD volumes to serve as educational tools that could be educational and entertaining. He succeeded. After spending nearly two weeks of time fitting these episodes and history lessons into my schedule, I still do not feel as if I´ve had enough of "Young Indiana Jones" and will try and watch the remaining episodes and finish up any of the history lessons I only briefly scanned to write this review. The stories are nicely written and the documentaries are pertinent to the stories and quite interesting. Maybe my time of finally digging into one of these volumes will prompt me to discover the first two volumes. These are excellent box sets that should be a wonderful purchase for any fan of the series or of the character Indiana Jones. The sound and video is average for a television show and isn´t a selling point, but this is one of those situations where sound and video just doesn´t matter.
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[release]23048[/release]