If there is one television series on DVD that you plan to get this year, Carnivāle is it.
As viewers will find out as they watch "Carnivāle", the tiniest nuggets of clues are deceptively put out each episode and as the story moves along, each piece of the bigger puzzle becomes clear and how they fit into the overall agenda will slowly but surely become, just as this reviewer found out the hard way, the viewer´s sole obsession. There are stories that interest me and there are stories that truly become a fixation. For me, "Carnivāle" falls into the latter category, prompting me to watch, when my free time permits, at least two but sometime even three episodes a night. Even after finishing three episodes, it is not easy to put the DVDs away for the night without wondering what other wonders will await me in subsequent ones.
Performance-wise, Clancy Brown takes top spot as the troubled minister, followed closely behind by Nick Stahl, Clea DuVall, Patrick Bauchau, Tim DeKay and Michael J. Anderson. In fact, every single character on the show, no matter how small, quirky or sinister they are, produce noteworthy performances all round. It is through the efforts of this outstanding cast that makes the entire premise of the show and the period setting so realistic and believable that the audience can´t help but get immersed in it.
Although the first season of "Carnivāle" is only twelve episodes short, HBO has chosen not to skimp on the video and audio quality of this DVD release and only place two episodes on a single disc, bringing the total disc count to six.
Disc 1: "Milfay", "After the Ball is Over"
Disc 2: "Tipton", "Black Blizzard"
Disc 3: "Babylon", "Pick a Number"
Disc 4: "The River", "Lonnigan, Texas"
Disc 5: "Insomnia", "Hot and Bothered"
Disc 6: "The Day of the Dead", "The Day That Was the Day"
Video:
In keeping with the Dustbowl era setting of the show, the color that you will encounter the most on "Carnivāle" is that of yellow-brown dust. This fact provides the show with a consistent yellowish color scheme. Everything, from the people to the buildings and cars are constantly dusty and grimy, blasted by the ever-blowing sand. Some might say that this is a monotonous way of coloring a show but it is just a constant reminder of the realities of that time. Much like all of HBO´s previous DVD releases, "Carnivāle" provides the audience with a beautiful and sharp video transfer, free of any blemishes or errors. Colors are natural and nicely saturated, without any hint of bleeding. As I do not subscribe to HBO, I have no idea of what aspect ratio that "Carnivāle" is presented in during its original broadcast. Most likely, it is displayed in a pan and scan version. If that is so, then as a big bonus, in this DVD release, "Carnivāle" can be seen in beautiful anamorphic widescreen measuring 1.85:1. Subtitle options include English, Spanish and French.
Audio:
For a dialogue-driven and dramatic show like "Carnivāle", I was pleasantly surprised to find a dynamic use of the surround channels. Other than providing environmental sounds like thunder and swirling winds, there are also instances of explosions and echoes that give the back channels some workout. I listened to the show using the English Dolby Digital 5.1 option and found it to envelope me with an outstanding use of discrete audio components. Dialogue is mainly clear but sometimes, louder than normal background sounds seem to drown it out a little bit. Other audio options include English, Spanish and French Dolby Surround 2.0 tracks.
Extras:
Like most HBO DVD releases, there is always a dearth of bonus features and "Carnivāle" is no exception. Altogether, there are three audio commentaries and one featurette on this 6-DVD set.
Disc 1 contains two of the three audio commentaries, one each on both the episodes on this disc. First, on the pilot episode, "Milfay", director Rodrigo Garcia, series creator Daniel Knauf and executive producer Howard Klein all contribute to the audio commentary. On the second episode "After the Ball is Over", the audio commentary is supplied by director Jeremy Podeswa, Daniel Knauf and Howard Klein. The final audio commentary can be found on Disc 5, for episode 10 titled "Hot and Bothered". It is supplied by again, director Jeremy Podeswa, Daniel Knauf and Howard Klein. Nothing really stands out in these three audio commentaries, just your usual run-of-the-mill information about each episode.
Finally, on Disc 6, you will find the single featurette called "The Making of Carnivāle". First, it features interviews with creator Daniel Knauf and the rest of the cast as they describe the motivations behind the show and also their own characters. Then there are behind-the-scenes look at table readings, location shooting, how the sets were created and the design of the period costumes. This 13-minute feature is quite interesting but all too brief.
Packaging:
I must admit that the packaging for "Carnivāle" is one of the more attractive ones I´ve seen all year. In keeping with the Dustbowl and supernatural theme of the series, the outer slipcase and the multi-disc Digipak foldout unit are both beautifully illustrated with pictures that look like a combination of a old faded photograph and a watercolor painting. The Digipak unit is designed in such a way that the shape resembles an ancient book, which is quite appropriate.
Film Value:
I can´t believe it but here I am again praising practically every new HBO series or show that gets released on DVD. Needless to say, HBO has done it once again and "Carnivāle" is just simply awesome storytelling. I was so tempted to give this series my first "10" rating ever for Film Value. Creator and writer, Daniel Knauf pegged Season One of "Carnivāle" as one of self-discovery for the characters and one that lays the groundwork for a whole new dimension of stories set to air for Season Two next month. If there is one television series on DVD that you plan to get this year, "Carnivāle" is it. Absolutely no question about it. It is pure magic.
Performance-wise, Clancy Brown takes top spot as the troubled minister, followed closely behind by Nick Stahl, Clea DuVall, Patrick Bauchau, Tim DeKay and Michael J. Anderson. In fact, every single character on the show, no matter how small, quirky or sinister they are, produce noteworthy performances all round. It is through the efforts of this outstanding cast that makes the entire premise of the show and the period setting so realistic and believable that the audience can´t help but get immersed in it.
Although the first season of "Carnivāle" is only twelve episodes short, HBO has chosen not to skimp on the video and audio quality of this DVD release and only place two episodes on a single disc, bringing the total disc count to six.
Disc 1: "Milfay", "After the Ball is Over"
Disc 2: "Tipton", "Black Blizzard"
Disc 3: "Babylon", "Pick a Number"
Disc 4: "The River", "Lonnigan, Texas"
Disc 5: "Insomnia", "Hot and Bothered"
Disc 6: "The Day of the Dead", "The Day That Was the Day"
Video:
In keeping with the Dustbowl era setting of the show, the color that you will encounter the most on "Carnivāle" is that of yellow-brown dust. This fact provides the show with a consistent yellowish color scheme. Everything, from the people to the buildings and cars are constantly dusty and grimy, blasted by the ever-blowing sand. Some might say that this is a monotonous way of coloring a show but it is just a constant reminder of the realities of that time. Much like all of HBO´s previous DVD releases, "Carnivāle" provides the audience with a beautiful and sharp video transfer, free of any blemishes or errors. Colors are natural and nicely saturated, without any hint of bleeding. As I do not subscribe to HBO, I have no idea of what aspect ratio that "Carnivāle" is presented in during its original broadcast. Most likely, it is displayed in a pan and scan version. If that is so, then as a big bonus, in this DVD release, "Carnivāle" can be seen in beautiful anamorphic widescreen measuring 1.85:1. Subtitle options include English, Spanish and French.
Audio:
For a dialogue-driven and dramatic show like "Carnivāle", I was pleasantly surprised to find a dynamic use of the surround channels. Other than providing environmental sounds like thunder and swirling winds, there are also instances of explosions and echoes that give the back channels some workout. I listened to the show using the English Dolby Digital 5.1 option and found it to envelope me with an outstanding use of discrete audio components. Dialogue is mainly clear but sometimes, louder than normal background sounds seem to drown it out a little bit. Other audio options include English, Spanish and French Dolby Surround 2.0 tracks.
Extras:
Like most HBO DVD releases, there is always a dearth of bonus features and "Carnivāle" is no exception. Altogether, there are three audio commentaries and one featurette on this 6-DVD set.
Disc 1 contains two of the three audio commentaries, one each on both the episodes on this disc. First, on the pilot episode, "Milfay", director Rodrigo Garcia, series creator Daniel Knauf and executive producer Howard Klein all contribute to the audio commentary. On the second episode "After the Ball is Over", the audio commentary is supplied by director Jeremy Podeswa, Daniel Knauf and Howard Klein. The final audio commentary can be found on Disc 5, for episode 10 titled "Hot and Bothered". It is supplied by again, director Jeremy Podeswa, Daniel Knauf and Howard Klein. Nothing really stands out in these three audio commentaries, just your usual run-of-the-mill information about each episode.
Finally, on Disc 6, you will find the single featurette called "The Making of Carnivāle". First, it features interviews with creator Daniel Knauf and the rest of the cast as they describe the motivations behind the show and also their own characters. Then there are behind-the-scenes look at table readings, location shooting, how the sets were created and the design of the period costumes. This 13-minute feature is quite interesting but all too brief.
Packaging:
I must admit that the packaging for "Carnivāle" is one of the more attractive ones I´ve seen all year. In keeping with the Dustbowl and supernatural theme of the series, the outer slipcase and the multi-disc Digipak foldout unit are both beautifully illustrated with pictures that look like a combination of a old faded photograph and a watercolor painting. The Digipak unit is designed in such a way that the shape resembles an ancient book, which is quite appropriate.
Film Value:
I can´t believe it but here I am again praising practically every new HBO series or show that gets released on DVD. Needless to say, HBO has done it once again and "Carnivāle" is just simply awesome storytelling. I was so tempted to give this series my first "10" rating ever for Film Value. Creator and writer, Daniel Knauf pegged Season One of "Carnivāle" as one of self-discovery for the characters and one that lays the groundwork for a whole new dimension of stories set to air for Season Two next month. If there is one television series on DVD that you plan to get this year, "Carnivāle" is it. Absolutely no question about it. It is pure magic.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]13645[/release]