Customer Reviews

Further Tales of City [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This release consists of two disks. The first features all four episodes of 'Further.' The second, which I have yet to watch all of, contains the extras (those that I have seen are very good).

My only problem with this release is that instead of screening all four episodes uncut, they have released them as a feature length movie.

In Britain 'More' was released on video in the same format. The result was that all the scenes at the start of each episode that had the cast/production credits on screen were cut so I, the viewer, missed out on a number of scenes. I haven't seen the TV version of 'Further' so cannot comment on whether this dvd version has cut some scenes due to the on screen credits or whether they have included these scenes minus the on screen credits. 'More' was released as six episodes back to back. 'Further' should have been released this way as well.

The production is classy although there are a few dodgy shots here and there, such as establishing shots of the ship spoilt by rain drops on the camera lens.

Viewers of 'Tales' and 'More' should enjoy this release. Viewers new to 'Tales of the City' will probably find the characters in 'Further' a bit cold and would be advised to watch the first two mini-series before watching 'Further'.

Its hard to believe that in 2003 the first mini-series will be ten years old. Lets hope it doesn't take ten years to see the last three books developed for televison.

"Further Tales of the City" continues in the fine tradition established by the first two dramatizations of Maupin's works. We can only hope for the last 3 books (and maybe "Maybe the Moon" as well??)

Fortunately, the lion's share of actors from "More Tales of the City" continues into part three. It is critically important that Mary Ann and Anna Madrigal have been played throughout by the same fine actors, and it is a great bonus that Dee Dee has also had one performer. Her look in part three is quite a change from pts. 1-2; this woman has seen great changes in her life, and has weathered them well. The experience shows.

Other important actors (especially Bryan, Michael, and Mother Mucca) continue from part two.

It is amazing how much of the plot of the book, and how much of the actual language, has been able to be incorporated into this new series. The major substantive change was the incorporation of Mother Mucca (who appears only in book 2) and a whole new subplot into Further Tales. The major deletion was the "gay bashing" of Bryan and Michael, and the shifting of the wedding scene. None of this does violence to the original plot, and none will interfere into devoutly-desired future sequels, and they add richnesses of their own.

I am a veteran of many readings of the books, and of frequent viewings of "Tales" and "More Tales", will certainly watch "Further Tales" repeatedly.

Do get this and watch it! And those of you who have produced this gem, please continue the good work!

"Further" is the third filmed adaption in an ongoing series of six books by Armistead Maupin dealing with a cross section of people living in 1970s San Francisco. Part one ran on PBS around 1994. Despite high ratings, there apparently was some protest over the fact that it had sexual themes and some homosexual characters. So PBS decided to put their "member dollars" elsewhere. Too bad, since it's one of the finest mini series done on television. Part one isn't available on DVD due to some rights issues.

Showtime funded production of the second installment ("More Tales..") in the late 90s with most of the same cast , followed by "Further" in 2001. Neither parts two nor three have quite the dazzle of the original, but are still extremely entertaining. It's fun to see Laura Linney's character evolve in this film into a self-assured woman. Giving too many details about the plot would spoil the fun. But it ties up some loose ends from part two and for the character of Mrs. Madrigal, a role that Olympia Dukakis imbues with a wonderful sense of humanity. The subplot of Michael Tolliver involves a star-crossed visit to an actor's home in L.A., modeled after Rock Hudson. Absent from this series are the wretched stereotypes found in so many films with gay subplots. These people are like a cross-section of a community, all nicely drawn and interesting in their own right. Laura Linney and many other cast members seem comfortable with the nudity in the story, which doesn't seem sensationalized. It just fits theme of sexual revolution and the search for self fulfillment that seems to have been part of the late 70s era.

Overall - Highly rated. But make sure you have seen parts one and two first before tackling this third visit to 28 Barbary Lane. This is a series with a strong story most people should enjoy.

Now that I've got your attention, I have to say that I was really worried about purchasing this "Further Tales Of The City" dvd set. It seems that many reviewers were having problems with the two-disc set, where either dvd would skip and freeze. Thankfully, my set didn't do that(whew!), but I have encountered dvds that did, so I can understand the frustration that many reviewers felt with this set.

I'm not going to talk about the plot just what's on the dvds themselves. This edition of FTOTC seems to be the shortest of the three. It runs at about 180 minutes, whereas the previous two ran over 240 minutes each. The set contains two dvds, the first one contains the entire FTOTC show and runs straight through. Unlike the previous series, where each episode ended after an hour, this one plays right through. It's like watching a three-hour movie.

The second dvd, contains all the special features including interviews with Maupin, director Pierre Gang, exec. prod. Suzanne Girard and Alan Poul, and the cast members (Linney, Garrick, Dukakis, et al). Also included are:

*Selected scenes with commentary by Girard, Gang, Burroughs(mother mucca)and Hopkins(michael tolliver)

*Behind the scenes footage

*Alternate scenes w/commentary

*Trailers from Showtime-I think that when it was originally aired, the show was broken into episodes and that's what these trailers represent

*Still shots comparing the look of the characters from the 70s to the 80s

*Cartoon of "Queer Duck"-a funny little cartoon about a gay nurse who happens to be a duck. You can access this by selecting the "Q" on the main menu page

And the running time on dvd #2 is 143 minutes! That's a lot of extras!

The show does stay remarkably true to the book with a little added to clarify things. Oh yes, there is full-frontal nudity in some scenes, like in the "More Tales of the City" mini-series, but it's all tastefully done.

I would have given this five stars but I can't get used to Paul Hopkins as Mouse! Even though Hopkins does a terrific job, Marcus D'Amico brought something unique to that role. And while watching scenes with the new "mouse," I find myself wondering what it would have been like had D'Amico continued on with the series.

Further Tales Of The City continues on with the tradition of the 2 previous mini-series - wonderful characters and amazing storylines. To be truthful though the whole Jim Jones storyline didn't quite gel with me - I thought it could have been handled a little better. But what makes this series stand out is the way the subtle changes between the 70's and 80's are illustrated. Further Tales is set in that transition period from loving and caring attitudes towards each other to the greed and emotional corruption of the 80's. Great to see the character of Mother Mucca back as well - one of the best characters TV has ever seen!
This series has been lovingly created and it shows. The characters are all magically relatable in their way, though I did miss Mona.

A special mention needs to be made of the DVD - a whole disc packed with an outstanding set of extras. From interviews, to behind the scenes footage, and much more besides - you really get a indepth look at the making of the miniseries - all TV shows should be released on DVD like this!

Hopefully there will be 'Even Further Tales' for us to enjoy in the future....

I just LOVED this entire Series but for the life of me I cannot understand why he has left Mona out of the last enstallment having her relocating to Seattle. It just doesn't make sense especially after Mona finds her real Father/Mother to be her own landlady AND she also finds her grandmother, so why would she skip town? I know she was kinda flaky but it was odd with her not being there. Her old lover D'orthea ends up with DeDe and it was also odd that D'or doesn't even mention anything about her old pal Mona. Her ommission was greatly missed, especially at the end with Mary Ann and Brian's wedding. Despite this I am such a Fan and only wish there was more. I just can't get enough. This DVD and the others in the series are superb and was happy to see it's full unedited content. I had absolutely no problems whatsoever with the quality of the dvd and had no problems with "Freezing" or "Skipping". It ran smooth from start to finish. All three Sets are a MUST HAVE!

Four starts for the content. Zero stars for the DVD mastering.

Perhaps it's because they tried to stuff more than three hours worth of material onto 1 DVD, but like others, I too was unable to play this all the way through on my DVD player. The problems start right about at the start of episode 4, and just keep getting worse. But perhaps it's just bad mastering, because I had the same problem with the second, extras, DVD, which isn't nearly so full. It's a shame such a wonderful series is marred by a badly mastered disc.

I loved the books, loved the first two miniseries. But I have so far ordered two copies of this version and both would not play. As Further is my very favorite of the books, I can't begin to express my disappointment. Why would Showtime release a product that can't be viewed? And why, seeing all these complaints, hasn't Amazon stopped selling them? Two words: Epic Fail.

I have watched and own all three "Tales of The City" mini-series and have watched them all repeatedly. While the first is by far my favorite (as others have mentioned, the casting for the first series was flawless), I love them all. In "Further Tales..." I do find the whole Jim Jones storyline a stretch, as I did with the book and I find that so much time is spent with Prue that I end up missing the rest of the 28 Barbary Lane characters. But, all in all, "Further Tales..." is certainly better than most of what you see on television and a delight. I'm more than ready for mini-series #4, "Babycakes".

I love Tales of the City and I wish they would reissue a DVD set that actually works. I can not even watch it to the end. Like others, the DVD starts to constantly freeze and I have a very good DVD player. I think customers should be aware that this set is flawed and they will not get what they paid for: A DVD that actualy works. Very disappointing.