Customer Reviews

M*A*S*H - Goodbye, Farewell & Amen

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I understand the frustration to all who bought the season by season sets (myself included) but to those who didn't, but wanted the finale, this is a five-star set. This is STILL the highest-rated single episode in TV history - 125 million viewers - and that number is a far cry from the actual consumers who will buy the complete set; so for those, here ya are! The finale with all the extras!

The 30th Reunion Special features all the main stars (except the deceased McLean Stevenson and Larry Linville, even though there ARE interview clips of those two presented here) along with Gene Reynolds, Larry Gelbart, Burt Metcalfe and Allan Arbus (Dr. Sidney Freedman); Mike Farrell hosts this special, which aired in 2002. It's good to see Wayne Rogers and Alan Alda together again, although grayer. Loretta Swit still looks hot, but is that Botox or a face-lift? Jamie Farr never seems to age and Harry Morgan looks pretty feeble, yet feisty. Gary Burghoff is chunkier but still carries that sweet "Radar-ish" aura. William Christopher looks great as well, and there are times when he shoots the others a frustrated "why-did-you-tell-them-that?" glance when some Father Mulcahy behind-the-scenes anecdotes are told. If you've never heard David Ogden Stiers' real voice, you'll be surprised how much he does NOT sound like Major Winchester! The cast also tells us how much they loved working with Larry Linville (Major Burns) as his real personality was the complete opposite of ol' Ferret-Face. This Reunion Special is the best "extra" in the set.

"Memories Of MASH" is an old TV special, hosted by Shelley Long, probably due to her success on "Cheers."

The bloopers are good, but not enough of them.

"Jocularity" is a cast retrospective based on the word uttered by Father Mulcahy from time to time.

"Just The FAQs" is a ten-question MASH-trivia game for the viewer. The other special features are pretty self-explanatory.

I didn't mind buying this set, even though I have all the separate season collections - it's reasonably priced and not boxed in a clunky package as the season sets are.

I see too many TV-DVD reviewers on Amazon complaining about SO MANY television releases (mostly due to music or other alterations) and I see no reason for anyone to TRULY complain about this set, aside from those who already own GOODBYE, FAREWELL AND AMEN on season 11.

So, for those of you who loved the show, but aren't buying the season-by season sets, you will whole-heartedly get a kick out of this set (and prepare to get misty-eyed a couple of times).

When it comes to box sets I am not a completest. If I were to collect every season of every television show I have enjoyed I would spend the next 30-40 years doing little more than watching TV. Therefore, I was excited to see that my very favorite episode--perhaps of all time--is being released on its own.

I did collect the third season of M*A*S*H (my favorite overall), but I was hoping to add "Goodbye, Farewell & Amen". This is the motion picture lengtht series finale to the greatest comedy-drama ever filmed. Unlike many series enders this one nicely wraps up the futures of the characters and, after waiting for the war to end and to go home, it finally happens.

I only wish on this DVD set they would have included all of the "After M*A*S*H" episodes, that series was not popular at all at the time of its original airing, but for those of you who have collected all 11 seaons why not have the spin-off?

I am glad to see "Memories of M*A*S*H" released to DVD, as I think that is the best "M*A*S*H" reunion special featuring interveiws with many of the cast members who have since passed away.

FOX has once again demonstrated that they are greedy, money-grubbing scum.

To charge $29.99--as much as a complete season--for a bonus disc set that comes FOR FREE with the "Martinis and Medicine" boxed set, and that includes an episode that we die-hard collectors ALREADY HAVE as part of the Season Eleven release, is positively SHAMEFUL and a severe slap-in-the-face to the die-hard collectors, like me, who have faithfully shelled out my $25 every six months for each season. So we've already paid MORE for collecting the entire series over time than the purchasers of the "Martinis and Medicine" boxed set, AND have to pay AGAIN for the bonus DVDS!? Ridiculous!!!

FOX should be GIVING the bonus material to people who have patiently collected the ENTIRE DVD collection as a serious thank you!

I am tremendously upset with FOX and have already told them so via e-mail correspondence. I will write them via snail-mail as well, and would encourage other like-minded series collectors to do the same. Their addresses are available on their website.

Fans of MASH unite!! This 3 disc set will include the 2 discs of goodies that the OOP complete series set has. It is a substitute for fans (like me) that bought all 11 seasons individually. Oh, and to you bleeding-heart liberal cheap bastards that whined for 5 YEARS that the sets had no extras, this should shut fans up, BUT, they have always have something to complain about. Shell out the $20 you were going to spend on weed and buy this set!

Yes, 20th Century Fox really kicked all us original M*A*S*H fans in the head for how they dragged out the releases of each season just slowly as hell over the years, just to put out an attractive complete series box set with hours of extras for less than half of what we, the most loyal fans, had to pay. I'm glad that I don't have to buy that box set now just to get the bonus extras. So, I guess I'll just have to cough up another 20 bucks just to get the bonus features. Another 20 plus bucks! Jeee-zuss!!!

So now, we have to buy the final episode of "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" again just to buy the bonus features. And so now we've paid for two copies of that same final episode. Pay, pay, and pay some more! Go ahead 20th Century Fox, suck us dry! Here, just take my whole wallet!

They could have just released the bonus features without the final episode and made it a lower cost for all us "already disgruntled" M*A*S*H fans. They could have just called it: "M*A*S*H: The Bonus Box For All the Whiners and the Cry Babies". Yes, I'd be targeted for purchasing it.

But alas, 20th Century Fox has now entered a new arena of how to disappoint classic TV fans. Now they are releasing the first season of "WKRP in Cincinati" and they are already getting tons of negative backlash for releasing the show WITHOUT the original songs from the series. Way to go 20th Century Fox, I guess you just can't win.

But, I have learned from 20th Century Fox, to be more cautious about buying my favorite TV shows on to DVD. I won't buy any DVD collection until I know all the seasons have been released. So, I'll just wait for that one big box set that's likely to be released in the end.

The Movie length last episode of M*A*S*H is wonderful, a great way to end a show by showing situations for each of the main characters even though I didn't want the series to end. And now I watch the re-runs all the time. The two disc special features was great also, looking behind the show at different sections we would not normally see in Australia. I am hoping there will be a reunion show this year marking 25 years since the show finished and bringing back the extras we saw a lot of as well as the main cast, I know a lot of people in Australia would love it. To the Powers that be. Please consider it.

I think it's great that Fox listened to its customers' complaints (personally, I called them twice!). But why do I have to own Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen a second time? In the boxed set, they included the original 1970 movie. Why didn't they in this boxed set? Is there a reason Fox can't get it right the first time?

I came upon the first four seasons in the bargain bin for $7.95 a piece and couldn't resist since that would include all of the Henry Blake episodes plus the first season with Col Potter and BJ - classic MASH and irresistible.
I bought season 11 after buying all the others in order and I thought I had seen in the store that there were extras on it. I got home and noticed there weren't any. I reasoned that MASH was good enough without all of the extras on it's own.
I saw this in the store and thought it was the same as the one I already had but cheaper ($14.95 while season Eleven is usually around $19.95) and then realized that this was the finale plus assorted extras, not season 11.

The best of the extras is a "Biography" of MASH from the Biography channel giving a pretty good timeline of MASH from book to movie to tv and the recruiting of and eventual departure of certain key members of the cast. Even the failed spin-off, "AfterMASH" is recalled here.

The 30 year Anniversary Special reunites the cast, minus Larry Linville and Mclean Stevenson who had passed on.
Also noteworthy is an earlier special hosted by Shelley Long (Diane Chambers on Cheers).

The rest of these extras are a little on the tedious side:

There are some bloopers mostly reaturing Alan Alda and Mike Farrell. These are bloopers that repeat the same scene and the same mistakes too many times and should've included the other cast members as well.

A segment of PSA's (Public Service Announcements) for charities featuring Mike Farrell which made me wonder if the dvd player was stuck on repeat. Each PSA is practically a carbon copy of the one before it and when shown back to back the effect is almost annoying.

Also each cast member names their favorite episodes. Usually this is where they first joined the others or where the writers began to give certain charcters more lines. Hot Lips engagement...BJ's first day...Potter's arrival...etc

The trivia quiz is really dumb with the easiest questions you could imagine. No challenge whatsoever.

The main complaint about putting all of these features on all in one set is overkill. The interviews here within are compiled from anywhere from the early days of the show until 30 years later and don't appear to be put together for the dvd. As a result many of these interviews say the same thing.

Be prepared for the cast of your favorite show to give numerous interviews in which the main point that is stressed was the way the show uniquely combined comedy and drama, which may be commendable but after it's repeated several times gets a bit monotonous. Also the development of each character is discussed somewhat at length and this too can become a bit much. But stil, overall it's much better than anything else before or since and maybe they have reason to pat themselves on the back.

This DVD is loaded with extras, outtakes and other goodies. But most importantly, it features the final episode / made for TV movie M.A.S.H. Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen. 25+ years after the fact this episode still brings a tear to my eye watching the cast say their good byes on screen is heart moving. The character of Sidney Freedman is brought to a never before seen high in this episode as Hawkeye slips in his battles against the war.

Watching this makes the viewer somewhat sad, if only that is brings the knowledge that there will be no more new M.A.S.H. episodes, and that the book of magic that the cast and crew had served up so well for so many years was finally being closed up.

This dvd is just what I expected. If you liked the Mash series you will want this dvd.IT makes you fell that you were there.A great end to a great series .Five Star dvd.