Customer Reviews

Lovejoy - The Complete Season 1

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are a fan of BBC America's Bargin Hunt, you often hear people talk about being a Lovejoy. This is a reference to this witty show about a dashing antiques dealer who often finds more than he is looking for.

This show first premiered in 1986 in the UK but it took another five years before the second season aired in 1991.

In 1989, Ian McShane made an appearance on the US hit Dallas as a shady movie producer that seduces and runs off with Sue Ellen (Linda Grey). Linda repaid Ian by appearing as Lovejoy's love interest in the Series 2 finale. But this is her only appearance in the series. For the US, they used this as the series premiere on A&E.

In the series, Lady Jane was his unattainable love interest. She was beautifully played by Phylis Logan. She is married and definitely above his station but there are constant spartks being emitted by the two. Lovejoy is has two sidekicks a young apprentice, Eric and the old sage Tinker.

This DVD should contains the following episodes:

The Firefly Cage - Lovejoy hires Eric and meets the lovely Lady Jane

The Axman Cometh - Lovejoy's latest acquisition is too good to be true. And somebody wants it back and is willing to kill for it!

The Sting - Lovejoy gets even with his arch nemisis, Charlie Gimbert

Friends Romans and Enemies - Lovejoy goes on the road to find some Roman coins.

The Judas Pair - Lovejoy tries to locate a pair of rare dueling pistols (the title is based on this). Of course, finding the pistols will uncover a murderer.

To Sleep No More - Lovejoy is given a puzzle to a fortune and he tries to find it for a widow.

The Real Thing - Lovejoy goes to a new market place and finds that everything is not on the up and up.

The March of Time - Lovejoy finds some old love letters in a clock.

Death in Venice (2 parts)- Lovejoy goes to Venice to investigate the death of a friend and a piece of artwork.

You'll have to wait for Series 2 to get The Black Virgin of Vladmir - Linda Grey's guest role.

This series was brilliantly wriiten and directed and will keep you entertained for a long time.

Let's hope the remaining five series are not long behind!

This is an amazing DVD loaded with all the first season of
Lovejoy.
1) The Firefly Cage
2) The Axeman Cometh
3) The Sting
4) Friends, Romans and Enemies
5) The Judas Pair
6) To Sleep No More
7) The Real Thing
8) The March of Time
9)Death and Venice - Parts 1 & 2.

Included is an interview with McShane (part 1) where he talks about Lovejoy. Gash's grungy divey was tamed by McShane and made him a wee bit more acceptable to telly viewers, but he retained the essence and often used many of Gash's story lines.

The whole cast is great, the series is created with loving care and BBC gives a great package at a super price. Not to be missed by McShane fans or fans of the series.

500 minutes of pure delight!

...finest entertainment money can buy; only I can see they didn't break the bank setting this 3 disc set up. I only give this item 3 stars, because the presentation/lack of extras on it is not up to snuff. The sound seems a bit dodgey. I had to turn it way way up and even then, the original production sounds like it was recorded on one mike somewhere back of camera. This could easily have been fixed, and without too much cost to the publisher.

ASIDE from this; and excuse the caps--IT'S ABOUT BL**DY TIME! Lovejoy went off A&E network sometime in the late '90's! That's how we Yanks were only able to watch. I won't bore you with a long, detailed synopsis of the series. I will tell you that I wanted to give the item 5 stars, and despite the presentation, of this set, you'll finally have the first series of Lovejoy. (I believe there are 5 or 6, in total.)

Despite the uneven character of a program discovering its strengths and what it's really about, here in the first series; that uneven aspect is still secondary to the fact that this show, is, without doubt, one of the absolute best pieces of entertainment ever to have appeared on television. It doesn't insult your intelligence. It has one of the best ensemble casts ever; and will rarely let you down for an evening's fun. There's a nice bit of art history thrown in as well, as Lovejoy or buddy Tinker expound knowledgably on the virtues--or lack thereof, in the fakes--of the choice antique items that come their way. It's comedy and drama put into a very tasty balance, by Ian MacShane & company.

The main selling point of the series, I suppose, is that drama and intrigue result when the true value of an antique is revealed--or concealed, for that matter--and thus Lovejoy roots out the villain(s) in the end, in the course of pursuing his own good graft...

Another point I should make is that, after watching A&E's "versions" of the show, I came to feel that there was something missing in them, because at the end of the program, stills of the episode one has just watched, are shown behind the credits. There would always be one still picture of a scene that did not appear in the show. So, certain episodes just seemed, unsatisfying for some reason. Well, in watching the very first episode here, I was SHOCKED by how much was cut out of it to fit in all those nice commercials. (Mostly segues, etc., but still, there must have been nearly five minutes of screen time cut out, and that's quite a bit, considering the nature of the editing on the show, which was brilliant.) So now you'll be even more greatly rewarded by this program, because it's actually COMPLETE.

Everyone enjoys a valuable, rare, "find", that's worth more than the usual fare one is offered, and I'm sure you'll find Lovejoy worth every cent you pay for it. I only just wish it had a more deluxe treatment, here, in this box set...

Finally, Region 1 gets Lovejoy! This is one of the most beloved BBC series aired in the US. Many fans have been waiting for this release since A&E stopped running the show as "Lovejoy Mysteries" so long ago.

Can't wait!

This is an amazing DVD loaded with all the first season of
Lovejoy.
1) The Firefly Cage
2) The Axeman Cometh
3) The Sting
4) Friends, Romans and Enemies
5) The Judas Pair
6) To Sleep No More
7) The Real Thing
8) The March of Time
9)Death and Venice - Parts 1 & 2.

Included is an interview with McShane (part 1) where he talks about Lovejoy. Gash's grungy divey was tamed by McShane and made him a wee bit more acceptable to telly viewers, but he retained the essence and often used many of Gash's story lines.

The whole cast is great, the series is created with loving care and BBC gives a great package at a super price. Not to be missed by McShane fans or fans of the series.

500 minutes of pure delight!

In days gone by when A&E was running Lovejoy almost daily I was fortunate enough to have taped many of the episodes. These grainy VHS tapes have held me over while I waited for DVD versions to appear. They have been available for a few years in the UK but since that format doesn't play here I was forced to buy from a Canadian dealer that was making his own DVD tranfers to our format. I hope the entire series becomes available in our region. This show is almost too good for American TV that is in love with American Idols, Amazing Races, and really awful sitcoms. Lovejoy gives you a real sense of adventure, humor and often a good history lesson. What a great show.

Through the years I suppose I've seen each of these TV episodes as they ran on A&E, and their subsequent reruns, to the point that I also have a couple dozen Lovejoy paperbacks from Penguin on my mystery shelves.

I too applaud the issuing of this in Region 1, FINALLY, and also hope the remaining material will not be to far in future release.

For anyone viewing these shows and never reading the books, something has been lost. The books can be abit different than the shows, for one example, the character of Tinker Dill is much different than shown on the screen. Though I enjoy both TV show and book, I think my preference leans to the TV show.

But no matter, it is all great entertainment from Dr. Gash. Thanks Doctor, even got me interested in things like Antiques Roadshow.

Semper Fi.

As an old fan from the days before A&E introduced us to "Dog" the bounty hunter, I have long been looking for a DVD collection of "Lovejoy." What a joy for this to be finally released in Region 1 format! Hopefully, season two will follow soon! Minutes into the pilot episode, I found myself thinking that this is even better than I remembered it. BBC television is so far superior to anything the US markets to begin with, but "Lovejoy" exceeds even their high standards. The genius of "Lovejoy" is in it's organic, lived-in feel. In each episode, Ian McShane looks into the camera and invites you in. Rather than requiring one to suspend disbelief and enter into some contrived fictional world, each chapter of this series is more akin to being included in on an adventure with a loyal group of friends. The who, what, when, where, and how of the antique-related "mystery" are almost inconsequential. Spending an hour or two with Lovejoy, Lady Jane, Tink, and Eric is like stopping off for a pint or two at that warm, inviting pub where they frequently gather, or, rumbling down a scenic country lane on a road-trip in Lovejoy's beat up Volvo. A warm glow and peaceful heart always follow an episode of "Lovejoy."

I purchased Season 1 from an Amazon reseller for around 90 dollars US, based upon claims that a Region 0 DVD will "play on any DVD player." WRONG! It is in the PAL format and if your DVD player is not a a multi-region one this DVD will not work. Fortunately I was able to purchase a compatible DVD player here in the states for a resonable price. Since this was a Christmas present that I purchased 90 plus days ago, I could not leave feedback. I highly recommend that this particular seller change his or her claims...pronto.

This is one of my all time favorite shows EVER. ALL five seasons are finally out on DVD. If you buy an all regions DVD player on Amazon (mine cost $70.00 for a Toshiba) you can then go to Amazon UK and buy the COMPLETE set for $225-$230, plus all the other great Britcoms you can't get over here. It's well worth it and the shipping part of it is no big deal, I got the whole 5 season Lovejoy set in 6 days time.