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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Only the American edition lets you see the full old glory, January 19, 2004
This review is from: Monarch of the Glen - Series One (DVD)
Beautiful series. Magical scenery, deeply evocative musical score, characters you can actually care about, and often-sentimental scripts which, even so, are well on the safe side of mawkish or cloying. This is classic "mood" television; even when you become sick of the storylines, the scenery and the music will bring you back to your favourite episodes time and time again. From episode one onwards, it's clear that this is a programme made with heart, as well as style. Whilst it is true that, currently, Series 1-4 are available in the UK on DVD and Series 1 is also available in Australia, this US Region 1 DVD release is the only edition worldwide to give viewers an anamorphic widescreen image. The UK and Australian discs crop/zoom the original 16:9 image to a 4:3 screen, thereby cheating viewers of the full beauty of the cinematography of this series. Even the possible issue of PAL-to-NTSC conversion artefacts with a R1 disc of a BBC series seems a risk well worth taking, and in the event the picture here is beautiful, sharp, clear and very watchable. Nice one, BBC America. Let's see the rest of the show soon on your DVD schedule, because you're the only ones in the world doing it 100% right where it counts. I've paused my "Monarch" collecting to wait for you. :)
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Winning television-program on a finely produced DVD..., September 19, 2003
This review is from: Monarch of the Glen - Series One (DVD)
Monarch of the Glen is one of the more charming television series to come out of the UK. It follows the troubles and tribulations of the MacDonald clan, who's young laird, Archie, has been put in charge of leading the family estate out of debt. It's not as easy as it sounds, as Archie not only tries to balance the wishes of his mother and father with the agendas of the the estate's workers, but most also choose between his life in London with restaurateur business partner Justine, or live in Glenbogle with the mysterious Katrina. The locations are beautiful, the writing top-notch, and the performances are a delight to watch. Alastair Mackenzie is the center of the ensemble as Laird Archie, but is nicely rounded out by the other performers, the most outstanding in this first series being Dawn Steele as the feisty cook, Lexie, and Hamish Clark as the bumbling handyman, Duncan. The 2-Disc DVD presentation of the first series is just as well-produced as the program the discs hold. The picture is spot-less with little noticeable PAL-to-NTSC conversion artifacts, and is presented in 16x9 enhanced wide-screen looking far better than the show has aired on BBC America or PBS. The 2.0 sound mix is clear and dialogue is always intelligible. There is little in the way of extras, simply cast biographies and a six minute excerpt from BBC series "Holiday" about the locations that Monarch uses and brief interviews with the actors. If you're looking for an American program to compare this to the closest that I could point you to is "Ed," but even then, Ed is never as good-natured and beautifully produced as this fine Scottish gem. Most definitely recommended.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charming, Sentimental, Inspiring!, April 28, 2004
This review is from: Monarch of the Glen - Series One (DVD)
Television shows that can truly warm the heart are hard to find nowadays yet, thanks to the BBC, we now have a stunning example of one that most certainly can. Monarch of the Glen, whilst technically a drama, is actually most memorable for its clever humour, not the American sit-com style (no offence), but rather that distinctly British, charming comedy, with ready wit and an acute sense of irony. This style of comedy is Britain's gift to the world, and is in stark contrast to many American comedies which, though amusing in their own way, tend to be more formulaic than the subtle word-play inherent in the British, Irish and Australian sense of humour. Nevertheless, the show is very well written, and its comic undertones should easily be spotted by most viewers.
The show itself centres around Archie MacDonald, Laird of Glenbogle (and, in the second series, Chief of Clan MacDonald), who abandons his London lifestyle to return to his ancestral home in the West Highlands of Scotland. This lifestyle change forms the basis of this first season and, although Archie ultimately chooses to stay with his kinsmen in the glen, he at times seems to yearn for his former life on the Thames. This homesick-whist-at-home contradiction serves to make Archie a complex yet accessible character, at times unsure of where he truly belongs. Add a dash of romance and some memorable and truly lovable support characters, and you have in essence the simple brilliance of this show. Of these characters, for me the standouts must surely be the ever bushy-tailed Lexie, the delightfully dotty Molly (Susan Hampshire at her most winsome), and that dependable old highlander, 'Golly' McKenzie.
As a series, Monarch of the Glen possesses a genuine character rarely found in modern television and, whilst the mood is for the most part light and humerous, some scenes are surprisingly moving. The emphasis on clanship, ancestry, and the call of the homeland are unashamedly sentimental, and the ruggedly beautiful highland landscape is simply breath-taking. Conversation between the characters is cleverly constructed and, beneath the pleasantries and somewhat misleading appearance of landed gentry, viewers glimpse the reality of a simple, kind-hearted folk, bound together by loyalty and love for one another.
A witty, charming, and heart-warming show, Monarch of the Glen stands as a rare gem in comparison to the rigidly structured nature of modern television. It is also presented here on a brilliant DVD, with the flawless widescreen transfer showing the vast landscape of the Scottish Highlands in all its haunting beauty. The Dolby Stereo soundtrack is also well mastered and proves more than adequate - as well as being a vast improvement over the audio transfer on the original UK Disc.
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