Customer Reviews

Philip Marlowe: Private Eye

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PHILIP MARLOWE: PRIVATE EYE
(Powers Boothe, William Kearns, Kathryn Leigh Scott)

The six episodes in the PHILIP MARLOWE: PRIVATE EYE DVD set are adaptations of Raymond Chandler stories. Powers Boothe portrayed the hard-bitten detective on this second television go-round for Marlowe. This British/Canadian-produced series of eleven one-hour chapters aired from 1983 to '86. According to MILL CREEK's box cover art, these six episodes are from season #1, but they're actually the show's complete second (and last) season.

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Episodes below are listed sequentially. Included are original season #2 airdates and guest actors for all.

(.#6) Blackmailers Don't Shoot (S.2, 4/27/86) - Melody Anderson/Allan Royal/Peter Dvorsky/Robert Morelli/August Schellenberg/J. Winston Carroll/Cynthia Belliveau/Wayne Lam/Layne Coleman/Isabelle Mejias/Scott Kurchak

(.#7) Spanish Blood (S.2, 5/4/86) - Frank Pellegrino/John Vernin/Helen Shaver

(.#8) Pickup on Noon Street (S.2, 5/11/86) - Kate Trotter/Christopher Newton/Ken Pogue/Ardon Bess/Al Waxman/Eugene A. Clark/Robin Givens

(.#9) Guns at Cyrano's (S.2, 5/18/86) - Ken Pogue/Roxanne Hart/Frank Moore/Wayne Robson/Alar Aderna/Cec Linder/George Buza/Ian A. Wallace/Angelo Rizacos

(#10) Trouble is My Business (S.2, 5/25/86) - Jennifer Dale/Richard Donat/Paul Hecht/Ed McNamara/Donald Moore/Kate Reid/Angelo Rizacos/Booth Savage/Errol Slue

(#11) Red Wind (S.2, 6/3/86) - Frank Pellegrino/Sherry Flett/Maury Chaykin/Linda Griffiths

This is a rerelease of the Philip Marlowe collection labled as season 1 when it's really season "2". If you don't have the collection already, the sound and picture is as good and it takes up less shelf space but it's not the season 1. If you have the "Philip Marlowe collection" you'll just be doubling up.

I liked this show when it was on HBO, but the Mill Creek Entertainment DVD release is literally up the creek. The audio is horrible and the whole thing plays like a silent film. The audio is so low I turned my sound up to the maximum, and it was still like listening to whispering at Church on Sunday.

When played on my DVD player & TV, the sound quality of these discs is terrible. I had to crank the volume up to hear the dialog, which then got lost in a hiss. Meanwhile, the music level is fine -- which means when the volume is up, you get lots of hiss punctuated by huge blasts of saxophone. (I've only had sound issues with 1-2 other DVDs on my player, out of 100s, but the player is about 4 years old and the TV is about 10).

The sound quality seems okay, when played on a Mac computer, or on a newer DVD player & digital TV.

Although a big fan of Raymond Chandler, I had never seen this production. It's only OK. The filming of this in either Toronto or the UK does not add to it as you lose all sense of Los Angeles at that time. The portrayal of Marlowe does not convey his wit and humor. It should have been much better. I would like to see the 1960 version of Marlowe done as a tv series but I do not know if it is easily available.

I liked the series when it was on HBO and was happly to see it in a DVD set. However,the sound is so bad that you just can't hear it.