Customer Reviews

Seinfeld - Seasons 5 & 6 Giftset (Includes Handwritten Script and Collectible Miniature Puffy Shirt)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Yep, pirates are in right now. Thank Johnny Depp for that and "Pirates of the Caribbean". Once again "Seinfeld" was ahead of the curve. "The Puffy Shirt" episode was one of many classics that came out of "Seinfeld" during its peak years-the fifth and sixth seasons. It's appropriate that it is in the Smithsonian right next to Captain Kirk's yellow spandex shirt and on the other side of the falsies of the first transvestite. Oh, and this shirt is a miniature puffy shirt (just in case you missed seeing it in stores). Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld and the cast found their groove and made the most of it with the most outrageous stories one can imagine in a comedy TV series. We also learn that just because a woman has a Chinese name that doesn't make her Chinese and that it's OK to eat out of the trash as long as your mother's girlfriend doesn't see you. Valuable lessons all and without them our lives would be diminished or, at the very least, less amusing. As time as progressed "Seinfeld" hasn't been the victim of "shrinkage" and doing the opposite of what was expected in TV paid off in spades. Gee it sounds as if the show mirrored George's life not Jerry's.

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Columbia-Tristar has sprung for the best for "Seinfeld". The series is presented in high definition with a picture much, much better than what has been seen in syndication. "Seinfeld" was originally shot on 35mm film so some of the grain visible was inherent in the original film. I didn't detect any analog defects nor did I see any digital ones that were noticeable. The sound has nice presence and the dialogue is crystal clear.

Since the gift set is, essentially, the same as the individual releases (minus the puffy shirt and copy of Seinfeld's handwritten script), I'm going to break them down based on the season. With Season five "Jason+Larry=George" discusses the creation of George out of the parts of Jason Alexander and co-creator/writer/producer Larry David. "Inside Look" has featurettes for the following episodes: "The Puffy Shirt", The Glasses", "The Sniffing Accountant", " The Mango" , "The Lip Reader", "The Non-Fat Yogurt", "The Barber", "The Conversion", "The Stall", The Marine Biologist", "The Pie", "The Stand-in", "The Fire", "The Raincoats", "The Hamptons", "The Opposite" we also get deleted scenes for all of those episodes except "Sniffing", "The Lip Reader", The Barber" and "The Hamptons". Promotional spots are included as well. Stand up footage cut prior to the airing of the episodes is included as well.

Also included are alternate versions of "The Non-Fat Yogurt". One was created with an eye towards syndication and runs slightly longer. The original episode will play automatically unless you selected the syndicated version. There isn't a huge difference between the two episodes although, again, the syndicated version runs a little longer probably due to the timing and performances.

Season six has a half hour featurette calling "Running with the Egg" which provides an inside look at the creation of a single episode from conception to the time its shot. Bloopers are include and run about 20 minutes as well as a short animated version of the episode "The Race" entitled "Sein-imation: The Big Race". There's also a pair of more animated segments entitled "Seinfeld: Noir" and "Kramer vs. The Monkey". We also get "Inside Looks" for the following episodes: "The Big Salad", "The Pledge Drive", "The Couch", "The Soup", "The Switch", "The Race", "The Label Maker", "The Kiss Hello", "The Doorman", "The Diplomat's Club", "The Jimmy", "The Fusilli Jerry", The Face Painter" and "The Understudy". Deleted scenes include most of the above episodes as well with the exception of "The Fusilli Jerry", "The Jimmy" and with deleted scenes for "The Beard" and "The Scofflaw" as well.

Let's not forget the puffy shirt and the replica of the handwritten script. While these aren't as informative or fun as the extras include on the DVDs, it is nice to have something tactile that you can touch or play with while you're watching various episodes. I'd like to note that if you can get a better price on the two sets individually than the boxed set, I'd suggest that approach because, while thee extras are clever and fun, they don't add that much value to the package.

Commentary: We get a total of 14 commentary tracks from a variety of teams. Unfortunately, Michael Richards only appears on one for this set while Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appear on three. Seinfeld appears on three commentary tracks one with Larry David which was a delight. I haven't had a chance to listen to all of these commentary tracks but I found a couple of the writers commentary tracks entertaining as well as we get the genesis of the story and the various changes the story went through before production.

Seinfeld at its peak. While the show would coast at the same level for some time, the writing, direction and performances never got better than seasons 5 and 6. The extras are great providing viewers a chance to see the creation of an episode, inside glimpses into some of the most popular episodes and commentary tracks that are both amusing and enlightening. If you absolutely need the puffy shirt and script (which make for a great gift with the set if you're giving it to someone else), keep in mind it's a miniature puffy shirt. The script is a miniature replica of a handwritten script as well.

This is a definite improvement on the first seinfeld gift set (seasons 1-3) - the puffy shirt is encased in its own mini plexiglass case. About the same amount of episodes with bloopers, deleted scenes, etc, no skimping there. Overall a great DVD set!

No need to explain the episodes here for you, because you can read the descriptions. These seasons contain some of my personal favorites including "The Non-Fat Yogurt", "The Marine Biologist", and "The Big Salad".

In terms of the extras of this package, we're talking about the puffy shirt and the notebook.

The puffy shirt is actually not as cheesy as I thought. It comes in a clear plastic box that's the same size as one of the season box sets. It includes a small print of Kramer and Jerry in the dressing room of the "Today" show. On the back, it has a brief description of donating the Puffy Shirt to "the museum", however it doesn't state that it was the National Museum of American History, a part of the Smithsonian Institution. I don't understand why this isn't explained.

The notepad is also about the size of a DVD box (a little thinner) and has some funny handwritten notes. How authentic it is? (i.e. is this really a copy of the legal pad Jerry used to write this episode?) Who knows? But it's a fun read, especially for a Seinfeld fan who loves to know the backstory on some of their favorite episodes.

Overall, a pretty good buy for the Seinfeld fan in your life.

I completed the series for my boyfriend for his birthday, he was very very happy. Hopefully we can sit down and watch all of them sometime.

I love the puffy shirt! These seasons were some of the best. I bought this as a gift for a family member, but I love to borrow it and watch these classic episodes. I was a fan by season 3, but Season 6 is my favorite, I never missed it by that point

I purchased this gift set as a Christmas gift for a friend. She was thrilled, and thought the miniature puffy shirt was a hoot!

Seasons 5 & 6 have among their episodes so hilarious ones that, few time I think I could die of laughing. The puffy shirt is on a very neat frame and make a perfect decoration on your lobby or anywhere you can impress your numerous friends and the script is a bonus not the better one but is muting you in a talentend producer who know Larry David or Jerry Seinfeld !

The Seinfeld show managed to create a substantial number of episodes that are true classics. They seem to become funnier with each viewing; kind of a mini-event. Normally I find commentary features to be either disapointing or distracting. This is not the case here. Occasionally, even Larry David offers a remark or two. There are additional featurettes about individual episodes where the cast, writers and crew supply their own highly original observations.

What I particularly enjoyed about the extra features in this set, is the great extent to which they offer insight into the creative forces behind the program, how much they enjoyed their work and their openness to the occasional happy surprise. There is also a gag reel which only suffers from being too short. Clearly an exceptional amount of effort was employed to create a superior collection.

And of course, who wouldn't want to own a Collectable Miniature Puffy Shirt?

This DVD set was outstanding. The 5th and 6th seasons of Seinfeld were at the height of the show. Great extras!!

The anticipation of waiting for this prize to come in the mail is enough to make one go berserk. The shows we all love and know by heart are finally here. Seasons 5 & 6 contained in this set are the best seasons of Seinfeld yet, with the infamous "Puffy Shirt" episode, Kramer: "You can be the first pirate." Jerry: "But I don't wanna be a pirate."

I love Seinfeld so much that I showed part of "The Raincoat" episodes to my students for a class, so that we could have a discussion about it. This shows that Seinfeld is not just an entertaining and comical way to spend some time, but it can also be a great learning expereince.

The Seinfeld/David combination could not make a better match. These seasons are worth the money, and even moreso worth the anticipation for them to finally be released on DVD. With the perfect clear sound and picture, and uncut (commercial free) episodes, this giftset makes a great gift for anyone, and a perfect gift for yourself :) So, treat yourself and a friend to the gift of laughter and some unforgettable memories with Seinfeld.