Customer Reviews

Tales of the Unexpected, Set 1

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

 

 

Here is a boxed set of four DVDs that is a real treat. Back in 1979 and 1980, British television watchers were treated to an anthology show called "Tales of the Unexpected." It was hosted by writer Roald Dahl and featured some of Britain's top stars in 25-minute tales with twist endings, very much in the tradition of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone." Indeed, one or two of these stories were also shown on the Hitchcock series.


Now Acorn Media has released "Tales of the Unexpected, Set 1" which includes the complete first two seasons. In all, we have 25 tales, 21 of which are by Dahl. (He might be more familiar as the author of "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" that appeared with a similar title as a fantasy film.)


Along the way, you will enjoy sterling performances by such notables as John Mills, Derek Jacobi, Joan Collins (in a stunning double role), John Gielgud, Julie Harris, Joseph Cotten, and Elaine Stritch. Some of the tales are fantastic ("The Landlady," "Royal Jelly"), some grisly ("Back for Christmas"), some charming ("The Umbrella Man"), and some just a tad disappointing at the end ("The Man at the Top").


Still, I greatly enjoyed the 625 minutes of running time, and you will too. The special features are some production notes, cast filmographies of the stars, and a Roald Dahl biography.

I remember watching these, as a high school student, syndicated in North Carolina back in 1979 or the early 1980's and really enjoying them. I've always wanted to see more of these and re-watch the few I did catch way back then. The stories were quite worthy of the Alfred Hitchcock tradition and are better than the later "new" "Hitchcock" series that premiered in 1985. The "snake-in-the-bed" episode was the most suspenseful television show I've ever seen and even scarier than the classic black & white Hitchcock episode. Just when you thought it was safe to crawl under the covers...

These 25 tales are based on stories written by Roald Dahl, excepting four: Fat Chance (Robert Bloch), Back for Christmas (John Collier), The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby (Stanley Ellin), and The Man at the Top (Edward D. Hoch). Each tale requires one-plus minutes of introductory credits and 23 minutes of story, totaling 600 minutes. Favorably, there are no supernatural elements. Rather, the tales concern stupidity, hate, murder, adultery, larceny, infidelity, greed, deception, revenge, cunning, cheating, delusions, narcissism, and misunderstandings (is there anything else?) in which Dahl sometimes exhibits flashes of brilliance.

This reviewer assigned each tale a rating, ranging from zero (one such) to five stars. The resulting average rating was 2.68 stars. The six tales comprising the four 5-star entries: (Man From the South, Neck, Hitch Hiker, and Umbrella Man); and the two 4-star entries: (Taste and Back for Christmas); would nicely fill one DVD, well worth a quarter of the total price of this collection. The seven 3-star tales: (Lamb to the Slaughter, Edward the Conqueror, Skin, Galloping Foxley, Poison, Depart in Peace, and Genesis & Catastrophe) would fill another DVD; again, at a quarter of the total price, this would be a reasonable buy. The remaining twelve tales are a waste of time and money, lacking any merit whatever.

Principal actors with very good performances (some appearing more than once) include Michael Aldridge, Peter Bowles, Joan Collins, Joseph Cotton, Cyril Cusack, Jose Ferrer, John Gielgud, Julie Harris, Wendy Hiller, Derek Jacobi, John Mills, Ron Moody, Sian Phillips, Anthony Steel, Elaine Stritch, Rod Taylor, and Jack Weston.

Acorn Media packages this set nicely, with each of the four DVDs being contained in its own (thick style) keep-case. (Why doesn't everyone adopt those sleek, thin-style keep-cases? Think of the shelf space saved!) Each DVD has a nicely executed picture and filmography of its major cast members (worth exactly .32 stars). Color picture quality is very satisfying. The mono sound is adequate. This "Set 1" of DVDs comprises the 25 episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, implying that Seasons 3 and 4 will be forthcoming. Prospective buyers, be advised: You WILL find half of these disappointing.

If you are a fan of Night Gallery or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, you will enjoy this macabre set of interesting tales of the unusual and the supernatural. Dahl is a master storyteller, however some stories are indeed better than the others. "Man from the South" with Jose Ferrer and Steve Guttenberg is a gem and, of course, "Lamb to the Slaughter" with Susan George and "Neck" starring a pre-Dynasty Joan Collins (who personifies the classic "bitch" in every role she ever undertook) are superb. With a warning to all of us who make foolhardy bets and cheat at them, "Taste" is a lesson in humility and clearly one of the strongest of the episodes. "The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby" is a warning to all unmarried fortune seekers laden with satire and humor. A good set throughout.

Roald Dahl is a writer with few peers. His mastery of language, his incandescent imagination, his pacing and plotting--all come together in brilliant, entertaining stories. So, when I heard his tales had been adapted for television, I was delighted. When I saw the results, I was disappointed. The problems vary from episode to episode. In many cases, the writers chosen to adapt the stories seem to lack Dahl's perfect mix of sparkle and cynicism. In others, the actors are simply not up to challenge. Sometimes, both fail. In Dahl's hands, "Mr. Botibol's First Love" is a delicate, gentle and bittersweet tale of love and loss. By the time it reached the screen, neither the teleplay nor Jack Weston were able to convey the fragile, subtle emotions of Mr. Botibol. "Poison" can't begin to maintain the tension of Dahl's masterpiece: the teleplay simply drags. Elaine Stritch's performance in "My Lady Love, My Dove" is screechy; Joseph Cotton's work in "Depart in Peace" is pedestrian. In "Taste," Dahl's ending was terrifyingly ambiguous, almost certainly homicidal. The teleplay ends on a ludicrous note. I could multiply these criticisms several times over, but I think you have enough to go on. Further hampering the quality of the show is the fact that it is shot on video; the transfer to DVD is less than sterling, and many of the shows have a dingy visual quality that makes them feel soggy.

And yet, at times there are scripts and casts that can convey the Dahl magic. "Georgy Porgy" is a fascinating little gem, with a brilliant turn by Joan Collins in a double role and John Alderton's utterly convincing descent into madness. "The Man from the South" is a faithful, gripping reproduction of Dahl's story. "Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat" maintains the giddy deception of the original.

Overall, a mixed bag, and worth the purchase price if you don't pay too much or expect too much.

This review is for the packaging , the show is 5 Stars:

The slimline boxset is not the only set out there, just ordered this the other day, received today and it's the full size casing, i mean they only have one disc per dvd case, its about 3 times the size of the slimline set, just a friendly warning, cover art is also different a very boring set of stairs leading nowhere, still love Amazon but something is changing and not to the better of the company ,the prices are going higher and the quality isn't there as much as it once was, oh well all good things seem to be going away lately guess i shouldn't expect as much as i do from Amazon.

Excellent casting and great stories introducing by Roal Dahl himself. But it's not a great show. The direction and the pace sometimes is not the proper one. So, as i uually say it's the typical show you enjoy on TV when you have nothing else to do but not the one I woud buy on DVD to see again and again over the years.

I've loved Roald Dahl's works since I was a child, and read his Tales of the Unexpected as a teenager. When I saw that there was actually a television series based on his works, I knew I had to view them, though they are quite dated (70s). This British television series was hosted by the talented writer himself, and starred some prominent names such as Michael Gambon, Joan Collins, Victoria Tennant, etc. This set contains the first two seasons.

The stories may seem dated in terms of production standards, but what they lack in sophisticated effects is more than made up by well-written dialogue, excellent casting and acting, and the tension that infuses these stories. The stories have more of a suspense theme, and involve murder, art forgery, infidelity, and many other human misdemeanors that reflect basic human desires and frailties. It's a treat to watch good old-fashioned television without the gore and sordid scenes that characterize many shows these days. Recommended!

I first enjoyed Tales in the late 70's and early 80's. After years of searching I found the recently released DVD version. Admitedly, the shows are dated (anyone seen Man From U.N.C.L.E. lately?) but like the aforemention, it is still fun to watch. The Roald Dahl intros are great and the Tales leave you hanging to the end.
For those of you who intrigued by the title, this is not a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits style show. It is a normal storyline with an "Unexpected" twist at the end.
If you don't want to take a chance, go by Dahl's short story book by the same name.

Accomplishing the "twenty spine chilling tales", an Australian-produced five-DVD set presents, according to producers, a cream de la cream of the Dahl's stories-tragic, deceptive, ambiguous events depicted by a strongly hilarious way.

It is good for watching in-between something more educative and mind-broadening.