Now because of production delays the Blu-ray didn't get released as early as was once intended. But the long wait is now over. Bewitched The Complete Series 60th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray is now here!
Synopsis: Elizabeth Montgomery stars as Samantha, a beautiful young witch who falls in love and marries an ad exec, trying her best to fit into the straightlaced suburbia. D. York and, later, D. Sargent star as her hapless husband Darrin Stephens, while Emmy(r) Award winner Agnes Moorehead steals every scene she's in as Endora. Samantha's meddling mother. Rounding out the ensemble is Darrin's boss, Larry Tate (David White), and the Stephens' precocious daughter Tabitha. Join this unforgettable cast of characters in an enchanting 22-disc comedy collection, including the first two seasons in their original black & white presentation!
Bewitched was a fun show with an amazing cast. First the simply stunning Elizabeth Montgomery leads as Samantha and there is great support by both Darren's (Samantha's husband, played first by Dick York and then by Dick Sargent. I have watched tons of TV shows over my years and thinking about the nosey mother-in-law. I don't think it gets much better than the performance of Agnes Moorehead as Endora. We could talk for hours on just the cast. But my favorite was when Paul Lynde would show up as Uncle Arthur. he was a blast!
Bewitched is classic Americana with just a twitch of the supernatural. I have watched this show in its entirety many times in my life. And I am going to be honest it is a pleasure to get to watch it again in HD on this new Blu-ray set.
All 254 episodes of this series are collected on 22 Blu-ray discs. The episodes are presented in 1080p now on the Blu-ray case it lists these episodes as presented in the original full screen format. But that is not true. The aspect ratio is a 1.78:1 crop. The audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Now while there is a cropping of the picture, which is a bit of a disappointment. I personally didn't find it to be horrible framed. Sometimes when an older show is cropped for widescreen TVs, I've seen shows suffer horribly from that. Bewitched does not suffer from that here. Which is a plus. The picture transfers to Blu-ray are crisp and clean. This series includes the original black and white episodes. There are not the colorized ones, as that is a big no-no for some classic TV fans.
The black and white episodes feature brilliant whites and deep blacks with a wonderful grayscale. The color episodes feature the gorgeous colors of the 60s. It is like a bag of skittles exploding on your screen. The skin tones are perfect. Mill Creek Entertainment did a wonderful job with these transfers. The audio is good, not great! The show is not going to blow your ears, but it has great clarity. And after all, with a crisp picture and clear audio what more can you ask for, for a 60-year-old show.
Now a 60th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray set would not be complete without some bonus features! So that is exactly what Mill Creek Entertainment gave us physical media fans here with this deluxe Blu-ray release.
Extra Features
* Bewitched: Behind the Magic – An all-new documentary about the making of Bewitched, featuring special guest appearances by actor David Mandel (Adam Stephens), Steve Olim (who worked in the Make-Up Department at Columbia), Bewitched historian Herbie J Pilato, film and television historian Robert S. Ray, Bewitched guest star Eric Scott (later of The Waltons), and Chris York, son of D. York (the first Darrin).
* 16 New Episodic Audio Commentaries: Herbie J Pilato serves as moderator during “behind-the-scenes” conversations with Peter Ackerman (son of Bewitched executive producer Harry Ackerman), David Mandel, Bewitched guest star Janee Michelle (from “Sisters at Heart”), Steve Olim, Robert S. Ray, former child TV actors and Bewitched guest stars Ricky Powell (The Smith Family), Eric Scott (The Waltons), and Johnny Whitaker (Family affair, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters), and Chris York (son of D. York).
* Exclusive 36-page Booklet featuring pieces by Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato, as well as an episode guide.
The addition of audio commentaries, an all-new documentary and the spectacular booklet that features episode guides and a 12-part chronicle entitled "Bewitched Recaptured" by Herbie J. Pilato is a wonderful read.
The packaging is okay. 22 Blu-ray discs are house in one huge case with flipper trays. But each tray holds two discs per hub. Meaning that two discs are stacked. Not my favorite way to have things, but I have seen worse.
All in all. I would have to say this bewitched 60th Anniversary Blu-ray set is pretty good. not perfect! Some things could have been better. But this is still a solid physical media release. Classic TV fans can share this amazing show with the next generation of bewitchers.
If you love classic TV as much as I do. It doesn't get much better than the series Bewitched. And even with some of the problems. The 60th Anniversary Blu-ray set is a wonderful set, and I am glad to have it in my collection. If you would like to have this Blu-ray in your home video library head over to Amazon and Deep Discount and order your copy today.
Out of 4 TV sets (4 being the best) The 60th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray of Bewitched receives.....
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