14.8 C
New York
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Advertisement

Little House on the Prairie: Season One (Deluxe Remastered Edition) Blu-ray Review

little-house-on-the-prairie-S1-bluray-coverU.S. Release

– –

The Series

[Rating:4.5/5]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_05

Based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie series of books about the post-Civil War era pioneer family struggling to make it on the prairie, the Little House on the Prairie TV series came along at time when NBC was in desperate need of a hit. Not only was the series an instant success, but it helped carry the network’s lineup for quite sometime and went on to have a nine-year run, starting in 1974.

Newly restored and remastered and timed to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the original 96-minute Movie Pilot that launched the series’ introduction to television audiences, all 24-episodes of the first season of this classic period family drama appear in this set uncut, in their original broadcast lengths.

The season gives us a glimpse into the beginnings of the Ingalls family’s start in Kansas where they first meet Mr. Edwards (Victor French) until finally moving to Plum Creek outside of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. From Charles Ingalls’ (Michael Landon) battle against the elements, such as a devastating hailstorm that destroys his first crop of wheat to Caroline’s (Karen Grassle) holding down the homestead as Charles goes off to find dangerous work to help feed his family for the coming winter, the season is filled with heartwarming, family-ready drama. And who can forget the sassy little “half-pint” Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) and her sister Mary’s (Melissa Sue Anderson) run-ins with the intolerable Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim)? Other season highlights include an episode that tackles alcoholism and child abuse, and one where Laura and Mary are at odds over a new boy at school.

What makes Little House on the Prairie so timeless is that, though it was set in a specific era, it always tackled universal themes of love, family, friendship, and hope that translate even to today. Even 40-years later, Little House is still a treasure and a pleasure to watch.

Video Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_02

The 40-year-old Little House on the Prairie‘s 35mm film source has either aged amazingly well, a miraculous restoration has been performed on it, or some combination of the two, because it looks fantastic given its age. The “fully restored and remastered” Blu-ray comes in an AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement in the series’ original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Apart from a few minor blemishes, especially in the Pilot Movie where you can see some rough grain structure and softness, the image looks clean with rich midtones and inky black levels. There are some issues with crush, but not enough to take a lot away from what is otherwise a strong amount of detail and nuance.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_03

The original monaural soundtrack is offered up in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit). There are occasionally some very audible pops/clicks, but this doesn’t take away from what is generally a strong audio presentation given the age and the fact that it is mono. Sometimes some of the dialogue can be the slightest bit muddled and the opening theme sounds a bit scratchy.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2/5]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_04

There’s an interesting archival screen test with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert included alongside a 15-minute featurette that brings back Melissa Gilbert and others to give a brief history of the series and its significance. They will both be of value to fans of the show.

  • Digital HD UltraViolet
  • The Little House Phenomenon Part One: A Place in Television History (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:14:04)
  • Original Screen Test (1.33:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:48)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_06

The restored edition of Little House on the Prairie: Season One brings back lots of memories. Though I was still a wee one when this series first hit the air, I grew up watching the show in reruns and remember when they finally went off the air in 1983. I used to watch it religiously after school and watch the new shows every week. There aren’t shows like this anymore. Lionsgate and NBC have done this one properly. It looks and sounds better than ever in this Blu-ray edition.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product]B00HVFA39A[/amazon-product]

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_07

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_08

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_09

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_10

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_11

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_12

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_13

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_14

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_15

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_16

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_17

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_18

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_19

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_20

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_21

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_22

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_23

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_24

Little-House-on-the-Prairie-S1-BD_25

[amazon-product]B00HVFA39A[/amazon-product]

Advertisement

Related Articles

Join the Discussion on TheaterByte!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

301FansLike
0FollowersFollow
184FollowersFollow
1,710FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Notice of Compliance with FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR part 255 guidelines, this website hereby states that it receives free discs and other theatrical or home entertainment "screeners" and access to screening links from studios and/or PR firms, and is provided with consumer electronics devices on loan from hardware manufacturers and/or PR firms respectively for the purposes of evaluating the products and its content for editorial reviews. We receive no compensation from these companies for our opinions or for the writing of reviews or editorials.
Permission is sometimes granted to companies to quote our work and editorial reviews free of charge. Our website may contain affiliate marketing links, which means we may get paid commission on sales of those products or the services we write about. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Latest Articles