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Paper Chase: Season Two (The)
R1 - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Ethan C. Stevenson (14th December 2009). |
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The Show
 In the arena of shows that were cancelled before their time, only to reappear in some form, long before “Family Guy” (1999-Present), “Futurama” (1999-2003) and two “Stargate” series, stands “The Paper Chase,” the granddaddy of all prematurely cancelled programming. Based on the successful but forgotten 1973 film of the same name (itself based on a book written in 1970), “The Paper Chase,” despite having received critical praise, lasted for a mere season on CBS before the network pulled the plug. PBS rebroadcast the original run of 22 shows in the late 70's and early 80's to much acclaim, and in 1983 the then-new cable network, Showtime, revived the program, about a group of students at the prestigious Harvard Law School, for another 3 seasons, where it garnered awards and received genuinely positive reviews. Academy Award winner John Houseman returned to his role as Professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. (having played the professor in both the first season of the Television show and the original feature film). James Stephens reprised his role as James T. Hart from the original series (the film version of the character was played by Timothy Bottoms), and many of the original supporting cast returned as well, including Tom Fitzsimmons, James Keane and Betty Harford in their respective roles. John Houseman is, as he was in the film, a powerhouse, commanding the screen whenever present. It’s worth noting however, for those who have seen the film, but not the series, that the character of Charles W. Kingfield Jr. is different in the television series, compared to how he is portrayed in the film; he’s more accessible and somewhat less intimidating on the small screen, but nonetheless, Houseman still plays him as an impressive legal mind who is reserved and cold, but not altogether unhelpful to his students. James Stephens is not as strong as his feature film counterpart, approaching James Hart differently and, in my opinion less effectively than the film version. Bottoms’ portrayal had an air of snootiness to it, but was ultimately likable and humorous at times. Stephens’ take on the character is not as much. The second season focuses on Hart’s second year at Harvard Law, who, having received the only “A” in Kingsfield’s class in the previous year, is now a mythic God-like creature in the eyes of many of his fellow students. While this outing of the show follows Hart’s second year, it also introduces viewers to a new group of first years, who play an increasing important part in the series as the season progresses. Although somewhat dated, being made in the 80's, a time before laptop computers, email, and all sorts of other technology which definately changed the lives of Ivy League students, the series is, I would assume (as it was stated as such in reviews during the original run), an accurate depiction of the trials (har-har) and tribulations that law students face during their years in school. The show is often well written, with 7 of the 19 episodes in season two credited to author of the original book, John Jay Osborn Jr. Watching the show, and perusing the credits looking for the now famous in small supporting roles, as I often do with older television series and films, I was astounded by some of the names and faces that appeared. The second season features guest appearances by many now famous individuals, including a recurring role for “Malcolm in the Middle” (2000-2006) and “Raising the Bar” (2008-Present) star Jane Kaczmarek. Other actors who make appearances include Michael Tucci, Janine Turner, “CSI Miami’s” (2002-Present) David Caruso, Penny Johnson, Brent Spiner and even Jon Lovitz. “LOST” (2004-Present) super-director and executive producer Jack Bender also directs 7 episodes from this season. The 6-disc set of “The Paper Chase: Season Two” includes all 19 episodes from the original Showtime run. However, 4 of the 19 episodes are sourced from edited PBS masters, as the original Showtime elements could not be found. Although it’s unfortunate that the original versions of the episodes are not included, I applaud Shout! Factory for being so upfront about the circumstances of the material; edited episodes are clearly marked on the outer case and on each slim line case, noted by an asterisk (those episodes are also marked below with an asterisk). The episodes included are: * = Edited Episode – Showtime Master Could Not Be Sourced - “Outline Fever” - “Birthday Party” * - “Spreading it Thin” * - “Cinderella” * - “Commitments” - “Plague of Locusts” * - “Snow” - “Mrs. Hart” - “Tempest in a Pothole” - “Labor of Love” - “Burden of Proof” - “War of the Wonks” - “Limits” - “Hart Goes Home” - “Judgement Day” - “My Dinner with Kingsfield” - “The Advocates” - “Not Prince Hamlet” - “Billy Pierce”
Video
Positively awful is how I would describe each one of the 1.33:1 full-frame transfers present on the season two DVD release of “The Paper Chase.” Sourced from unrestored elements, the image is awash with specks, flecks, dirt, wear, uneven (often dense) grain, and other damage marks. Colors are faded and bland; contrast is mediocre, with flat textures and a black-level that would more correctly be classified as a gray-level. Skin tones very wildly from pasty, near-transparency, to flushed and orangey, on the same person, within the same scene. Noise is rampant, especially in dark scenes. Ghosting and smear occasionally crop up, with at least one noticeable example each episode; again the effect is exacerbated during darker moments. Jaggies, present themselves quite often, particularly on edges of text, throughout all 19 episodes. Detail is… wait a second, what detail? Even close ups are indistinct, with facial features hidden underneath a myriad of technical issues. Honestly, I can’t imagine a worse possible looking version of “The Paper Chase” existing (outside of a VHS copy that’s been watched so many times that the tape has worn out). However, I also can’t imagine a better-looking one either. Considering that 4 of the 19 episodes are sourced from edited broadcast tapes loaned out from PBS, I don’t think a restoration will be appearing anytime soon, simply due to a lack of resources. And, even if a remastering were commissioned, the fact that 4 episodes had to be sourced from analog video, leads me to believe that the original 35mm film elements are long lost, at least partly, and therefore, there aren’t any high resolution elements to remaster from. “The Paper Chase: Season Two” isn’t a pretty sight, but it is what it is.
Audio
I wish I had better news. Unfortunately, the only audio track on this set, an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono mix, is as equally problematic as the video transfers. Dull, lifeless and hollow, the limited sound design, mostly focused on dialogue, wouldn’t be all that impressive even without the poor dynamics, bothersome warble heard in many exchanges of dialogue, and a consistent, audible “hiss” that infects many scenes, but with them? Oh boy, does this sound bad. Still, like the video, although I think it sounds horrible, I’d rather have the show on DVD, with bad sound, than not at all. There are no subtitles.
Extras
Shout! Factory releases the second season of “The Paper Chase” sans supplements. The only sort of “extra” found in the entire set, contained on the first disc, is a trio of bonus trailers (which play before the menu) for other Shout! Factory TV on DVD releases. DISC ONE: Bonus trailers include: - “Adam-12.” 1 minute 1 second. - “Ironside” seasons one and two on DVD. 58 seconds. - “Parker Lewis Can't Lose.” 1 minute. DISCS TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE & SIX: These discs contains no supplemental material.
Packaging
The six-disc set arrives in 3 slim-line keep cases, housed inside a cardboard slipcover (which slides over the package sideways). Each slim-line case contains 2 discs.
Overall
Despite problematic video and audio, and a complete lack of supplemental material, “The Paper Chase: Season Two” is still easily recommended for those that love the series. Shout! Factory’s 6-Disc set doesn’t go above and beyond but at least it presents all 19 episodes on home video for the first time, giving fans the opportunity to revisit this award winning, ground-breaking, series for years to come.
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