Impulse Gamer Home


Mother & Son Volume 4 DVD Review - www.impuslegamer.com -

Feature 8.5
Video 8.0
Audio 8.0
Special Features   N/A
Total 8.2
Distributor: Roadshow
Running Time:
256 minutes
Classification:
PG
Reviewer:
Felix Stacia

8.0


Mother & Son (Volume 4)

I had never seen this show when it was on TV, mainly because I was too young and it seemed to ‘stuffy’. I also always had the idea that it was far too old fashioned and not good if you’re a claustrophobe: almost all the shots are in a studio. I have since watched the fourth volume of the DVD collection and found these juvenile preconceptions to be true. Furthermore, the show, which ran from 1984 to 1994, lacks the dynamism of ubiquitous American sitcoms we all know. It is much more static, with the characters almost always to be found in the lounge-room or kitchen. 

Having said all that, I am so glad I did watch this show. The appeal has to be in Geoffrey Atherden’s amazing writing and the addictive bittersweet love between mother Maggie Beare (Ruth Cracknell) and son Arthur Beare (Garry McDonald). I had never realised that she was suffering from dementia which is the whole reason for him living with her. The comedic tension this state of being creates is hilarious. Add to this the successful yet manipulative dentist brother Robert (Henri Szeps) who is always scheming to make more money and you have yourself a classic sitcom. 

Ironically, this show has hardly aged! All the humour still works perfectly. Everything is kept to a Beare (hehe) minimum, which I don’t mind at all. 

As far as the DVD transfer goes, it’s curious that on the two-disc fourth volume, the first disc has six episodes and the second has only three. I was also confused by the episodes included, because they do not follow the original broadcast order as it appears on www.tv.com. There is no bonus material and there aren’t even any subtitles, not even in English: I sometimes like to keep them on to clarify slurred words. 

The sounds is two-channel and the quality of the video seemed fine to me, but I’m not that picky about these things. I would recommend this show either for collectors or huge fans (who probably will get all the volumes) or those people who can afford to fulfil their curiosity about a great Aussie sitcom. 

Felix Staica






 
 



   Games
   PlayStation 4
   XBox One
   PlayStation 3
   XBox 360
   PC
   PS Vita
   Wii U
   Wii
   3DS
   DS
   PSP
   Apple
   Casual
   Android
   Classics

  Movies
   Movies & IMAX
   Blu-ray
   Action
   Anime
   Comedy
   Crime & Thrillers
   Documentaries
   Drama
   Family
   Horror
   Kids
   Lifestyle
   Music
   Romance
   Sci-fi
   Sport

   IT
   PC
   Apple
   Hardware

   Information & Fun
   News
   Interviews
   Articles

   Tara's G-Spot
   Loren's Level
   Comics
   Books
   Mind & Body
   Music
   Competitions
   Community
 








 
 




Impulse Gamer is your source for the
latest Reviews and News on Video Games,
Entertainment, Pop Culture, Hardware &
More!

 


© 2001 - 2021 Impulse Gamer
 

 

About Us | Contact Us