Deadwood: The Complete Series

First, I'd like to say that I don't spend my time writing reviews about anything... unless I feel pretty dad-burned strongly about it. Also- I try to be fair, even if I don't particularly like something. I mean, I can see that there's surely others who wouldn't agree... or may just have different 'tastes', than I.About "Deadwood".... If you have ANY interests in history... or 'the Old West', or 'the Wild West'... like it REALLY was, then you should keep reading. As a kid, all the way up to now (in my 50's), I never particularly liked Westerns. But in the last few years, I've developed a strong liking for the ones that were 'well done'. Like- the only John Wayne film I really kinda liked, was "The Shootist". Of course, the newer 'classics' like "Dances with Wolves", "Tombstone", and even "Silverado", I've enjoyed... and I consider worthy of my v-library.I had heard about "Deadwood" running on HBO, some time back... but wasn't an HBO subscriber, and never got a chance to watch it, until- DirecTv's exclusice "101" channel began running it... and in HI-DEF, too! (And yes... it WAS filmed in Hi-Def... not just a conversion). So, I was fortunate enough to be able to start with the first episode of season one.Ya know... at first, I suppose like a lot of people, I found it a little hard to follow the language (as in syntax)... as if, most of the verbiage seemed like it came out of a 'Victorian-era' book. However- there's a reason for that... and it's a good one. That's the way most people actually spoke back then... those who could read... that's what was available. And let's face it... entertainment 'HAS' evolved quite a bit in the last 125 years, or so. Also, in the 'bonus DVDs', there's an entire chapter about the speech... as well as the cussing (which is in great abundance!!!!!!)(I don't see how "Deadwood" could ever be edited or overdubbed for television, and still make sense, as well as be longer than three minutes per episode). But- that's a GOOD thing. Remember- we're talking about 'realism'... the way it really was... NOT the way the history books and Hollywood would have us all think.The next thing you need to know is- 'most' of the characters, were REAL-LIFE people. Seth Bullock, Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Charlie Utter, Al Swearengen... these were all real people. Actors, some of whom you'll recognize, and some you may not... but they just can't be any better! Ian McShane; Brad Dourif; Powers Booth; Keith Carradine; W. Earl Brown... and so many others... Damn! They're perfect! And David Milch tries to follow the major (known) historical events, as much as possible. Also... this show was not written in advance, then the script run past countless studio executives, for them to P__ in, 'til they like the flavor... then rewritten several more times... no! David Milch and the writting staff wrote everything, usually the same day they shot it... and they improvise a great deal, often writing additional material because of something one of the actors may have done or said, yet still staying pretty dad-burned close to historical fact.The set- wOw! Several blocks built just for this show... and researched incredibly well, so that you see exactly what you would see in old photographs of the period and location. It was a filthy era to live in, with little if any sanitation... and the show reflects that, as well. P**-pots, and everything else, back then, was routinely just thrown out into the street... so, there'd be a near constant mud, made from animal and human waste, trash, you name it... it was probably in there. Even the building materials are authentic... the same type, color, contruction styles (like wooden pegs)... just the way it really was (not some cleaned-up Hollywood executive's idea of how it should have been).The casting... absolutely top-notch... as is the acting... the effects... the blood, gore, and guts... animals slaughtered... hell, people slaughtered, and fed to the pigs. You have authenticity in the hotel, brothels and saloons... the alcohol and drug use... and you very quickly find yourself relating to the characters... even, the 'bad guys', you kinda find yourself becoming attached to... and as the story evolves, you may even find yourself beginning to relate to them as well... seeing everyone as humans, with their good, and bad points. As one actor put it "There are no black or white hats... everyone where's a different shade of gray".I quickly found myself not only looking forward to the next episode, but since 'Lost' is likely in it's last season... or at least, spacing nearly a year between seasons has made me loose interest (being tired of waiting, and being at the whim of those in charge)... anyway- "Deadwood" is my new 'favorite show'. So much so, that I simply could not wait for my weekly 'Deadwood-fixes'... I bought 'The Complete Series' for myself, for Xmas... so I don't have to wait, and so I can review any parts I wish.Yep! All three seasons, plus four bonus-feature DVDs are included in the set. One has the creater/producer/director/writer David Milch taking us on a tour of 'Deadwood', and describing the 'conclusion' of the series... as if HBO (in it's infinite wisdom) hadn't cancelled the show (sure wasn't for lack of ratings).... anyway- how Milch sees how the fourth season, had there been one, would have likely gone.This is one of those few shows/films that you can watch over and over and over... and over again... some mo... and still continue to find new things that you missed before... either in the words/script... or acting/actors' performances... scenery/set... or even the extras. I can't say enough good s**** about 'Deadwood' (Ha! you though I was gonna say S***, when I was really gonna say 'Stuff').This has got to be the very best Western, ever! 'Authentic' should be in the title, somewhere!!! I suppose the only warning I'd give.... don;t let your kids watch or listen to it... 'cause the veriage 'taint what I'd call 'polite'... albeit very good, funny, and accurate for the time. You may find yourself asking why every-other word seems to be MF, and CS, and everything else in and out of the book... again- this is not your Hollywood version... this is the way it really was (check the bonus DVDs for more info on that.Buy it! Buy it NOW. The whole #$%&(*) complete set! If you just buy one season... you'll be sorry!

Deadwood is another brilliant and enthralling series that HBO knocked out of the park. The kind of programming that pretty much only it and AMC have on right now. This show is crude, offensive, shocking, sensitive, endearing, hurtful, and amazing all at once. With the power struggle that happens between the three main powers of the show, and after watching Game of Thrones, it will show like comparison to the underlying story. Different factions, all trying for power positions in the world. The world in this case, being Deadwood, SD during the Panhandling Gold Rush. The casting in this show is bar none, and the performances given by many characters, high and low on the totem pole, are absolutely stunning. Ian Mcshane makes one of the most stern, honest, brutal, yet somehow likeable characters in any show I have watched, film or TV. Timothy Olyphant, wooden walk and all, makes a great bid in his role and performs it well, but a lot of the background characters reall push this to excellence. There are so many actors in here, odds are you will not know all the names without looking, but it is fun watching this with friends and seeing them say, "Hey there's Lassie from Monk, Bobby from Supernatural, Wormtongue from Lord of the Rings, JF Sebastian from Blade Runner!" Whomever was in charge of and actually secured all this talent onto one show should be given a raise.While not a show for kids at all, and completely unrepentant, it will hit every nerve and facet of Old West living. From the huge amounts of swearing, alcohol, drugs, prostitution, murder, robbery... it is all there and in your face non stop. Some I have discussed with found it even TOO much for them to handle and distracted them from enjoying the show. I think you have to put past our modern day thinking and realise the time set we are watching and how they spoke, and you will get much more out of it. They did a lot of fact checking and include many historical figures, places, events, and information that also begs the watcher to invest themselves more into the world and look into them. I grew up in South Dakota not far from Deadwood so it was not new to me, but knowing the material and information only increased my enjoyment of the series as I watched, as I could relate to what was being presented on screen.The complete series set was purchased for just over $65 during the Gold Box Sale and is worth every penny. The packaging it comes in is simple and elegant, with a nice framing, thick cover box. Inside, the whole series is bound into a facsimile book with a disc in every turn of the pages, each of those featuring a character, picture, and quote. Some are quite humorous. It takes up less space than one season of Game of Thrones, looks sleek, and makes getting the discs in and out a breeze. All in all, if you can get used to the lingo anf lifestyle of Deadwood, you will have a heck of a ride through this series, now saddle up!

Esta serie es altamente recomendable y tiene un precio muy accesible y lo mejor de todo es que llega antes de lo previsto y en excelentes condiciones... gracias...

what a treat .....i took a chance on this series based on word of mouth and all the favourable reviews here on amazon ......i'm a big 'westerns' fan ....... but really ..... i don't think you need to be, to enjoy what this series has to offer ........great characters, GREAT writing , great actors ..... great drama, great laughs, wonderful use of language , and i mean not just the cursing lol .........i was easily sucked in after the first few episodes .......epic scopenot only entertaining ......... it has a lot to say about us all ......really impressed.UPDATE - i had no idea this series was ABRUPTLY CANCELLED after season 3. how ridiculous is that ? and no 2 hour film / TV movie 'ending' either .....i enjoyed the ride, but must admit feeling ripped off for the amount of time i invested in the story and the characters .........not sure i'd recommend buying the complete series ......... might just want to rent or stream them ........what a shame. knock off a star for HBO and whoever else, was responsible in deciding to abandon the series .......UPDATE #2 : I"m finding it quite amazing just how good this series STILL IS on a 2nd viewing ...... I am enjoying and revelling in it's wonder ..... the language / the writing, the acting, the production design, ...... It is full of intelligence and heart. I actually missed these characters !! some women may find certain aspects distasteful ........ but even as an asian i have no problem with the amount of slant eyed chink talk found within ...... if you go 'all the way' with this series , and not get 'turned off' at whatever scenes may shock you initially ..... I really do feel that you will understand the underlying humanity found within ALL the characters ...... this is a robust frontier no BS type of look at what it MIGHT've been like, way back when. Even today, the world is still coming to grasps with it's diversity ...... and the political correctness now in vogue is rather sanitizing and boring. this series most certainly is not !! i'm giving it 5 stars again. lol

Cette édition US étant éditée par Paramount aux USA tout comme en Europe (contrairement au reste de la prod HBO qui en général est édité par Warner), J'ai donc eu la surprise de découvrir les disques bloqués en région "A" à réception. . . (ne s'affiche qu'après toute les pubs! Merci Paramount!)Mais problème aisément contourné en les lisant sur PC via PowerDVD ou WinDVD, et en utilisant un petit programme gratuit du type "dvdfab region reset" pour changer à l'infini entre les zones A et B selon les disques lus.(le blocage de zone ne pouvant être que logiciel pour les Blu Ray, contrairement à certains lecteur dvd qui eux bloquent dès le lecteur. A savoir!)Sinon, très très beau coffret, de plus bien conçu. Bonus exhaustifs sur toutes les saisons et un disque extra pour l'integrale. Mais l'ensemble de ceux ci étant exclu US, VO seulement.Piste son française DTS stéréo dispo ainsi que sous titres sur les episodes, mais surtout VO en 5.1 DTS HDMA, sans les défauts d'écho permanent des éditions UK et Allemandes!Un must have!! :D

I bought this ostensibly for my husband but actually because I wanted it for myself. Said goodbye to terrestrial and digital telly for a week and immersed myself in Deadwood.As usual HBO has produced a high quality series which is nothing short of mesmerising. My only complaint is that it seemed somewhat rushed in the last couple of episodes and felt rather incomplete although to be fair this may have been the result of the directors and writers expecting another series in which to bring things to a more satisfactory conclusion.Deadwood is set in the town of the same name in about 1875 although the events it depicts actually occurred over a longer time-span. Its characters are for the most part based upon its real inhabitants from Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane to the anonymous con-man pedlar of soap, although considerable liberty has been taken with their personalities and actions during the period of the Gold Rush and the negotiations to become part of the Dakota Territory. You can look them up in the official website and in Wikipedia. The power struggle between the two saloon and brothel owners, Al Swearingen and Cy Tolliver form the backdrop to most of the action while gripping story lines involving the self appointed sheriff Seth Bullock's affair with Alma, the rich widowed mine owner , the whore Trixie, the world- weary doctor and the tragic preacher. All of these stories contain elements of black humour, true human kindness, sadness and occasional terrifying evil. Violence is ever present and murder commonplace. This is not a series for your Auntie Minnie or for the faint hearted. Obscenity and blasphemy occur with eye-watering frequency throughout though this is oddly enough not as offensive as one might imagine considering the characters and plotting. None of it is gratuitous. Sets and costumes are amazingly good and you can just about smell the filth of the streets and the greasy dirt of the clothing.There is not a single dud performance amongst its cast members and even minor characters such as the killer of Wild Bill, the drunken and abusive liveryman,the brother and sister ostensibly seeking their lost father and the mild-mannered proprietor of the Number 10 bar come across as well observed and believable human beings. Special mention must made of Ian McShane the English actor who plays Al Swearingen. His is a tour de force portrayal of the ruthless, murderous saloon owner of The Gem. It is a three dimensional performance of a basically appalling human being who does not flinch at feeding inconvenient corpses to the pigs yet has the occasional flash of kindness and generosity which he would die rather than admit to. McShane won a well-deserved award for the role. Not too far behind is Robin Weigert's performance in the role of Martha Jane Cannary (aka Calamity Jane). Here is a woman who has scouted for the US Cavalry, fought Indians, nursed smallpox victims and orphaned children and fallen in love with Bill Hickock whose grave she visits as often as she can. She is also a hopeless alcoholic who periodically binges for days on end yet can still be relied upon in a tight corner.I loved the series, groaning when an episode ended before I was willing to let go and now sorry that I've watched it all. I will however watch it again in the not too distant future and see things I missed the first time around.

Great insight to the town of Deadwood.