Simpsons, The: The Complete First Season (US)

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A 3-Disc Collector`s Edition
Certificate: none
Running Time: 298 mins
Retail Price: $39.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
What we have here are thirteen crudely animated episodes, first aired in 1989 and 1990, all spiffed up, cleaned off, and augmented with bells and whistles, bonus materials, and self-pitying audio commentaries. If Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie look weirdly off model, if their voices sound spooky and different, and if the animation seems particularly glitch-filled, just remember this: we didn`t know what the hell we were doing back then.

What`s fun for me in looking back at all these old episodes is how many jokes and characters have stayed vivid for more than a decade. I love Santa`s Little Helper leaping into Homer`s arms at Christmas; the debut of Blinky, the three-eyed fish; Bart`s game-winning Scrabble word "KWYJIBO" ("a fat, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin"); the Simpsons giving each other electroshock therapy courtesy of Dr. Marvin Monroe; Lisa playing Saxophone with Bleeding Gums Murphy; Homer being mistaken for Bigfoot; and Marge`s bowling instructor Jacques strangely losing his French accent when yelling for onion rings.

I also dig Grandpa Simpson`s letter to TV advertisers: "I am disgusted with the way old people are depicted on television. We are not all vibrant, fun-loving sex maniacs. Many of us are bitter, resentful individuals, who remember the gold old days when entertainment was bland and inoffensive."

So enjoy. We`ve got more Simpsons episodes to make, then broadcast, then re-run, then chop up for syndication, then sell to you on DVD. But you know something? We wouldn`t have it any other way!

Your pal,
Matt Groening

Episodes Include:
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire
Bart The Genius
Homer`s Odyssey
There`s No Disgrace Like Home
Bart The General
Moaning Lisa
Call Of The Simpsons
The Telltale Head
Life On The Fast Lane
Homer`s Night Out
The Crepes Of Wrath
Krusty Gets Busted
Some Enchanted Evening

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Contains The Complete First Season with all 13 Episodes
Commentary by Matt Groening on All 13 Episodes
Original Scripts For: "Bart the Genius," "Bart the General," "Moaning Lisa," "and "Some Enchanted Evening"
Outtakes From: "Life on the Fast Lane"
Outtakes From Unaired Version Of "Some Enchanted Evening
Tracy Ullman Short: "Goodnight Simpsons"
Early Sketches by Matt Groening and Much Much More!

Video Tracks:
Standard 1.33:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 French

Subtitle Tracks:
English
Spanish
CC: English

Directed By:
Gregg Vanzo
Alan Smart
David Silverman
Chuck Sheetz
Swinton O. Scott III
Jim Reardon
Michael Polcino
Dominic Polcino
Matthew Nastuk
Steven Dean Moore
Rich Moore
Pete Michels
Michael Marcantel
Lauren MacMullan
Jeff Lynch
Nancy Kruse
Lance Kramer
Mark Kirkland
Klay Hall
Milton Gray
Mark Ervin
Susie Dietter
Shaun Cashman
Kent Butterworth
Brad Bird
Carlos Baeza
Wesley Archer
Mikel B. Anderson
Bob Anderson
Neil Affleck

Written By:








































































Starring:
Russi Taylor
Marcia Wallace
Pamela Hayden
Tress MacNeille
Harry Shearer
Hank Azaria
Yeardley Smith
Nancy Cartwright
Julie Kavner
Dan Castellaneta

Casting By:
Bonita Pietila

Soundtrack By:
John Swartzwelder
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Richard Gibbs
Danny Elfman
Alf Clausen

Editor:
Brian K. Roberts
Mark McJimsey
Ric Eisman
Don Barrozo

Producer:
Wallace Wolodarsky
Michael Wolf
Jon Vitti
Ken Tsumura
John Swartzwelder
Denise Sirkot
David Silverman
Matt Selman
Mike Scully
Brian Scully
Bill Schultz
Richard Sakai
David Sachs
Phil Roman
David Richardson
Richard Raynis
Max Pross
Margot Pipkin
Bonita Pietila
Don Payne
Carolyn Omine
Frank Mula
J. Michael Mendel
Tom Martin
Jeff Martin
Tim Long
Colin A.B.V. Lewis
Jay Kogen
Harold Kimmel
Ken Keeler
Matt Groening
Paul Germain
Tom Gammill
John Frink
Brent Forrester
Larry Doyle
Greg Daniels
Jonathan Collier
David X. Cohen
Joseph A. Boucher
Lolee Aries
Sherry Argaman
Larina Adamson

Executive Producer:
Steve Tompkins
Sam Simon
Jace Richdale
Mike Reiss
Bill Oakley
David Mirkin
George Meyer
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Weinstein Josh
Al Jean
John W. Hyde
Dan Greaney
Gabor Csupo
James L. Brooks
Richard Appel

Distributor:
Twentieth Century Fox

Your Opinions and Comments

8 / 10
What can be said about this cult series that hasn`t been already said?
Absolutely nothing!
It`s witty, it`s funny, it`s grotesque, it`s annoying, it`s politically incorrect - it`s EVERYTHING!
Finally, the very first season (13 episodes) of The Simpsons gets a more-than-decent disc set.
The video transfer is very good. There are no compression signs to be seen and while the picture isn`t 100% sharp, this is totally acceptable for material from 1989. Doh!!!
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is very good. The surrounds are used occasionally, but the main action comes from the front speakers. Dohh!!
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras include a commentary for each episode by the series creators, 4 scripts, 2 bloopers, an animatic sequence, a behind the scenes featurette, a multi-language clip, several "historic" clips and a picture gallery.
Bottom line - Dohhh! Enough said. Get it.
And as to the 64000$ question - Futurama Or The Simpsons? Well, as far as season 1 is concerned - Futurama wins by a landslide (but still, the first season of The Simpsons was created about a decade before the first season of Futurama).
posted by Zvi Josef on 23/12/2004 20:09