DVD

The Ray Bradbury Theater (5-DVD Digipack)

Average customer rating:

ID-EE-OTS!
An excellent collected-works set
The Complete Ray Bradbury Theater! Short Stories from the Master!
While Bradbury is great, this DVD transfer is a ripoff
Ray Bradbury Roxxxxxxxxx!

The Ray Bradbury Theater (5-DVD Digipack)
Starring: Ray Bradbury
Manufacturer: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Tales of the Unexpected, Set 1
The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 2
The Twilight Zone - Seasons 2 & 3 (1986 - 1988)
The Martian Chronicles
Tales of the Unexpected, Set 2

ASIN: B0007CEXUY
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Product Description

Featuring 65 Episodes! Entranced by magicians, comic strips, and science-fiction magazines, Ray Bradbury began "educating" himself at the Los Angeles Library three to five times a week. By twenty-seven years of age he "graduated," having written over several million words. In his early twenties, he supported himself by selling newspapers on street corners and writing for radio programs such as Suspense, Escape, CBS Radio Playhouse, and X Minus One. Bradbury has now written over one thousand short stories--400 of which have been published in such magazines as The New Yorker, The New Republican, The Saturday Evening Post, Amazing Stories, Colliers, Dime Detective and McCall's. He has also written for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. And now, showcased in this 5 DVD set are some of Ray Bradbury's finest works.

Customer Reviews:

ID-EE-OTS!.......2006-09-23

Why spend 32.00 on a DVD that you can get for 12.99 just a click away. And why give this a positive review and that a negitory! Are you the same people that said Buying Star Trek for 150+ was a bit frivolous? Nerdy sci-fly channel child prodigy,hippie-crits!

An excellent collected-works set.......2006-01-30

I have always liked Ray Bradbury's mind. As a kid I read his stories in comic books and as a teen I read nearly all of his books. When the Ray Bradbury Theater was on the USA Channel in the 1990's I tried to never miss it. I don't understand why, but I guess I was one of the few people on the planet who had no difficulty in setting my VCR to record whatever I wanted to watch if I wasn't home to watch it. As a result I just happen to have a few miscellaneous episodes of the Ray Bradbury Theater around that I recorded fifteen years ago. The visual quality of the video tapes were nearly as good as the actual broadcasts. I was excited to learn that the entire run of 65 episodes of the Ray Bradbury Theater were released on DVD last year but after reading some of the disparaging revues railing its inferior quality, I refrained from buying it. Recently I bought a used copy on Amazon and I have been kicking myself ever since because the quality is better than my video tapes and I have been really loving watching the many episodes I have never seen. True they do not look as pretty as transfers of high-budget Hollywood fare of today but the originals were never filmed on 35mm and will always look like a TV show. If you like Ray Bradbury or if you enjoyed the show, you'll be glad you bought this set.

The Complete Ray Bradbury Theater! Short Stories from the Master!.......2006-01-25

Finally, The Ray Bradbury Theater is back on DVD!!! This forgotten classic is a must for all anthology lovers (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Amazing Stories).

The Show began on HBO and showcased some high profile names from the 1980s. It was moved to the USA Network and apparently thrived enough to have been on until the early 1990s. Personally, I think the show would have been better off if it would have stayed on HBO because the early episodes are a few minutes longer and being on a paid movie channel they attracted bigger names. Plus, the original opening to the show with Ray walking around his office was a lot more atmospheric and creepy than the later episodes on the USA Network.

Like all anthology shows there are some bad episodes. However, what I like about this show is that ALL of the 65 episodes were written by one of the greatest American writers of the 20th Century! True there are some sleepers and stinkers in the bunch, but in general this is a very entertaining show. Even the episodes that do fail, I think suffer more from ineffective special effects and/or lackluster acting and dialogue than from Mr. Bradbury's actual "ideas."

This box set is very affordable. Unfortunately, the re-mastering is mediocre in picture and sound quality and because there are like 13 episodes per disc, the episodes look pixilated during fast motion scenes which can be annoying! To top things off, the episodes aren't even in the order of which they aired and there is even misspelling of a title on the DVD menu! However, I'm just happy to have this show on DVD. I got it for a great price and provided like a month full of cheap entertainment. For my 2 cents worth, I would say "The Playground," "The Murderer," and "Tomorrow's Child" are the high-water mark episodes of this show. Down below I rate each episode.

My rating system goes like this:

Excellent ... is a classic episode

Acceptable ... is an enjoyable, but perhaps slightly flawed episode

Poor ... is a boring and/or weak episode

"Marionettes Inc." Acceptable
"The Playground" Excellent (The ONE everyone remembers!!!)
"The Crowd" Excellent
"The Town were No One Got Off" Excellent
"The Screaming woman" Excellent
"Banshee" Excellent
"The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" Excellent
"Skelton" Poor
"The Emissary" Acceptable ( It bugs me they have a girl playing a boy character!)
"Gotcha!" Excellent (Starts off slow, but then becomes intensely scary!)
"The Man Upstairs" Acceptable
"Small Assassin" Poor
"Punishment without Crime" Excellent
"On the Orient, North" Poor (Zzzzzzz...)
"The Coffin" Acceptable
"Tyrannosaurus Rex" Poor
"There was an Old Woman" Acceptable
"And so Died Riabouchinska" Acceptable
"The Dwarf" Acceptable
"A Miracle of Rare Devices" Poor
"The Lake" Excellent
"The Wind" Acceptable
"The Pedestrian" Poor
"A Sound of Thunder" Excellent
"The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone" Excellent
"The Haunting of the New" Poor
"To the Chicago Abyss" Poor
"Hail and Farewell" Excellent
"The Veldt" Poor
"Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar!" Poor
"Mars is Heaven" Excellent
"The Murderer" Excellent (Both hilarious and thought provoking, my favorite episode)
"Touched with Fire" Acceptable
"The Black Ferris" Excellent (It's like a mini movie)
"Usher II" Acceptable
"Touch of Petulance" Acceptable
"And the Moon be still as Bright" Acceptable
"The Toynbee Convector" Excellent
"Exorcism" Poor (Seems like a pilot for a bad TV show)
"The Day it Rained Forever" Poor
"The Long Years" Acceptable
"Here there be Tygers" Acceptable
"The Earthmen" Poor
"Zero Hour" Excellent
"Colonel Stonesteel and the "Desperate Empties" Poor
"The Concrete Mixer" Acceptable
"The Utterly Perfect Murder" Acceptable
"Let's Play Poison" Poor
"The Martian" Poor
"The Lonely One" Excellent
"The Happiness Machine" Acceptable
"Tomorrow's Child" Excellent (A bizarre episode, Rod Serling would have been proud!)
"The Handler" Acceptable
"Great Wide World Over There" Acceptable
"Fee Fie Foe Fum" Poor
"The Anthem Sprinters" Poor
"By the Numbers" Acceptable (A surprise ending, indeed)
"The Long Rain" Excellent
"The Dead Man" Excellent
"Sun and Shadow" Acceptable
"Silent Towns" Excellent (Very Funny)
"Downwind from Gettysburg" Excellent
"Some live like Lazarus" Acceptable
"The Tombstone" Poor

While Bradbury is great, this DVD transfer is a ripoff.......2005-12-24

Huge ripoff, very shoddy image quality. I felt so burned. Video quality genuinely worse than a used eight-hour slow-speed EP VHS tape. The fault is NOT the source material. I have old VHS SP recordings of Bradbury Theatre off cable, and in direct comparison they're far better than the DVD, which tells you just how bad this whole set is.

A DVD normally carries 2 hours of material at decent video quality. Platinum Entertainment, however, chose extremely high video compression and crammed 13 half-hour episodes per disc, providing 6 hours at absolutely terrible video quality. When a vendor crams things on disc like this, they are choosing to be cutrate, saving them cost of extra discs and of course make a higher profit at the expense of your visual enjoyment. The rotten video here does not appear accidental but a deliberate quality choice. Shame on these people for taking advantage of Ray's name to sell garbage.

Just a few of many examples: In 'The Pedestrian' and many other episodes, many shots pixellate (break up into jagged blocks) into unwatchable versions. Lousy video in dark night-time scenes in 'Banshee', again bad video compression. In 'A Sound of Thunder', the spinning timesphere completely breaks up into huge blocky video chunks due to incompetent video processing. This did not have to happen. Professional video encoding DOES allow vendors to choose temporary better compression in scenes with fast moving objects for far better video quality, but Platinum did not. The discs look a lot like an amateur effort using consumer video encoding software instead of professional tools. Every video in the set is brutally flawed enough to make you cringe.

In retrospect, I should have gotten a clue from the package statement of "over 28 hours" on 5 discs to mean the material would look awful. I hope that someday Bradbury/Atlantis pulls the rights and someone else issues a better version. Until then, avoid this set and Platinum. I am pretty sure you will be sorry otherwise.

Ray Bradbury Roxxxxxxxxx!.......2005-09-28

If you don't know Ray Bradbury & haven't read his stories, then you may have missed something elemental and exciting all these years. Ray Bradbury is the Godfather of Sci-Fi. The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Farenheit 451, the list goes ever onward...

I have been waiting for some time out of mind for this collection to come out on DVD. I used to watch the show whenever I could on USA and when I saw it here on Amazon, I had to have it. I have ready nearly everything Bradbury has written, so each episode of RBT brings back a short story or a piece of novel that he has done. Great stuff...

The bad part of the show is that some of the production values were pretty low. The phazing picture from video to digital transfer is evident as well, but I can live with those things. We see a slew of great actors and guest stars in these episodes. We see the great Bradbury stories like The Veldt, Usher II, A Sound Of Thunder and so many more brought to life. I would love to see what could be done today with Bradbury's body of work in the hands of some visionary like Peter Jacson or Spielberg. At least we have this to view. Packaging is great. Price is not too steep. Worth the buy and worth the Bradbury!

Average customer rating:

Good episodes, poor DVD transfer
Good, not great

The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 2
Starring: Ray Bradbury Theatre
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 1
The Ray Bradbury Theater (5-DVD Digipack)
Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells
Tales of Tomorrow, Collection 2
Tales of Tomorrow: Collection One

ASIN: B00062IZ36
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Customer Reviews:

Good episodes, poor DVD transfer.......2006-08-14

I bought this (and volume 1) mostly for nostalgic purposes, although the shows are still quite enjoyable. As others have commented, the quality of the DVD (both volumes) is poor.

Good, not great.......2006-05-21

Ray Bradbury has written some of my favorite "science fiction" stories, although he is not limited strictly to the rockets and space genre. He also writes some creepy drama stuff, which is the main content of this TV-produced series.

Each one is a half hour (or 24 minutes in this case), and normally features a single big-name actor (Donald Pleasence, David Ogden Stiers, etc) surrounded by mostly unknown Canadian or British actors.

Picture is only VHS quality, sound is OK. I had no operational problems as mentioned by the other reviewer.

The performances are nothing special, however, and in general the story on screen is not as powerful as the written word. This is due of course to Bradbury's story-telling ability and talent as a writer.

The episodes are mostly so-so, and include "The Dwarf", "The Lake", "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and "The Veldt".

I generally liked volume 1 better, and thus gave that one an extra star.

If you've never read any Bradbury, this series probably will not encourage you to do so, but I do. Some of his books are legitimate candidates for "best ever". Here are some I like best:

Novels include:
Fahrenheit 451 (mind control and thought suppression)(also movie)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (boy and fantasy carnival)(also movie)

The better short story collections:
"The Martian Chronicles" (exploration and settlement of Mars).
"R is for Rocket", or "S is for Space" are early collections of short stories ranging from true science fiction (collecting a portion of the sun) through fantasy (love-lorn sea monster meets lighthouse/foghorn).
"The Illustrated Man" (a man's tattoos have a "mind of their own" and tell 19 stories about rains on Venus, strange children's nursery, etc)(movie with Rod Steiger.)

Average customer rating:

Exceeded my expectations
Drew Barrymore
The Ray bradbury theater episodes.
The books are better
A great show at a great price

The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 1
Starring: Ray Bradbury Theatre
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 2
Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells
Tales of Tomorrow: Collection One
The Ray Bradbury Theater (5-DVD Digipack)
Tales of Tomorrow, Collection 2

ASIN: B00062IZ2W
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Customer Reviews:

Exceeded my expectations.......2007-05-15

I had the VHS of 3 of these short stories. I was surprised when the DVD came with those 3 plus many others--all great. Great short stories.

Drew Barrymore.......2007-03-12

Dear Amazon: Do you have aney dvd movie called, See You In The Morning, Staring Drew Barrymore? I only seen the movie on VHS. Thank you for your last movie.

The Ray bradbury theater episodes........2006-08-05

These were meant for cable TV in the 1980's. So it's still so-so on DVD.

The books are better.......2005-07-10

Ray Bradbury has written some of my favorite "science fiction" stories, although he is not limited strictly to the rockets and space genre. He also writes some creepy drama stuff, which is the main content of this TV-produced series.

Each one is a half hour (or 24 minutes in this case), and normally features a single big-name actor (Jeff Goldblum, William Shatner, etc) surrounded by mostly unknown Canadian or British actors.

Picture is only VHS quality, sound is OK.

The performances are nothing special, however, and in general the story on screen is not as powerful as the written word. This is due of course to Bradbury's story-telling ability and talent as a writer.

The episodes are mostly so-so, but a couple do stand out - "The Crowd" (about accident-anticipating watchers), "The Small Assassin" (unhappy baby) and "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" (paranoid killer) are some of the most memorable.

If you've never read any Bradbury, this series probably will not encourage you to do so, but I do. Some of his books are legitimate candidates for "best ever". Here are some I like best:

Novels include:
Fahrenheit 451 (mind control and thought suppression)(also movie)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (boy and fantasy carnival)(also movie)

The better short story collections:
"The Martian Chronicles" (exploration and settlement of Mars).
"R is for Rocket", or "S is for Space" are early collections of short stories ranging from true science fiction (collecting a portion of the sun) through fantasy (love-lorn sea monster meets lighthouse/foghorn).
"The Illustrated Man" (a man's tattoos have a "mind of their own" and tell 19 stories about rains on Venus, strange children's nursery, etc)(movie with Rod Steiger out there somewhere...)

For the same reasonable price, I'm getting Vol 2 as well (not sure which titles are on it).

A great show at a great price.......2004-09-27

If you like "the Twilight Zone" then you will probably like "the Ray Bradbury Theatre". This bargain priced DVD offers 13 episodes of the show that ran on HBO in the mid-80s. HBO did not skimp on production costs either. Great sets and effects for the era, HBO recruited the likes of Peter O'Toole, Jeff Goldblum, Drew Barrymore Leslie Neilsen, and even William Shatner to star in the episodes. All the shows are based on short stories written by Mr. Bradbury who we see in the opening credits typing away and telling us how he comes up with his ideas. Some of the shows are horror, some sci-fi, some just kind of fun. You cannot go wrong with this one. Some of the best stuff produced for TV in the 80s. "The Town where nobody got off" is a personal favorite.

Average customer rating:

Ray Bradbury's stories deserved better dramatization....
the misleading info when purchased does NOT make me judge a DVD by it's price.

The Ray Bradbury Theater
Starring: Ray Bradbury Theater
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 2
The Ray Bradbury Theater (5-DVD Digipack)
The Ray Bradbury Theater, Vol. 1
Forbidden Planet (Ultimate Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0007CEXU4
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Customer Reviews:

Ray Bradbury's stories deserved better dramatization...........2006-10-20

This combined set of all 26 episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater offers a interesting dramatization of Bradbury's short stories, some obviously coming off better than the others. Bradbury himself, was featured in the opening credits in each episode.

Some of the better interpretations include Cyril Cusack in the celebrated "The Small Assassin," although the screenplay and direction could have been better handled, and one of my favorites, "The Veldt." But sadly, many of the more popular short stories are not included here.

With this series don't expect the quality or the emotional impact seen in Francois Truffat's film "Fahrenheit 451." Of course, the books and the stories are much better as you would expect, but for those who are unfamiliar with Bradbury, this televised series might just convince you to pick up some of his more celebrated novels like "The Martian Chronicles" (see my review of the 1979 TV mini-series), or "The Illustrated Man" soon to be released on DVD. "The Veldt" was better handled as a vignette in the feature film "The Illustrated Man" starring Rod Steiger.

I purchased my set at Ross for only $6.99, rather than the $12.99 list price indicated here. Be sure to shop around and see what deals are available.

the misleading info when purchased does NOT make me judge a DVD by it's price........2006-10-02

If you payed 12.99 for this you got what you payed for. 2 DVDs encompassing seasons 1985-9. But price isn't everything and some of the items on this site are cheaper becasue they are just better deals this, in fact isn't. The tripple price is tripple option of not two but FIVE DVD's and is encompassed with all Ray B's stuff and the Martian Episodes too! Missing the target just means I return the item. That's all. when I ordered the customers had no images up for this now that I have the tapes I am returning it for the 5 set becasue of bad info.
Good dayz!

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