This women-behind-bars serial drama, a cult favorite around the world, originally ran in Australia from 1979 to 1986. Shot on video, the series has held up remarkably well--from a technical standpoint--but while the picture remains crisp, it only serves to highlight the cheap sets and bad acting that serve the ludicrously soapy plots revolving around riots, body searches, lesbianism, hostage taking, escapes, and fights to the death at Wentworth Detention Centre. Of course, the cheap sordidness is part of its charm, and this set cherry-picks 12 episodes from the series' 692-show run, from the early first appearance of the notorious "evil lesbian" guard Joan "The Freak" Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick), to the apparently legendary "terrorist siege" storyline, to the super-sudsy four-part finale. Unfortunately, as an introduction to potential new fans, this is frustratingly scattershot (soaps are all about character, and we don't spend enough time here to really get involved), making this a package that will only be of interest to the initiated, who'll also appreciate the bonus interviews with selected cast and crew. Optional. (M. Johanson)
Prisoner: Cell Block H--25th Anniversary Collector's Edition
A&E, 3 discs, 591 min., not rated, DVD: $49.95 Volume 20, Issue 1
Prisoner: Cell Block H--25th Anniversary Collector's Edition
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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