The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Volume One

Compiling seven handsomely-produced feature-length episodes from George Lucas' Emmy-winning 1990s TV series, this 12-disc boxed set also boasts an extraordinary assortment of special features. The show's audacious premise finds young Henry "Indy" Jones (Corey Carrier plays the hero-in-training as a 10-year-old) on a world tour with his parents, encountering many of the great minds and movers and shakers of the 20th century. In Vienna, Indy mixes it up with three fathers of psychiatry—Freud, Jung, and Adler—in a discussion over dinner about the nature of love. In Paris, he cavorts with an adolescent Norman Rockwell and parties with Picasso, Braque, and Gertrude Stein. In Russia, he bickers with Leo Tolstoy during a long walk in the country. Each script is meticulously researched, imaginatively incorporating these historic figures and their contributions within a story framework that offers plenty of adventure and lots of little hints that Indy will eventually grow into the swaggering adventurer of Lucas' and Steven Spielberg's popular films (Sean Patrick Flanery takes over the role, at age 20, near the end of this first set). The amazing DVD extras—which have genuine curriculum value as well as being entertaining—include 38 in-depth companion documentaries on the various historical figures, featuring insights from scholars, historians, and luminaries (including Gen. Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, Gloria Steinem, Martin Scorsese, Barbara Boxer, James Earl Jones, Hal David, and Deepak Chopra). Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: Volume Two is also newly available, with Volume Three slated for release this spring.] (T. Keogh)