Cheap My So-Called Life (Complete Series) (DVD) (Scott Winant) Price

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Customer Reviews of My So-Called Life (Complete Series)

Episodic gem of all '90s TV (... notes here about DVD release)
This remains the one truly great and overlooked television creation of the 1990s. The ensemble acting, storytelling skills, production values, and emotional substance are as compelling for me now as when I first saw this series twelve years ago. That persistence, after what must now be ten viewings of each episode, is unique for me, as for thousands of others. <
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>Unfortunately, it didn't get a chance to be thus adopted by millions of others, when this first aired, and that (along with ABC's well-documented corporate cowardice) is why it didn't continue for even a full 24-to-26-episode season. <
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>I won't repeat the descriptive (and accurate) points brought out well by the editorial reviews above and many of the customers below. I'll note here one crucial aspect that is often under-mentioned: "MSCL" is not solely about the teenagers. It revolves around a group of friends of that age. Yet it puts the stories firmly in the settings of their families and their teachers, as well. One knows the context and hidden facets for all the characters' lives, even within only 900 minutes. <
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>This came from both serendipity and law. Claire Danes (Angela) and Devon Gummersall (Brian), portraying the two central threads of characterization, were 14 to 15 when this was made, and had strong legal restrictions on their work hours. That meant more scenes had to be written or rewritten to highlight and deepen their characters' friends. All of them were portrayed by actors with more liberal hours, but who were still all teenagers, rare both then and now. <
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>Most of all, it meant that the adults had to have substantial screen time. It shows most of all in the emotional dimensions opened up for, and by, Bess Armstrong (Patty Chase) and Tom Irwin (Graham Chase). That broadened scope is one of the strongest reasons why this series still resonates, especially for many in our 30s and 40s, when any number of sitcoms and formula dramas using pre-fab parental stereotypes have faded from cultural memory. <
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>Some notes on the state of release for these DVDs and, potentially, for others: <
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>~ The video quality of these discs is immaculate. The only added feature is, indeed, the English subtitles. You get the writing and acting, with menus (which do show scenes in the background), those made to shine in a nearly flawless transfer, but nothing else. <
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>~ The sound defaults to the Dolby 5.1 Surround track, but many have found this a bit hollow, and that the Dolby 2.0 track works better to punch up the nearly constant dialogue. The track choice can be set once to cover the full viewing of any one disc. (Also, a few moments on Disc 3 have the 5.1 Surround sound out of sync.) <
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>~ If you purchase this set from a non-U.S. seller, you won't be out of luck, as the discs are, in fact, region-free, not "region 1," as they are marked. <
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>~ This series' DVD rights are no longer held by BMG, the company that released these discs. All the rights to use the music, especially, have to be re-negotiated by Buena Vista (part of Disney) with the recording artists and their labels. This is being pursued, but can and does take years, and until then, these discs can't be re-released. <
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>If you like this series, if you think you might, if you were stunned with delight by it, don't wait. It's worth a premium to have a genuine set, which may not be available again in a new release for several years. <
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>(Bootlegs are bad news, especially with reports of their messing up the menus and visual quality on these discs. Make sure you get the original BMG releases, whether for this set or for individual discs.)

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loved it!!!
I first started watching this show when I was like 10 because my older sister loved it and as I realize now so did I. For some reason the show really impacted me and I have always had a special place for it in my heart. I am fully sarisfied with the sereies and with the seller who was a joy to work with.

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A great show, cut down before its time
A loyal fan of MSCL in high school, I still love it at 26. I don't think there's anyone who can't relate to 15-year-old Angela Chase, trying to make her way through the superficialities of high school without losing her mind. As she moons over handsome popular Jordan Catalano, attempts to fend off annoying little sister Danielle or geeky neighbor Brian, Angela's voice-overs simply state out loud what any of us might be thinking in a similar situation. <
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>Angela is also expanding her world through her friendships with gay Rickie and outrageously rebellious Rayanne. Not everyone is what they seem at first, she learns, and everyone has something to teach her. <
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