DVD Review The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series DVD Review (1 Viewer)

[Timothy E]

The Larry Sanders Show The Complete Series Set
Studio: Shout! Factory
Year: 1992-1998
Rated: Unrated
Film Length: 40 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Release Date: November 2, 2010
The Series
The Larry Sanders Show is a TV show within a show; The Larry Sanders Show aired originally on HBO from 1992 through 1998 and was a documentary-style series detailing both the on-screen and backstage drama of Larry Sanders(Garry Shandling), a late night talk show host with a series also called The Larry Sanders Show. The amusingly foul-mouthed producer of the show within a show is Artie(Rip Torn), who expertly shields Larry from all of the distractions that would prevent him from doing his best job as host. The character of Artie was reputedly based upon and modeled closely after Johnny Carson’s legendary producer Fred De Cordova. Every late night talk show host needs a sidekick, and Larry’s is Hank Kingsley(Jeffrey Tambor), a performer who craves...

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[Rob W]

Has anyone actually confirmed that the "film' portions of the show were actually shot on film? My understanding is that it is possible to shoot video with a 'filmic' look, and I suspect this is what was done with Larry Sanders given the real lack of detail in those scenes that would surely look better if sourced from genuine film. Unless I misread something, I thought this was the reason Paramount could not produce a high-def version of Star Trek : Next Generation as the entire show was shot on standard-definition video with that faux-film setting.

 

[MattHR]

Originally Posted by Rob W

Has anyone actually confirmed that the "film' portions of the show were actually shot on film? My understanding is that it is possible to shoot video with a 'filmic' look, and I suspect this is what was done with Larry Sanders given the real lack of detail in those scenes that would surely look better if sourced from genuine film. Unless I misread something, I thought this was the reason Paramount could not produce a high-def version of Star Trek : Next Generation as the entire show was shot on standard-definition video with that faux-film setting.

ST:NG was shot on film, but post-production (editing, SFX, titles, etc.) was done on video—causing the resolution of the overall program to be degraded. I'd imagine the same applies to Larry Sanders. The mid-80s ushered in the era of video post-production, and with it, a fairly drastic drop in the presentation quality of filmed programs.

 

[TravisR]

Except for the talk show segments, The Larry Sanders Show was definitely shot on film. If it was shot on tape, the episodes wouldn't look as relatively good as they do and the switch between the filmed scenes and the video taped talk show segments wouldn't be as pronounced.

 

[Farnsworth]

Travis is correct. Sanders was shot on film and video. But the stock changed as did the post production workflow after S2. By S3, they were using digibeta to transport the film into the avid and out again instead of 1" or some other analog source. This kept the picture quality more uniform and crisp across the board. If you'll notice, from S3 on there is a bump up in quality from S1 & S2.
Has anyone listened to the audio under the main menus? Good stuff.

 

[Mike*SC]

Originally Posted by Rob W

Has anyone actually confirmed that the "film' portions of the show were actually shot on film? My understanding is that it is possible to shoot video with a 'filmic' look, and I suspect this is what was done with Larry Sanders given the real lack of detail in those scenes that would surely look better if sourced from genuine film. Unless I misread something, I thought this was the reason Paramount could not produce a high-def version of Star Trek : Next Generation as the entire show was shot on standard-definition video with that faux-film setting.

As others have confirmed, the film portions were indeed shot on film. The process you're referring to is now obsolete in the days of hi-def video, but back at the time of "Sanders," it was called "film look" and it was applied to standard definition video to sort of mimic film. it involved muting the colors somewhat and repeating every fourth frame to emulate the natural stuttering that occurs when 24 frames-per-second film is transferred to 30 frames-per-second video. The thing about this process was that the illusion vanished when movement in the frame stopped. If two people were siting and chatting in a static environment, the frame-repetition did not trick the eye because the effect was near-impossible to notice.

The reason the film portions of "Sanders" look sub-par on today's sets is because that film was transferred to standard def video, and all the extra resolution you get from film was therefore lost. Didn't matter on CRTs in 1992, but you sure notice it now Presumably, the film elements do exist somewhere, but to retrieve them, rescan them at high res, and recut them into the show would be prohibitively expensive, especially for a show like "Larry Sanders" which, despite its brilliance, has never been a hit.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Been watching this set daily while doing my treadmill workout.


It's finally great to have the complete series available after having

just the first season for all these years.


....but I do have a major gripe. No subtitles.

I depend on subtitles when watching television shows because

the sound of the treadmill can often drown out soft-spoken parts

of the show.

Wish Shout Factory did a more complete job by providing
subtitles throughout.


Otherwise I suppose I should just be thankful that we finally
have the complete series to watch.

 

[Sam Favate]

Another show that I thought wouldn't see a complete release on DVD (going back to some of Shandling's comments around the time of the release of Not Just the Best Of...). Glad to see this is out. Haven't starting watching it yet but I have it waiting on my shelf. Looking forward to it.

 

[Kevin EK]

This set is like a goldmine for me. I not only got it for myself, I purchased two sets as gifts.


There are all kinds of fun episodes I've missed for years - like Larry quitting and moving to Montana ("Live from Montana, because he made a big mistake...") or Paula producing the show, or Larry making Warren Zevon play "Werewolves of London", etc. Great, great stuff.


I agree with Ron that not having the subtitles is a pain in the neck, though. I'll take the trade-off, but I wish this was something that could have been included.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

or Larry making Warren Zevon play "Werewolves of London"

Haha.


Just watched that today while on the treadmill.


Warren was not happy.

 

[Farnsworth]

There are closed captions included. Try that.

 

[TravisR]

Amazon has this for $60 right now.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just finished watching the final episode of
The Larry Sanders Show, thus completing

the entire set in a few short months.


The first 5 seasons are really the most

enjoyable. As the fictional show fell apart

in Season 6 so did the quality of the episodes.

Really found no gems in the final season.


Brilliant show. I need not say that. Everyone

is aware of it. I am so thankful that Shout

Factory was finally able to get this put out.


That being said, I wish a better job was done

subtitling the set. The close captioned option

did not work despite the fact I have a button

on my remote to bring it up. Not sure if this
is the fault of my portable DVD display that
I use for the treadmill or a defect in the disc.


I am thinking of ordering It’s the Gary Shandling

Show as well, but the price of that set is just

exorbitant. I am hoping Amazon eventually

offers a Gold Box deal on it. I remember watching

that show on HBO and really enjoying it. I would

love nothing more than to see it again.


Can't recommend Larry Sanders enough. One

of the all-time greatest series ever produced.

 

[Timothy E]

This is the Amazon.com deal of the day today for $59.99. This comes highly recommended at this price.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by Timothy E

This is the Amazon.com deal of the day today for $59.99. This comes highly recommended at this price.

A funny, funny series. I've watched every episode but haven't gotten through the disc of extras yet.

 

[Will_B]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein


I am thinking of ordering It’s the Gary Shandling

Show as well, but the price of that set is just

exorbitant. I am hoping Amazon eventually

offers a Gold Box deal on it. I remember watching

that show on HBO and really enjoying it. I would

love nothing more than to see it again.

I still can't the theme song out of my head, and it has been years!


...this is the music that you hear / as you watch the credits / it's almost half-way finished / how do you like it so far? / this is the theme to It's the Gary Shandling Show... /

 

[MattAlbie60]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

The first 5 seasons are really the most

enjoyable. As the fictional show fell apart

in Season 6 so did the quality of the episodes.

Really found no gems in the final season.

I completely disagree with that. Season 6 is actually my favorite, I think -- its kind of the logical "final address" of all the themes of the show over the years, complete with the one and only time Larry's "on screen" persona and his "off stage" persona kind of mix during his final address.


We can both agree that the show is brilliant, though, so that's good enough for me.


THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW is my favorite television show of all time, and I honestly do believe its the best sitcom ever. The best American sitcom, at least. Other shows like ALL IN THE FAMILY are certainly groundbreaking and fantastic, and a show like SANDERS couldn't have existed without everything that came before it, but I still think SANDERS is the pinnacle.

 

[Kevin EK]

I also enjoyed the final season of the show.


Specifically, "Pilots and Pens Lost", "The Interview", and the series finale "Flip". The very ending of the last show was a nice wrap-up to the Larry-Hank-Artie arc.

The nice thing about this full set is that you can go diving in and find gems of episodes from everywhere in the show's pantheon. I just watched the 2nd season ep of Paula producing the show while Artie's stuck in traffic, and while the picture quality of the "reality" section is pretty bad, the episode itself is still really funny. Even now.

 

[A Pop Fan's Dream]

I purchased this set from Ebay (MovieMars) in March 2016. I am slowly working my way through it.
I have just noticed the Season 5, discs 1 and 2 are unplayable. They are sticky and covered in scratches. It's very unusual as all the other DVDs are fine. I have emailed the seller and Shout Factory wondering if replacement discs are available. Long shot - I don't hold out much hope.
Very annoying. Did anyone else have issues with the set? Season 5 doesn't appear to be easily found on its own....

 

[John Dirk]

I've loved the show for many years and already own some of the previous releases mentioned but this is the complete series!!! For a show like this I'm not as concerned with audio/video "quality" as I understand, that was largely a factor of the time the original material was produced and also the nature of said material. It would be great if we could have perfect 4K digital renditions for all of our favorites but, unless you're under the age of 30, that's probably an unrealistic expectation.

We're not talking about a big budget film here, this is mostly dialogue. Some said it would never be relevant in today's world but here it is! Count me in!