Mr. Bean - The Ultimate Collection (12/16) (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Radke]

I just found out about this at TSoD:

Mr. Bean DVD news: Announcement for Mr. Bean - The Ultimate Collection | TVShowsOnDVD.com

I already own the "Whole Bean" box set as well as the first movie, but I'm willing to double dip on 2 conditions:

1. The missing scenes from the previous set be included on this one (i.e. the the scene where Bean weighs the turkey in the Christmas episode). I remember reading that the previous set contains the episodes as they are originally aired, and that the extra scenes were filmed to pad the running time when the show aired on a station that didn't have commercial breaks. Whatever the reason, intentional or not, those scenes ARE part of the show and should be included.

2. The first feature film be anamorphically enhanced as the existing release is not.

The only other reasons I'd want this is for the cartoon series as well as the second movie.

 

[RichieMagoo]

I'd love to have Mr. Bean on DVD- but if these eps are as heavily edited as the former sets...I'll continue to pass.

From what I've heard, ALL the eps (on the previous releases) are heavily edited, and are missing many scenes that those of us who are used to having seen the show on PBS are familiar with.

I'm not holding my breathe.....

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Another issue: Animated episodes should be uncropped. I remember reading that they were released cropped to 4:3 (from 16:9).

 

[AndyMcKinney]

As to what I expect to see, I bet this is pretty much just a straight repackage like the bulk of stuff from A&E, so I wouldn't hold my "breathe" (or, indeed, breath) for A&E to make any changes to the actual content of the episodes themselves (including fixing the wrong aspect ratio on the cartoons). Could be wrong, but they never did fix those edited Monty Python episodes in the multitude of times they repackaged those sets (I find their presentation of Flying Circus, with random edits here and there for no good reason, much more objectionable).

 

[RichieMagoo]

I've never seen the show on HBO- only on PBS- and from reviews on Amazon, it seems that a lot of what I saw in the PBS eps was butchered when they went to DVD(I don't remember the details...but remember coming away with the idea that significant ammounts of material is missing from many eps- material that us Americans are used to seeing. I mean, even if the shows were chopped for their airing across the pond, we are used to seeing the complete versions...so giving us eps that are chopped down and don't contain what we saw when we watched the series on TV, is hardly a way to sell DVDs- even if that was the way show originally aired in Brittain.)

I'll see what the reviews say when the set comes out- I hope that you are right, and I am wrong, as I'd love to have the set.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

 

[RichieMagoo]

I "get" what you're saying, Andy- but what I'm saying, is that if we Americans are used to seeing the longer eps with added material....that is the format that should be released on the DVDs.

What you are saying (correct me if I am wrong) is that the DVDs contain the original British edits, which were edited down for commercial TV (As opposed to the longer un-edited versions which we saw here on HBO and PBS) Correct?

 

[Jay Pennington]

Not "edited down" in the sense that there were completely finished, longer versions of the shows that had to be shortened. Rather, the extra USA footage is from the "cutting room floor", in that it was rejected during the original creation and never part of the show to begin with.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Exactly. We not only have Mr. Atkinson's (and his agent's) word for it, but at the time this set came out, I was in correspondence with some British TV junkies and asked them about both the "turkey" and "recliner" scene and one fellow who answered my question saw both episodes on the original first-ever ITV showings and said he never, ever saw the recliner scene, and that he only ever saw the turkey scene when the VHS came out, as he remembered it not being in the telecast.

I still think it would've "bean" nice for them to have included these trims/extra scenes (and any others) as a bonus features supplement.

The episodes on the A&E DVDs, whether we like it or not, are the way that Rowan Atkinson and the producers originally intended, and that's how they should be seen. To all those who still want to see them "as aired on HBO", then all I can say is at least those did make it out onto VHS and should be able to be had quite cheaply. Again, I think it was only the two episodes with bonus footage in them anyway.

 

[RichieMagoo]

...but for those of us who are used to the show with the extra material, it feels like we're paying for cut episodes.

And it indeed must be all episodes which are effected.

It's been a while, but last time I read the reviews on Amazon of the already-released DVDs, most people were quite dissatisfied because of the material which they had come to know and expect as being part of the show being missing.

There's nothing worse than watching a show and saying "What happened to the scene with the......?". Even if it wasn't part of the British TV version....the fact that it was part of the show for us Americans...and now we buy DVDs and material is missing from each and every episode, makes us feel as if we are paying for full DVD quality releases and getting the "edited-for-syndication" version, even though that isn't the case.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I know where you're coming from (I felt that way when these were first released back in '03), but now that I know the whole truth (that the extra footage consisted of out-takes or bits left on the cutting room floor), I'm satisfied that I haven't been cheated. Although having the footage included in a "deleted scenes" package would've been the best compromise, we're not really "missing" anything.

Indeed, I was even more disappointed that although they went to the trouble to include several of the Comic Relief sketches, they left out one of them ("The Police Station"). Wonder why?

Look at it this way: would you rather The Benny Hill Show have been released in it's "American" version (cut-down to 1/2 hour from the original hour-long shows, with sketches moved from place to place, etc.)? No, the original hour-long presentation will do just fine, thank you very much!

And for the last time, unless you can provide some concrete evidence of other differences in footage, there were only two episodes that had bonus footage in the US TV/VHS versions ("Do it Yourself" and "Merry Christmas").

 

[Andrew Radke]

Well up until I purchased the "Whole Bean" set, every single time I'd watched the Christmas episode, the turkey scene was included. Although it was intended as cut footage, it's the way I'd known and loved the episode so having it excluded threw me for a loop. I used to own the PolyGram VHS set and it was included there as well.

My original post was based on a thread I had read years ago when the previous set was released, so I guess I was only partially correct. lol. Although I have a feeling that the previous set will be ported over to this one, I also agree that the 2 scenes should appear in some capacity to appease those (such as myself) who remember them as part of the episodes themselves.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Yes, I'm sure you're right. A&E are notorious for simply repackaging stuff rather than making content changes. The best one could hope for is a bonus disc thrown in, but I don't remember if one was supposed to be included or not.

It would be really nice if there were some sort of comprehensive release (maybe on the next anniversary) that included not only all the original UK shows, but also have an exhaustive extras package with all the Comic Relief stuff (including "Police Station"), a collection of Rowan's various other "stage" performances of the character and a deleted scenes package with not only the two sequences added to the HBO episodes, but any others that might exist, and if Atkinson (and the producers) were unhappy with those sequences, perhaps there could be a brief intro to each snippet (or a commentary) explaining what didn't "work" for them (I'm reminded of the deleted scenes package for "Rat Race" which explained why each deleted sequence was cut).

 

[RichieMagoo]

Good! If this is the case (that only 2 eps are mssing the extry footage) I'll buy the set and enjoy it!

I'm just kind of confused: If they added footage to the show for broadcast on American commercial-free television, why did they only do so to two eps?

Well, you seem to know what you're talking about- so I'll tke your word for it.

And thanks for the info, and taking the time to dispell my incorrect notion, so that I can purchase his great show!

 

[Mark Lx]

Andy, we've heard all this before, but who cares. If they've shown these scenes several times on television, and they are funny and memorable, then they should be on anything pretending to be a "complete" set in R1. Call it the extended version, extras, call it anything you want. It is actual Mr. Bean comedy produced by the same people. As for Rowan and co. being in the dark about the added scenes, very, very, very hard to believe (and perhaps covenient to cover an unintentional screwup), but we'll probably never really know from the source will we?

 

[robynbrock84]

i love Mr. Bean...id love to have that!

 

[Rick P]

Don't hold your breath, from research I did when they originally released the animated, A&E SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED 4:3 CROPPED VERSIONS. This is where the joy of a region free player comes in to get them right.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Well, we've heard from his agent/publicist, and perhaps more importantly, I've heard from more than one British TV collector who watched these episodes on their first airings, and they back up everything that Mr. Atkinson's agent said.

I'm surprised so many people here are still upset about these two scenes. I got over it a long time ago, after I learned they weren't supposed to be part of the episodes to begin with. The framing issue on the cartoons is far more troubling.

 

[Mark Lx]

Whatever, but when people remember something from over 10 years ago, you think it might mean something to people who are in the business of .....................SELLING STUFF????????????

 

[MilesH]

Cut is cut. A&E shills can make up all the excuses they want but the fact remains they are cut just like A&E's Monty Python DVDs. I don't care if Mr Bean aired in Kazakhstan in 15 minute versions approved by Roman. These DVDs are for the U.S. market and as such should contain the versions aired in the U.S.