DVD Review: Upstairs, Downstairs: The Complete Series - 40th Anniversary Edition - Page 3

The 40th anniversary release of the series is nearly as monolithic as the series itself and includes more than 25 hours of new bonus material including a truly excellent and in-depth five-part making-of documentary (one part appears on a bonus disc included with every season's box).  There are also interviews, episode commentaries, and an alternate version of the pilot episode, moments from the Russell Harty Plus talk show where Harty sits down with various cast members on the series, and another documentary on the show called Upstairs, Downstairs Remembered.

The weather seems, perhaps, to finally be getting nicer for the summer, but it's entirely possible that it will turn gloomy and cool again in the not too distant future.  Anyone who has never experienced Upstairs, Downstairs before, or who wants a great look at what happened behind the scenes on the series, would do very well to squirrel this away for that moment.  I'm not sure that one can be a student of television without a knowledge of Upstairs, Downstairs, but the show will be of interest to those beyond that narrow cross-section as well.  It's Upstairs, Downstairs, and while I can't say that it's every bit as good now as it was when it originally aired (I'm not old enough to know that), I can tell you that while the set will suck hours and days of your time, it's well worth it and a truly great television experience. 

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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