Hawaii Five-O: The First Season [DVD]

UPDATE: Please note - the comments below are in relation to the original Season 1 of Five-0 from way back in 1968. For some reason, Amazon has attributed my review to not only the original series, but also to the forthcoming release of Season 1 of the 'new' show.

Until recently (2003), Hawaii Five-0 was the longest running crime series in American Television history. For twelve seasons, Five-0 maintained law and order in America's fiftieth state - hence the `5-0' in the title. Season one is superb and, whilst some episodes have dated noticeably , by and large, the majority still hold up well today. In addition to this, the remastering process is nothing short of stunning. The pilot episode, 'Cocoon' which is included here in its unabridged format - when last shown on TV here in the UK, this was chopped in half and subsequently aired in two parts. 'Cocoon' in particular benefits from the remastering process - although this and other episodes are still in mono, this is two-track mono as opposed to one. Therefore all things considered, we've excellent audio reproduction here. However, not all episodes are remastered - `six kilos' for instance doesn't quite match its counterparts, although is better quality than the print broadcast on `Granada Plus' back in the late nineties.

Unlike with DVD releases of latter seasons, there are no episodic promotions included on this set for the episodes contained within. However, there is one special feature and that's the documentary from 1996, 'Emme's Island Moments: Memories of Hawaii Five-0' - for 5-0 fans this show (coming in just shy of 43 minutes), is a welcome inclusion within this set. Jack Lord didn't participate with this documentary as he was fairly ill at the time (Lord died less than two years later in '98) - however, a plethora of former cast members are included, such as Al Harrington (Ben '72-'74); Herman Wedemeyer (Duke '68-'80); Zulu (Kono '68-'72); Richard Denning (The Governor '68-'80); Kam Fong (Chin Ho Kelly '68'-'78) and, of course Danno himself, James MacArthur (who co-hosts this feature).

In total there are seven discs containing 24 episodes, each episode circa 50 - 51 minutes in length + the pilot feature which runs at approx 95 minutes.

All in all a good purchase, the first of six superb seasons - yes there were 12 in total, but trust me, the last six seasons deteriorate rapidly from that of the first six.

Great value for money, took me back in time to when i used to watch this on the T.V over the weekend.
Video quality excellent.

First of all, kudos to Amazon UK for launching free shipping to India. This has allowed me to buy numerous TV serial dvd's and boxsets that i ordinarily could not purchase.

Now coming to Hawaii Five-O - this serial has been universally lauded as one of the all time great serials - not just detective but overall and it's not hard to see why. From the classic opening soundtrack by Mort Stevens, to the gorgeous settings of Hawaii to the plots - all the ingredients just seem to be in place. But what sets this apart is the character of Steve McGarrett and even more importantly the actor who portrayed him for a stunning 12 consecutive years - Jack Lord.
There is something about Steve - calm, cool under pressure, relentless, analyzes every lead to the end and his work ethic and hardwork. But above all it is his integrity and dedication to his job and colleagues and that right amount of compassion that sets him apart. If only we had such people in the real world - things would have been so much better.

The rest of the cast is more supporting, though from time to time Danny Williams (played by James McArthur), a son if there ever was to Steve gets his fair share of camera time.

Coming to the discs - while i am still halfway viewing them, this is what i know
Hawaii Five O - Season 1
7 dvd discs in 4 boxes - Discs 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7
All are single sided discs
Subtitles: English and English Hard of Hearing (other language options are there as well)
Audio: English (other language options are there as well)
Quality: I'll be the first to admit, i am not a videophile who analyzes frame rate, aspect ratios etc - but i merely want to relax over the weekend and enjoy quality TV. To that extent the quality of the video is pristine and the audio clear as well (though in fairness i am so used to watching TV serials with subtitles on that i have resisted and at times refused to buy my favorite serials because the manufacturers are callous about this - companies like Network, Mill Creek Entertainment, Shout! Factory are the biggest culprits. But the tragedy? They own the rights to so many great TV serials. There should be a rule that bans them getting rights unless they agree to insert subtitles)

What makes this quality even more stunning is this is nearly a 44 year old serial so obviously a lot of care and even love has gone into remastering them

On the whole, this is a great serial to watch with the lights dimmed and popcorn in your hand.

The only sad thing? Every actor has passed on and you cannot but have a lump in the throat when you see them on the screen. Thanks for the memories guys.

This is my first ever review for Amazon so i hope you all found it useful

Thanks for stopping by

ps: I will try and update this review when i complete viewing all the discs