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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Scene Access, Uncut, SYNOPSIS: Barry Foster stars as Van der Valk - the no-nonsense Dutch detective who delighted audiences for three decades on television. As head of Amsterdam CID he is aided by the young CID Inspector Johnny Kroon (Michael Latimer) as they work their way through murders, blackmail, missing persons and the more tricky cases that come the way of the Dutch police. Supported by his wife Arlette (Susan Travers/Joanna Dunham/Meg Davies) and Hoofd-Commisaris Samson (Nigel Stock/Barry Hines), it's no wonder that this entertaining and absorbing drama series topped the ratings and is well-remembered to this day. This complete box set of all Van der Valk's adventures contains all five series, including the feature-length specials that were made in the early 1990s. ...Van der Valk - Complete Series - 11-DVD Box Set
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Van der Valk is truly an absorbing and entertaining detective drama that featured the late talented actor Barry Foster as Commissaris Piet Van Der Valk of the Amsterdam Police. With an catchy opening theme called "Eye Level," the series was not only shot on location around quaint Amsterdam and its canals, but was filled with a number of engaging stories involving murder, kidnapping, blackmail, illicit drugs, and prostitution with many elite, high-profile suspects.
Those expecting a crime drama on the order of "Mannix" or the popular UK series "The Professionals" are likely to be disappointed. Van der Valk is a detective drama similar to the popular series "Columbo" here in the US or "Bergerac" in the UK. But unlike Peter Falk's exasperating detective from the LAPD, Foster's character has a certain appeal: a cynical and hardened yet sophisticated cop with a taste for fine wines, classical music, and quoting Baudelaire.
Supporting cast is also excellent with Susan Travers as Van der Valk's wife, Arlette, and Michael Latimer as Inspector Johnny Kroon, Van der Valk's rookie detective-in-training clearly recalling the chemistry between Karl Malden and Michael Douglas in the popular "Streets of San Francisco" soon to be released here in the US on DVD. Unfortunately, this set is not remastered very well; some episodes seem fare better than others when viewed on anything larger than a 40 in plasma or LCD television.
Those expecting a crime drama on the order of "Mannix" or the popular UK series "The Professionals" are likely to be disappointed. Van der Valk is a detective drama similar to the popular series "Columbo" here in the US or "Bergerac" in the UK. But unlike Peter Falk's exasperating detective from the LAPD, Foster's character has a certain appeal: a cynical and hardened yet sophisticated cop with a taste for fine wines, classical music, and quoting Baudelaire.
Supporting cast is also excellent with Susan Travers as Van der Valk's wife, Arlette, and Michael Latimer as Inspector Johnny Kroon, Van der Valk's rookie detective-in-training clearly recalling the chemistry between Karl Malden and Michael Douglas in the popular "Streets of San Francisco" soon to be released here in the US on DVD. Unfortunately, this set is not remastered very well; some episodes seem fare better than others when viewed on anything larger than a 40 in plasma or LCD television.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Moody, grouchy detective, often clashing with his superiors, working off inspired hunches, drinks too much, episodes that rely on characters rather than mystery and finally a great catchy theme tune. No, not Morse but Van der Valk, the Dutch detective wrestling with the criminal underbelly of Amsterdam. First screened in the early `70s, and sporadically reappearing over the years until the early `90s, this was great TV and has stood the test of time.
The cases always seem to tackle difficult social issues, and often reflect very nicely the tension between the Dutch acceptance of drugs and prostitution and the need to keep the streets safe. The scripts are always intelligent, nicely paced and thoughtful, which is an important part of great drama. The other half is the actors, and in Barry Foster the character of Piet Van der Valk is brought nicely to life. A range of guest actors (including the ever reliable Geoffrey Bayldon in a particularly memorable episode) flesh out the other roles. Finally, the streets of Amsterdam are used to great effect, and really add to the mood. Along with a great sound track (the theme was the ever popular `Eye Level' by the Simon Park Orchestra) this had all the ingredients for classic telly, and that is exactly what we got.
All 32 episodes are collected here on eleven discs. There are five normal size DVD cases collected together into one sturdy cardboard outer. There are limited liner notes, consisting purely of episode synopses, and no extras. All episodes are colour, mono sound and the original 4.3 aspect ratio. For the price it isn't bad I guess, but the picture quality is pretty poor at times, and for this I am docking a couple of stars. Network have shown with their definitive `Sweeney' releases what they are capable of, and I don't expect this poor quality from them. Several of the episodes have clearly been transferred from video tapes, and the VCR heads seem to have been in need of a good cleaning as at some points there is quite a bit of the old VCR snow storm effect, which I thought I'd seen the last of when I bought a DVD player! It wouldn't take much effort to correct some of these technical issues, and I feel the set is spoiled a bit by the lack of effort.
As I said, classic drama, but poorly presented. But it will do until a better version comes along.
The cases always seem to tackle difficult social issues, and often reflect very nicely the tension between the Dutch acceptance of drugs and prostitution and the need to keep the streets safe. The scripts are always intelligent, nicely paced and thoughtful, which is an important part of great drama. The other half is the actors, and in Barry Foster the character of Piet Van der Valk is brought nicely to life. A range of guest actors (including the ever reliable Geoffrey Bayldon in a particularly memorable episode) flesh out the other roles. Finally, the streets of Amsterdam are used to great effect, and really add to the mood. Along with a great sound track (the theme was the ever popular `Eye Level' by the Simon Park Orchestra) this had all the ingredients for classic telly, and that is exactly what we got.
All 32 episodes are collected here on eleven discs. There are five normal size DVD cases collected together into one sturdy cardboard outer. There are limited liner notes, consisting purely of episode synopses, and no extras. All episodes are colour, mono sound and the original 4.3 aspect ratio. For the price it isn't bad I guess, but the picture quality is pretty poor at times, and for this I am docking a couple of stars. Network have shown with their definitive `Sweeney' releases what they are capable of, and I don't expect this poor quality from them. Several of the episodes have clearly been transferred from video tapes, and the VCR heads seem to have been in need of a good cleaning as at some points there is quite a bit of the old VCR snow storm effect, which I thought I'd seen the last of when I bought a DVD player! It wouldn't take much effort to correct some of these technical issues, and I feel the set is spoiled a bit by the lack of effort.
As I said, classic drama, but poorly presented. But it will do until a better version comes along.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I really enjoyed this series when first shown on ITV and as it has never been repeated, unlike other shows, rewatching them again on this excellent box set is like seeing a news series of 32 episodes! I loved every moment of this fine show. As the series progresses the production, stories, acting and filming get better. Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities so seeing shots of it from the 70's onwards is fantatsic. I highly recommend this series to anyone who remembers this series and who likes good detective shows set in a picturesque city. Why this has not been repeated on TV I will never know.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
quality detective show from the 1970s
Set against the cosmopolitan backdrop of Amsterdam, with its reputation for drugs and prostitution, this series explores the world of Police officer Van der Valk. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ms. M. Potter
Absorbing, Well Written, And Underappreciated.
Van Der Valk is first and foremost an absorbing, and on occasions truly great crime drama. True, in many ways it has maintained a low profile when compared with many of its... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jervis
amsterdam
we had a short break in amsterdam , which reminded us of van der valk that we watched years ago , i bought this D.V D set they are fantastic first class
Published 12 months ago by Alan Bound
Worth the money
Worth the money for the whole set of the series. Only problem is that when I view it on my computer, as I don't have a DVD player for PAL 2, the pics sometimes are a bit blurry. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sandra Ericson
The Human Side of Policing in Amsterdam
These are quality adaptations of Nicholas Freeling's intriguing Dutch mysteries and stand up well in production standards,acting and scripts since they first appeared in the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Petronius
Dutch Justice
The series is now dated but still enjoyable and many hours of viewing when there isn't much to see on the television
Published 18 months ago by Landrake
As good as I remember...
As someone who grew up watching Van der Valk and that distinctive theme tune - I was in two minds whether or not to buy this DVD set. But I'm so please I did. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Ginni
VAN DER VALK BOXED SET
This DVD was just as good as I remembered it, especially the later episodes. It looks quite dated
in the earlier episodes but that's part of the charm. Read more
in the earlier episodes but that's part of the charm. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Heather Traynor
First Class Series
I had fond memories of this series when it first appeared on Television and this excellent box set can be recommended to all Van Der Valk enthusiasts.
Published on 25 May 2010 by K. R. Clements
Great Series.
I was quite young when Van Der Valk first came out and although I must have watched some of them, I guess the theme tune was far more memorable. Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by Grumpy Cat
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