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Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 1 [2003] [DVD]
 
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Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 1 [2003] [DVD]

DVD ~ Nick Stahl
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £50.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 1 [2003] [DVD] + Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD] + Mad Men - Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007]
Total RRP: £120.97
Price For All Three: £45.93

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 1 [2003] [DVD]
84% buy the item featured on this page:
Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 1 [2003] [DVD] 4.3 out of 5 stars (20)
£17.97
Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD]
6% buy
Carnivale: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (18)
£17.98
State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003] [DVD]
4% buy
State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003] [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (59)
£3.98
Mad Men - Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007]
3% buy
Mad Men - Complete Season 1 [DVD] [2007] 4.4 out of 5 stars (72)
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Product details

  • Actors: Nick Stahl, Clancy Brown, Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Patrick Bauchau
  • Format: Box set, PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: English, French, Dutch, Arabic, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 6
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: 7 Mar 2005
  • Run Time: 720 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0006GVK0M
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,100 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Synopsis
Like a cross between TWIN PEAKS and THE GRAPES OF WRATH, HBO's acclaimed television drama CARNIVALE fashions an allegorical fable about the mythic battle of good and evil set against the surreal backdrop of a Depression-era travelling circus. Having lost both his farm and family to the 1930s Dust Bowl, recent prison escapee Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl, IN THE BEDROOM, BULLY) joins an itinerant carnival in a desperate bid to escape poverty, the police, and his own discomfort with his miraculous healing powers. Ben's story is juxtaposed with that of California preacher Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), whose evangelical ministries with sister Iris (Amy Madigan) take on increasingly sinister overtones and hint at an eventual confrontation between himself and young Hawkins--whose fate seems somehow intertwined with his own through the mysterious figure of former circus showman Henry Scudder (John Savage). As the series leisurely builds to this apocalyptic showdown, there is much drama to be found in the daily goings-on of the carnival denizens. Lorded over by the pint-sized Samson (TWIN PEAKS' Michael J. Anderson) and the strangely unseen Management, the ragtag collection of sideshow freaks features blind soothsayer Lodz (Patrick Bauchau); his bearded-lady companion Lila (Debra Christofferson); matronly snake charmer Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau); her strongman son Gabriel (Brian Turk); Siamese twins Alexandria and Caledonia (Karyne and Sarah Steben); the lizard-man Gecko (notorious NEA Four performance artist John Fleck); and, most intriguingly, catatonic tarot-card reader Apollonia (Diane Salinger), who communicates telepathically with her sensitive but troubled daughter Sophie (Clea DuVall). Rounding out the eccentric troupe are wounded former baseball-player-turned-roustabout Jonesy (Tim DeKay) and a family of strippers and prostitutes comprised of mother Rita Sue (Cynthia Ettinger); her daughters Libby (Carla Gallo) and Dora Mae (Amanda Aday); and their pimpish father Stumpy (Toby Huss). Creator Daniel Knauf surrounds this impressive cast with impeccable period-piece production design, a rotating roster of directorial talent that includes Alison Maclean (JESUS' SON) and Rodrigo Garcia (fittingly, son of magical-realist writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez), and innovative storytelling that is at once supremely creepy, intellectually provocative, and emotionally gripping. This collection includes all 12 episodes of the series' highly addictive first season.

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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 (14)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An antidote for modern TV, 19 April 2005
By David Stewart Mckee "nights_dawn" (Glasgow, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Carnivale, part depression-era drama, part paranormal mystery and all told at a pace that will drive some mad with frustration. In these modern times of fast cut, action orientated tv where you are rarely given time to breathe or think (just as well in the cases of some modern genre shows) along came Carnivale. This is a story that will not be rushed, building up towards an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. This isn't your 2-3 apocalypses per season as in Buffy or Angel, this is one for the whole series. The look of the show is unique in terms of it's colour and stark landscapes and the DVD picture is clear and crisp. Such episodes as Black Blizzard will throw you into the storm with the cast. Some will be frustrated that the two "main" characters never meet, or that the first season closes with no real answers given but I found this to be refreshing and bold storytelling for a mainstream network to be behind. Even as the pace slows in the midsection the characters are believable and the relationships between them are as important, if not more, than the main plot arc. This is one of those plot devices almost lost in modern sci-fi television and to remind you all it is called "character development". This story is dark and disturbing too with some imagery that many will find disturbing and sickening, no bones about. Dead children and paedophilia feature in the first half alone and while not graphic it is still going to upset some viewers. But stick with it. This show deserves to be given time to tell the story properly and I am looking forward to the second season.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars stunning, creepy, haunting, 23 Aug 2006
By Lucy C (London) - See all my reviews
Carnivale is truly a one-of-a-kind gem. Disturbing and sublime in equal measures.
The first season is a little slow, but the visual style, top-notch acting and building sense of mystery and suspense will keep you hanging in till the end. You'll be desperate to get your hands on season two.

Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown head a cast that excels from the first scene and give the kind of subtle and real performances you'd expect from a HBO show. And the look of the show, from the landscape, the costumes, the sets, and of course the carnival itself, is absolutely breath-taking.

This is one of the best and most original American programmes of recent years.
And, after all that gushing, I have to say, I think season 2 is ten times better!
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Mesmerising Epic, 10 Nov 2005
I watched the first season with my partner and we were mesmerised from the start. The tension builds from the first scene right to the very last, 12 episodes later, with tremendous acting, characterisation and story-line. We knew that Ben, the lead character, was special in some way and boy, is he special, but he's not the only one with strange powers. Of course, we had to get hold of the second series and watched all 12 episodes, night after night. How sad are we? We're only sad that there is no more! Come on HBO, you have got to commission a third series!
Absolutely brilliant. There's nothing else like it on the box.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A total mixed bag
I am very unsure about Carnivale. The overall feel of the show is amazing. The set design and costumes really capture the period and the style of the series is very interesting... Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Johnston

5.0 out of 5 stars Geeks, Freaks, and Magic
Go on a journey,in a tale torn from the darkest recesses of the human psyche.Witness a series of sepia photographs come to life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Thai-ger

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I bought this as I had heard good reviews from people likening it to Twin Peaks but to be honest it is not a patch on it. After about 6 episodes I gave up. Read more
Published 3 months ago by kdog

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic a real 'must see'
I am quite addicted to series box sets at the moment, I got carnivale as a christmas present and from the moment i put the first disk in i was hooked! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Emmery Pemmery

5.0 out of 5 stars Something wicked this way comes...
Reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', Carnivale will quickly become compulsive viewing. Read more
Published on 31 May 2007 by C. Jones

3.0 out of 5 stars An affecting but ambiguous tale
I was lead to rent this series by the enticing promotional strap-line: "where Twin Peaks meets PJ Barnum". Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2007 by Dr. W. Onyeama

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Show But No Ending
My rating may seem poor to those who watched it but I agree with Rolo. It is a great show that does largely seem to be made up as it went along (after the inital idea). Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2007 by Leven1

5.0 out of 5 stars original and weird
any series that can add that much detail to an era, but leave the viewer desperate for more knowledge about the series, in my view, is well made and worth getting interested in... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2007 by mentally unbalanced

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional !
A fantastic series and it's a real shame that there is only two series of this wonderful show avbailable. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2006 by sartori

2.0 out of 5 stars Carnivale - a warning
I was as hooked on this amazing-looking series as much as anyone else was. Then I watched all of Series 2 and realised that the writers were making this up as it went along and it... Read more
Published on 26 April 2006 by Rolo

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