Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The kindest man in the world, 8 Feb 2009
Stephen Fry is fantastically clever, and witty... he is also impossibly kind, so how much you like this DVD is entirely dependant on your opinion of Fry himself. I feel unabashed adoration, so perhaps my impending glowing review is slightly biased, but if you're not a fan of his, there are a myriad other "travel" shows you'll prefer.
It's impossible to say how long Fry actually spent in the States, but there are 6 episodes in which he visits all 50 states (travelling east to west) so it's very much made to appear he makes only whistlestop visits. He doesn't dissect each state historically/politically/religiously/etymologically; rather, he introduces us to one defining feature of each. For example, in Maine he takes us lobster fishing with a 3rd generation lobster baiter (heh. "Lobster baiter". Sounds a bit rude); in Florida he takes a drive through Miami and almost weeps at its anodyne ugliness and soullessness; in Louisiana we visit New Orleans' Mardi Gras and a peculiar voodoo woman with freaky eyes and sunken cheeks...
This isn't meant to be an indepth exposition - it's just a wonderful, loving skate across the surface of all things American, as seen by the most English man in the world. Well, no, he and James May run about even on that one, but his absolute Englishness contrasts perfectly with what he's introduced to. If that implies there's a degree of scorn, that's entirely my error: he is clearly enormously fond of, and intrigued by, the USA.
When I said Fry is impossibly nice, he really is. He meets a couple of people who, you can tell, slightly offend him and he says nothing; he meets people who would presume to educate him on matters he already knows (I'm not sure there's anything this wonderful man *doesn't* know) and instead of interrupting or telling them he knows, he responds with delight and interest, allowing them to feel they're somehow imparted wisdom to someone who was in the dark. Further, he can talk to anyone. Anyone. He has a genuine warmth which people can't help but respond to; he is kind to all, even those who are prickly and unlikeable, and he is genuinely interested in what everyone has to say, be they billionaires, homeless or regular joes.
The extras are a little thin on the ground... there are 6 more meetings with people that flesh out that state a little more, but that's all. It would have been nice to have more Fryness in the extras, but am just being greedy, really. Each episode is an hour, so there is over 6 hours as it is.
What's the American equivalent of an Anglophile? A Yankophile? Well, I watched this as a huge fan of Fry's and as a Yankophile. My views on the States haven't changed. In his own perfect words, it is "simultaneously preposterous, incredibly laughable, impressive, charming, ridiculous, expensive, over-populated... wonderful America."
Fry, though, shows himself to be an unadulterated gem in all ways, and the best *possible* companion for visiting the USA. If you go into this liking him very much, expect to come away from it having fallen completely in love with who he is as a person.
Immensely enjoyable, and anything less than 5 stars would be a travesty.
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43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Witty, whistlestop tour of the States, 12 Nov 2008
The BCC made two documentary series about the USA this year. This one is the light-hearted, fast-paced one, which sees Stephen Fry gallop about the country in a black cab stopping for short segments in different states, trying to convey a flavour of America rather than the detailed historical persepctive of Simon Schama's alternative series (see Simon Schama's The American Future: A History
Stephen Fry in America is very entertaining, always presented with a wry smile and a witty comment. It contains some stunning photography of the landscape and some interesting interviews with local characters as well as Fry's two-minute historical overview of the area.
The programmes cover the West, the Mountains and Plains, the Deep South, New England, the Missisipi and the Pacific. Memorable moments include his visit to Morgan Freeman's blues bar and seeing the reality of Angola prison, going to the civil war battlefield and going underground into a missile base. Even milking sheep!
However, this programme really does try to cram too much stuff into too little time. It would have been so much better as 12-part series. Most of the interviews just get going and -- wallop! -- you have to gallop onto the next bit. Some states don't even get a look in (and some of the editing choices are bizarre. There's a lot of time spent gawping at the voodoo ritual, for instance, and Fry has plenty of time to make smart-alec jokes about sheep's private parts but barely a moment to discuss how the cheese is actually made...).
Overall though this is entertaining and informative, if rarely revelatory. It offers a window through which we can understand American culture a little better.
7/10
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic TV series!!!!, 10 Nov 2008
This is an excellent TV series. It's a unique look at the side of American life that you rarely see & Stephen Fry is the ideal host, injecting his unique perspective & brand of humour. Unlike other series, looking into America, he hasn't gone for the obvious subjects. Instead concentrating on the people & their different ways of life. His love for the country & its people is apparent & his presentation of a different side of America (away from the usual stero-typical over weight arogant race we're normally presented with) is both fascinating & informative. The filming is beautifully shot, with some stunning views (this weekends episode featuring Monument Valley was simply stunning & makes you want to jump on the next plane over there). I can't wait to get the DVD to watch even more & look forward to more of Stephen Fry presenting in the future. The natural successor to Palin. Highly Recommended !!!!
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