Columbo: The Complete 10 Season Collection
Category: DVD, TV series
Product description
The set comprises 35 disks, tidily housed in 18 thin but durable wallets, which are stored in what looks like an oversized cigar box. There is also a short written guide to the series. Low on frills, this box set is attractively put together and is an absolute treat for anyone wanting to own the complete set of Columbo episodes, which runs to 4411 minutes.
Product review
There aren't many television series that run for thirty years and the fact
that the American cop show Columbo achieved this milestone testifies
to the brilliance of its concept and the irresistible appeal of its lead
actor, Peter Falk. In all this time, we never did find out Columbo's
first name or got to meet his wife (mentioned in virtually every episode).
Nor did we ever grow bored of the same formula repeated again and again -
a supposedly perfect crime coming unravelled as an apparent idiot cop in
a crumpled raincoat goes about asking awkward questions and picking over
seeming inconsequentialities that prove the killer's guilt.
Included in the set are the two pilots - Prescription: Murder (1968) and Ransom for a Dead Man (1971) - and who do you think directed the first ever episode of the series when it finally got off the ground...? Steven Spielberg, who else? Even more impressive than the list of talented writers and directors who worked on the series is the amazing roll call of actors, which includes a fair smattering of Hollywood divas and television superstars. Patrick McGoohan (of The Prisoner fame) not only directed five episodes (some of the best), he also starred in four. Other big names who fail dismally to outsmart the pretend idiot in the raincoat are: Ray Milland, Roddy McDowall, Honor Blackman, Leonard Nimoy, Donald Pleasence, Anne Baxter and Faye Dunaway.
Spielberg's episode Murder By The Book set a high benchmark for the series which it rarely fell below in its incredible thirty year-long run. Among the best episodes are: Etude in Black (starring John Cassavetes), Identity Crisis (showcasing McGoohan at his best) and Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (with Anthony Andrews at his most devilishly charming). Later episodes did occasionally tend to get a bit too arty for their own good, but the stories still held up and Falk's effortless performance was never less than compelling throughout. Lieutenant Columbo was the greatest TV detective of them all.
Included in the set are the two pilots - Prescription: Murder (1968) and Ransom for a Dead Man (1971) - and who do you think directed the first ever episode of the series when it finally got off the ground...? Steven Spielberg, who else? Even more impressive than the list of talented writers and directors who worked on the series is the amazing roll call of actors, which includes a fair smattering of Hollywood divas and television superstars. Patrick McGoohan (of The Prisoner fame) not only directed five episodes (some of the best), he also starred in four. Other big names who fail dismally to outsmart the pretend idiot in the raincoat are: Ray Milland, Roddy McDowall, Honor Blackman, Leonard Nimoy, Donald Pleasence, Anne Baxter and Faye Dunaway.
Spielberg's episode Murder By The Book set a high benchmark for the series which it rarely fell below in its incredible thirty year-long run. Among the best episodes are: Etude in Black (starring John Cassavetes), Identity Crisis (showcasing McGoohan at his best) and Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (with Anthony Andrews at his most devilishly charming). Later episodes did occasionally tend to get a bit too arty for their own good, but the stories still held up and Falk's effortless performance was never less than compelling throughout. Lieutenant Columbo was the greatest TV detective of them all.
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