This is Coronation Street (1960/2000)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Tony Warren
Directed by Gabrielle Osren, Derek Bennett, Eric Price, and Michael Scott
Narrated by Sir John Mills
Starring William Roache, Betty Alberge, Ben Kingsley, Joanna Lumley, Noel Dyson, Ivan Beavis, Margot Bryant, Violet Carson, Kenneth Cope, Christine Hargreaves

Released by: Acorn Media
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: First disc, episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format; second disc, yes.

My Advice: Rent it, or buy it if you’re a fan of the show and British TV

Coronation Street is one of Britain’s best-loved evening serials, combining complex character interaction and drama with moments of pure comedy, just like the life it imitates. Set in the working class neighborhoods of northern England, the show presents an ensemble cast of misfits, solid members of society, and family that mirrors the best and worst about the life we all have to lead.

The first disc of this two-disc set presents approximately two hours of this venerable series: the first five episodes ever broadcast. The cast contains an impressive variety of people, introducing viewers to the overlooked depths of working class neighborhoods, not to mention the overlooked depths of the residents themselves. The strong female characters, while often a bit overbearing and dysfunctional, are still an all-too-realistic breath of fresh air in a world of television still dominated by stereotypes, male fantasies in black leather, or black widow characters.

The second disc presents a seventy-five minute "40 Years on Coronation Street" anniversary special, a retrospective of the show, including interviews with the cast and crew (past and present), archival footage, and more. It is rather like a very extended DVD special feature, in that it includes all of the interesting behind-the-scenes stuff and historical information that extra features normally would have. Retrospectives are always a time for people to talk about all that was good about a show and ignore all that was bad, and this show is no different. However, they are quite honest about the problems inherent in the early live shows, as well as the infighting and so on that also graced the sets for forty years running.

The audio and video quality are both rather decent, especially given the age of the original films. The five first episodes are, of course, in black and white, but this is not inherently a bad thing, and works well enough for the medium. We aren’t talking about Ingmar Bergman black and white either, so don’t worry. The second disc, containing the anniversary special, is in color. The sound and video here are what you would expect from digital cable created in 2000. The fact that the anniversary special is in anamorphic widescreen is a nice touch.

In short, if you are a fan of night-time serials or cast-based dramas, then you will enjoy Coronation Street. Anglophiles who enjoy other British dramas like EastEnders or Monarch of the Glen or even the working class comedies, like Keeping Up Appearances, then you will be especially charmed by this set, and by how influential it has been to British television and even culture. It is a great treatment of these early episodes, and we can only hope that the success of this set will lead to the release of entire seasons.