Better DVD-stuff next time please!
Don´t get me wrong. I loved the last DVD and thought it was outstanding with several different tracks of commentaries on each and every episode.
The comments were mostly good and fun.
The only thing that bothered me a bit about that was that some of it seemed to have nothing with what happened on-screen. Like it was recorded separately or something. I cant say that was the deal, but sometimes it got quite strange with all the interesting things happening and you wanted to know something about it, while someone instead talked in length about something that had nothing to do with the scene. Like for example, I thought Elisabeth´s comments were mostly wonderful, but all the talk about the fatsuit throughout several (for me) important scenes just became frustrating after a while.
Also, I would like better special-material. Those short films I had already seen on AMCs homepage. It didn´t give much having them there. It would be great with some stuff exclusive for the DVD only. Interviews and bloopers and behind the scenes maybe? Just something we haven´t seen before.
But it´s just minor whining I guess.
Personally, I can´t wait for the new DVDs.
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TyraL: I agree with you completely. I did read a criticism of the DVD's audio comments stating that sometimes the actors' comments were recorded separately then pasted together. You can see I do not know the technical terms for these things. Like you, I was more than annoyed when Elisabeth kept going on and on about Peggy's pregnancy. Her comments were repeated over scenes when Don and Betty were in very dramatic and important moments when I really wanted to hear what Jon and January had to say.
I was going to start my own thread on DVD commentaries - you beat me to it! Yes - I agree with your general points - most of the DVD season 1 stuff I'd already seen on this website. That didn't bother me so much.
However ... THE COMMENTARIES!! OK. First off I love Elisabeth Moss- great actress - seems like a lovely person and I'd be happy to have an option for a commentary from her for a show. However - she goes ON AND ON AND ON - for 8-12 minutes at times- about herself - and that FAT SUIT!! No matter what the episode, not matter the scene - she is talking about the FAT SUIT. My God - she is absolutely tramatized. Really? Really - she went from a size 4 to an 8 - she was hardly obese - but she talks about it in every commentary. It was annoying. She completely ignores the scene and other actors.
They must have taped some of the commentaries seperately and spliced them together and that is the BIG problem. Particularly in "Red in the Face" where Jon Hamm and John Slattery are taped together and then Vincent K. and January are taped together. So Vincent and January talk to each other and John/Jon talk to each other and it's spliced in. John and Jon HANDS DOWN are the most entertaining commentary on the entire DVD - they are HILARIOUS (should go on the road as Hope/Crosby hilarious) and then the DVD would switch to Januray/Vincent for 5 minutes and I'm wondering "what gems am I missing from Jon/John??" It was VERY FRUSTRATING.
This happened for many of the commentaries - it made you wonder what you were missing from the other people and it was frustrating. Put the commenting people - no matter how many - in one room together - and if you have too many - have 3 commentaries instead of 2 for each episode. What's great about this DVD is that there are 2 commentaries for almost every episode and that is fantastic.
Some of the actors understand the point of a commentary - they talk character motives, behind the scenes stuff, writing, cinematography, etc. and it's fascinating. Of course Matt Weiner is the BEST - and it should be mandatory that he does one for EVERY episode - he has so much insight to offer on every scene. I love him.
Also - it's a pleasure to hear the actors boost each other up. They all compliment each others' performance and acting etc... and that is very lovely to hear. They are also fans of the show and speak highly of the show, of Matt, of Janie the wardrobe woman etc... and that is really nice.
Finally - as I said - Jon Hamm and Jon Slattery are hysterical - they should do a commentary on every video and have it sold as a comedy album on the side. Too funny... my favorites, "Waiter, I'll have water with an olive in it, my friend will have iced tea with a fake ice cube." - stuff like that - they are very entertaining.
I actually preferred Vincent and January over Jon and John.
But at least they all followed the scenes quite well.
I didn´t have so much problems with which actors it was that commented. They all deserve to be there.
My only problem was when they didn´t followed the scenes. Like all the fat-suit talk , but I doubt that was Moss fault. She could have been cut in in a clumsy way just to fill up time.
I guess it is what you like in the end. I ain´t that interested in the lightning and the smoking and things like that so when the creators talked about that over interesting scenes it bugged me a bit too.