World Television Feature

Heimat
Tired of 'dumbing-down TV'? ...

There is no doubt that writer and director Edgar Reitz's "Heimat" trilogy surmounts to the most important contribution ever to world film and television drama.
Heimat has been twenty five years in the making, since production began around 1980. The three parts combined sum up to fifty four hours, telling the compelling story of five generations of the Simon family, based in the fictitious German village of Schabbach.
The story begins in 1919 at the end of World War One, and continues through the rise and fall of the Third Reich, the political and social issues of the 1960's, the fall of the Berlin Wall and finally concludes with the millennium.
Heimat was finally completed in 2004, and is hailed as the finest television drama / arthouse epic ever made. From both inside Germany and throughout the world, this series has changed peoples lives; who reflect on the emotions of love, loss, and humanity so wonderfully portrayed in this carefully paced, beautifully photographed and highly absorbing drama.
The three Heimat DVD sets are impeccably presented in book-style bindings - and collectively offer a superb library addition for any connoisseur of long-standing, quality drama.

Heimat 1
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Heimat 2
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Heimat 3
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Dead Like Me
(2003-2004)
USA
UK
Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of Dead Like Me

Heimat
(1984-2004)

(UK region 2 only for complete sets)

Heimat 1
Heimat 2
Heimat 3

See also Cult Digital's short review of Heimat

Doctor Who
(new series 2005)
USA
UK
Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of Doctor Who

Sports Night
(1998-2000)
Region 1 only
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of Sports Night - right column.

The Prisoner
(1967-1968)
USA
UK
Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of The Prisoner - right column.

Threads
(1984)
Amazon UK (Region 2) only

See also Cult Digital's short review of Threads, right column

David Attenborough "Life" Collections (Various factual programmes)
USA
UK
Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of The David Attenborough "Life" Collections.

Dad's Army
(1968-1977)

USA
UK
Canada

Little Britain
(2003-2006)
USA
UK
Canada

See also Cult Digital's short review of Little Britain

West Wing

In America, TV viewing has a particularly high throwaway feel to it, with hundreds of channels and commercial interruptions every few minutes. Because of this, viewers attention spans - and therefore any grasp of cultural substance from the occasional quality programming is pretty much fragmented into oblivion. With American TV now showing around 90% "dumbing-down-dross" instead of quality programming (and Britain is unfortunately catching up fast) it makes you wonder how a high pedigree series like "West Wing", a fictional portrayal of life in the Whitehouse, could even find viewing appreciation in such a plasticized, channel-flipping culture. In fact, shows like West Wing are able to project substance far more absorbingly in countries like Britain, where at least it can be watched with little or no interruptions.
West Wing is undoubtedly an important and brilliantly scripted piece of American television where a gun-ho culture and the kind of irony America doesn't get meet head-on; because West Wing possibly portrays the kind of intellectualized, morally-minded presidency most liberal Americans would hope was running their country ... Of course, the reality is clearly far from the truth, erm ... ironically.

West Wing
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Best Screen Adaptations of Alice

Lightly brushing the genre of 60's psychedelia, the 1966 BBC production by Jonathan Miller still remains one of two of the most original, mind-stretching adaptations of Lewis Carroll's book ... The other being Jan Svankmajer’s ‘Alice’ (Neco z Alenky) from 1988 - an outstanding, if not slightly gruesome part-animated version of the logical versus the illogical.
If you are more comfortable with the Disney's reworking of Carroll's surreal masterpiece, then Miller's or Swankmajer's eerie / dreamlike visions of wonderland may not be for you.
Both these DVD's are highly recommended by Looking-Glass Cult Digital.

Jonathan Miller's Alice in Wonderland
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
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Jan Svankmajer’s Alice
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Double Five Star Recommendations
(Region 1 + 2)

Turned off by subtitles on great foreign films?

Then why not learn the language?

Linguaphone
Languages Made Easy

Dead Like Me

Finally, a TV series that was set to cheer up the millions who had still been suffering cold-turkey since the end of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
"Dead Like Me" oozes subtle deadpan humour, great character profiles and a consistently strong script.
With flavours of "Buffy", "Six Feet Under", "Donnie Darko" and even elements of modern British comedy thrown in for good measure, this truly unusual series has it all.
The lead character 'George' is played by the gifted Ellen Muth, who as well as projecting a rather extraordinarily offbeat acting talent is also a member of Mensa. In fact, Muth's father has an entire museum named after him.
Supported by a music score courtesy of Stewart Copeland, "Dead Like Me" is destined to become a high-pedigree cult classic...
HOWEVER ... Showtime, the TV network who produced Dead Like Me, cancelled it in early 2005 after only its second series leaving a growing base of fans on the edge of their seat in anticipation for season three's revelations. Showtime have completely misjudged a global audience trend by axing a show that, through word of mouth, continues to grow into a world-wide cult TV phenomena. To give just one example of the many thousands of comments about Dead Like Me, here's an extract from a well-worded comment by "phil-525" via IMDB: "The chemistry of characters with this cast is more than exceptional. The ability to give such realism to such an absurd story premise is bewildering and you find yourself taken for a ride down this fairytale as if it were real life. This is perhaps the best program that no one has ever heard of yet and I wouldn't be surprised if it rose to one of the best series of this decade when the show becomes better known to the public."
(For more info Google "Fans Raise Hell With Showtime Over 'Dead Like Me' Cancellation")

Dead Like Me
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Threads
Cult Digital Top Choice

Made for British television in 1984, this grim and highly plausible docudrama depicts the impact and aftermath of a nuclear war.
Even 22 or so years later, "Threads" remains frighteningly pertinent and will send a shocking message of fear and realization about the finite consequences of a nuclear holocaust ... that is to anyone brave enough to watch this. (Double 5 Star)

Threads
Amazon UK (Region 2) only

Killer Net

Killer Net was a four part TV drama from 1997, penned by Linda Le Plant. Although forgotten for many years it seemed inevitable that 'Killer Net' would finally reach DVD release as one of those sub-culture type TV offerings which slowly grows into cult status, as people begin to reflect on what a unusually smart and slick-filmed drama it actually was.
In retrospect, 'Killer Net' suggests how the potential of the then fairly infantile internet can be used to project a violent if not bizarrely hypnotic plot into the mind of a naive student.
The setting of the cool-hazy-heady days of mid 1990's Brighton and the old pier add to this stylishly directed offering of an iconic branch British television drama.

Killer Net
Amazon UK

Roots

Alex Haley's ground-breaking 1977 TV drama series tells the harrowing story of one man's ancestors, from capture in Africa - transportation to America, and subsequently the generations of slavery that followed.
This series still remains one of the most important televisual insights on black American history and has subsequently helped change, for the better, the way black people are depicted on film and TV in America. Highly recommended.

Roots
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy

The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy first took shape as a book then a BBC radio series back in the 1970's - and finally followed by the TV series, computer game etc, etc. Revered by students and slightly smelly, techy intelectuals, more than general Sci-fi/ fantasy boffs, 'Hitchhikers' has simmered in the background of cult collectables for more than 25 years. But those who love it do so with absoloute passion. Its genre as comedy rather than just sci-fi, edges it more towards "Red Dwarf" territory than than "Trek" land, but all in all, it is unique ... and very British.
So in 2005 a motion picture version was released, giving rise to mountains of comments on various movie web-sites ranging from thumbs up to swaths of disapproval by the more analy-retented "hitchhiker" purists.
Whichever way, more than a quarter of a century of interest in the adventures of Arthur Dent, Arvin the Paranoid Android and Zaphod Bebblebrox et al, earns "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" as the most oddball of all cult favourites.

The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Das Boot (The Boat)

Directed by Wolfgang Peterson in 1982, "The Boat" is hailed as the best (if not most controvertial) anti-war movie / TV series ever made.
"The Directors Cut" is 209 minute widesvreen version with Digital 5.1 surround and many extras.
"The Directors Cut Superbit" version is a 209 minute high definition version with DTS surround sound for an optimal audio/visual experience.
"The TV Version" is 293 minutes long, in widescreen and digital surround, plus extra features.

Read the Amazon reviews for each version and then choose for yourself which option is preferable for your taste and technical requirements.

Das Boot (Directors Cut)
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Das Boot (Directors Cut Superbit)
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada

Das Boot (TV Series Version)
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada