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Foyle's War: Series 8 (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Acorn Media Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (19th January 2015). |
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The Show
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the show from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Michael Kitchen returns to the screen as Detective Chief Superintendent Foyle, a man of scrupulous integrity who, having survived the First World War, solved crime in Hastings during the Second and now finds himself working with MI5 to keep the country safe, while bringing justice to those who deserve it. In High Castle, Foyle is drawn into the world of corrupt Nazi businessmen when a University Professor is found brutally murdered in a London park. When it transpires the Professor was working as a translator in Nuremberg, Foyle realises there are powerful people trying to conceal secrets from the war. In Trespass, tasked with ensuring security at a high level Palestinian conference, and with signs that a plot to bomb the conference maybe under way, Foyle faces a race against time to uncover not only the truth, but where the truth lies. Meanwhile Sam is determined to help a young boy in Adam’s constituency when she realises his life may be in danger because he cannot afford hospital care. In Elise, when his colleague Hilda Pierce is nearly killed in an attempted assassination, Foyle must re-examine her top secret role during the war to find out if there was a traitor at the heart of the Special Operations Executive.
Video
Acorn Media have presented the eighth series of the hit television show "Foyle's War" on to DVD in the United Kingdom, using the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is anamorphic, and looks just as good as you would expect a new show to look. Set in the 1940s, the show has a colour scheme that is reminiscent of the era with lots of browns, greys, and beiges throughout. The dull tones are perfect for the show, but lighter colours are also strong when required, especially when it comes to building decor. Blacks are deep throughout with minor insignificant crush only. Details are average for such a show, with no issues, though some external shots such as that at 74:28 on the "Trespass" episode highlight some strong detail in the depth filled background. Close-ups showcase some solid details in clothing, and smaller details on characters faces are at the higher end of average. For some reason, one or two external scenes in the third episode don't seem be quite as sharp as the other two episodes, but are still more than adequate and the difference in quality is slight - contained to a couple of small scenes. According to IMDB, the series is shot on 16mm, but in all honesty, it doesn't have a particularly heavy grain structure so I'll make a small educated guess that this is maybe incorrect. There are no issues with damage of any kind, such as scratches or dirt. The show is uncut, and each episode receives its own disc.
Audio
Acorn Media have presented us with a single audio track for this release; English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - just like the original ITV broadcast. The sound design here is good, and although channel separation is of course minimal, there are no issues worth noting. Dialogue is crystal clear at all times, and you can even pinpoint particularly rowdy individuals in crowds, such as the scene in episode two when a mob firebombs the house of an old Polish couple. The score by Colin Towns (Rawhead Rex, Doc Martin) is what you would expect, and suits the tone of the show well. Subtle effects add a little depth, and the track never feels flat or tired. There are no problems with drop outs, scratches, or background hiss. Optional English subtitles for the hard of hearing have been included.
Extras
DISC ONE We kick off the extras on disc one with an interview with actor John Mahoney entitled "The John Mahoney Files" (19:44). You may be surprised to find the American sitcom icon ("Frasier") in Foyle's War, but his presence in the episode is strong. The interview was filmed in Manchester, England on the 29th January 2014 and starts with Mahoney bigging the show up and briefly discussing his own fascination with the show. He talks about his character, not undertaking special preparation and why he works differently to some actors, being part of the Steppenwolf Theatre Group, and much much more. I never realised his British connections, finding out that John was born in Blackpool, and lived in Manchester for nineteen years. A solid interview. Next up, an episode specific featurette entitled "High Castle: The Truth Behind the Fiction" (13:05). This has creator Anthony Horowitz and historical consultant Terry Charman discussing various aspects of the storyline, and their relation to actual history. Both are quite lively, and their passion for the show and history in general shines through. Horowitz takes charge, but makes sure that he is directing questions towards Charman, and it becomes a friendly informative discussion. A must for anyone interested in the historical aspects of the show. The "Driving Foyle" extra is four pages of text notes about the vehicles used by Michael Geary, whose family-run company operates 85 vehicles of their own, and whose network of classic car fanatics helps give true realism to so many shows we see on television. The main vehicle they have provided here is Foyle's Wolseley 14/60 which is, according to the notes, synonymous with the British police of the era and capable of holding both actors and camera crew inside. This is an interesting little extra, albeit a bit short, but thankfully the vehicles are covered in one of the featurettes on disc three. Disc one also houses a standard picture gallery (1:11), and a "Behind the Scenes" photo gallery (0:50). DISC TWO The first extra on disc two is the "A Day in the Life of Foyle's War" featurette (25:24). This is focused more on the series as a whole and takes a view at a wide range of subjects via interviews with various members of the cast and crew. They discuss the characters and the setting in good length whilst also making sure that some of the subjects that don't normally get much airtime are also included. I guess this I would class this as a general making of, which gives us the main details, but there is always room for more depth. One of the more interesting little tidbits was finding out how they make some of the maps or other similar props. Was also nice to see some raw footage from when creator (and writer of all three episodes of the series) Horowitz visits the set. "Trespass: The Truth Behind the Fiction" featurette (15:49) is another episode-centric extra that has creator Anthony Horowitz and historical consultant Terry Charman discussing various aspects of the storyline, and their relation to actual history. This time, a lot of the focus is on the politics of Palestine just after World War II, and what life was like before the NHS. Once again, this is a cracking team-up and a nice extra to be included. DISC THREE The final set of extras start with the "Back in Time with Foyle's War" featurette (26:20). Another cracking little extra which looks at various aspects of World War II, we get to learn quite a lot about Woodvale Air Field in Liverpool which was built in 1941, the aircraft used by the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Serge Hazanavicius' experience working on an English set, the various vehicles used in the show, the planes used in the show, and much much more. This shows just how much effort goes in to making the show's period setting as realistic as possible. The final extra is of course another episode-centric featurette with creator Anthony Horowitz and historical consultant Terry Charman entitled "Elise: The Truth Behind the Fiction" (21:07). This is yet another in-depth chat about the historical context of the episode in a relaxed setting. Horowitz talks about the fact that this episode is the one that closely parallels really people more than any other in the show, but more interesting to me was the discussion about the sub-plot, the spivs, and the black market. All extra features include optional English subtitles for the hard of hearing.
Overall
For a long time ITV have trailed behind the BBC in television drama, but in recent years they have made great strides in closing that gap. Unfortunately, series 8 of "Foyle's War" marks the end of one their better offerings.
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