Orson Welles Great Mysteries: Volume One [DVD]

Very happy with the item and delivery. Will be using this service again.

I well remember watching these shows on ITV back in the 1970s when they were shown over what appeared to be a couple of years and in our region after the 10pm news. I have found each of the 13 stories to be interesting and it’s amazing who are in these shows. It’s often an American star/s plus great British support. The stories are classic short stories from some very well known writers. The running time of just under 25 minutes makes them easy to digest. The picture quality for the era is actually very clear and the sound is good too. It’s good to see Orson Welles front the stories through his cigar smoke and I do remember that from all those years ago. I do hope we can see the remaining 13 shows on DVD soon...

As a fan of mysteries and supernatural stories, I was looking forward to seeing this series which I was completely unfamiliar with. One review states that it was meant to be shown on American TV hence the use of several American stars. However the classic British look of filmed exteriors and videotaped interiors would not have gone down well with many Americans viewers in the early 1970s. Only those who watched Public Television would not have been bothered by the format.This show appears to be patterned after Alfred Hitchcock's TV series with a celebrated host, Orson Welles, introducing each episode and providing a little epilogue. The 13 episodes that make up this set are a mix of occasional mystery and a little suspense with a few supernatural exceptions (THE MONKEY'S PAW, THE LEATHER FUNNEL, THE FURNISHED ROOM and TRIAL FOR MURDER) These are all by famous authors (W.W. Jacobs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, O. Henry, Charles Dickens). Then there is Honore de Balzac's LA GRANDE BRETECHE with its shocking conclusion. Several others have a twist ending a la Hitchcock.As often happens with most anthology series, some stories are better than others. The classic authors come off best because of their strong writing and mostly period settings. Nothing dates faster than a contemporary setting although having come of age in the 1970s, I enjoyed seeing those fashions and colors once again. The performances are also a mixed bag with such British veterans as Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee & Harry Andrews outshining most of their American co-stars. It was also interesting to see Ian Holm and Michael Gambon early in their careers.The directors are mostly Hammer veterans like Peter Sasdy and Alan Gibson and sometimes they rise to the occasion and sometimes they don't. While clearly made for television there are some interesting camera angles and effective lighting employed in some of the episodes. ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES - VOL. 1 isn't really great but if you're a fan of old British TV series than you'll find this to your liking. The only real mystery is who wrote Orson Welles' intros and outros. He didn't and they are often better than some of the episodes.

One of the first prestigious TV series to be syndicated in the U.S., "Orson Welles Great Mysteries" is a series of half-hour short stories featuring amusing, sardonic introductions from Orson Welles and some of the finest actors working at that time, including Peter Cushing, Susannah York Patrick Magee and Eli Wallach, and a wonderful theme by John Barry. Though some of the stories are overly familiar, they are handsomely mounted and quite entertaining. The episodes themselves (Welles' intros are on film, the shows are on videotape) look like they might have been shot yesterday. Hopefully this Volume One will sell well enough that we'll eventually get the remainder of the show's single season.

I like orson welles especialy the classic audio version of war of the worlds filled with great actors bieng a big hammer film fan we also have peter cushing and chrisropher lee picture is good for the time so is the sound the only gripe i have and its a very small one is i think there should have been a viewing note booklet incuded which alot of rhe original hammer films inculded but this aside it is highly recommended for the viewing pleasure and the quality of the acting great stuff

Expected a lot more from this anthology.Great actors but poor stories/screenplays.Best bit about it was when Orson Welles said at the start of each episode "This is Orson Welles speaking" whilst puffing on a great big cigar!

Orson Welles is a charming and enthusiastic host for these tales some well known others not with some famous English actors. Great for a creepy and enjoyable but not disturbing evening in.

The dvd does not play on my main dvd player attached to my home cinema system, it only plays via my apple dvd player attached to my desktop so is limited in viewing.

The product does not in American devices. The product description does not clearly indicate the lack of compatibility.