70s Famous Five on DVD

[RDMorrell]

Wow, this is like a dream come true! Only ... please, please, please release it in Region 4 as well! After all, the series was broadcast in New Zealand in the early 1980s (it's what got me on to the Famous Five books!).

Suggestions for extra features:

1) Interviews with core cast members (Marcus, Gary, Jennifer and maybe others if they're still alive/can be found). Perhaps there could also be interviews with the people who did the German dubbing.

2) Audio commentaries. Gary, Marcus and Jennifer could do them individually or together. I'm sure they'd have lots of fascinating bits of trivia and memories to share! Maybe some of the other child actors, or even the villains, could comment on specific episodes that they were in. (E.g. Gary and Julie Davis could comment together on the episodes with Jo in them.)

3) A full version of the theme tune.

4) Bloopers and outtakes (if any still exist)

5) Perhaps a mini-documentary, which could incorprate cast interviews, but also show behind-the-scenes footage, appearances on other TV shows by cast members at the time and examine some of the merchandise associated with the show.

[Wayne Pyer]

This is indeed great news. I look forward to any updates you have for us in the near future Timmy and Petermax.

[Moonraker]

It's all a bit confusing, Play.com is offering the complete series with the 70s actors named, but the picture on the cover looks like the 90s cast! Curious.

[Timmy254]

That's confusing, indeed The same DVD is available on amazon.co.uk and there they've listed the cast from the 90s series: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Famous-Five-Com ... B00178X2TU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks, Petermax for the translation and Dick for the summary.
Walter Potganski from moviemax GmbH movies & more, Munich said that the DVD will probably be released around mid-September (that would make a perfect birthday present for me ).

[Dick Kirrin]

That's confusing, indeed The same DVD is available on amazon.co.uk and there they've listed the cast from the 90s series: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Famous-Five-Com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... B00178X2TU

That's for the very good reason that it is a DVD collection of the 1996s series. It can be bought with a different cover in Germany, but if I'm not mistaken it wasn't offered in GB. So many British fans of the 96s edition bought this CD which is in Dutch, I think with the option to switch to the English soundtrack as well.

Cheers

Dick Kirrin

[Petermax]

Wow, this is like a dream come true! Only ... please, please, please release it in Region 4 as well! After all, the series was broadcast in New Zealand in the early 1980s.

Region coding is only usually applied to DVD releases of Hollywood films. Most DVD editions of TV series tend to be Region 0, playable on just about any DVD player. There are however, exceptions to this which can be very frustrating to those living outside Europe.

Rowan, if you can PM me the make and model of your DVD player, then I can conduct a little online research to see if its region code is hackable, this is a very simple process that involves inputting a code via the remote control.

[RDMorrell]

I usually only watch DVDs on my computer. It is possible to change your default region, but I think you can only do it so many times, so I'd rather not use up my quota of changes, although I think I've only done one switch to date, or two at most.

[Petermax]

I usually only watch DVDs on my computer. It is possible to change your default region, but I think you can only do it so many times.

Four changes maximum and then the drive is locked to the last chosen region code. A solution to this would be to instal a second DVD drive set to Region 2.

[Timmy254]

The German fansite is online again: http://ff5.lgfb.de/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
More news and details coming soon.

[peppermint peppy]

Horray...as good as bought!
Sorry Timmy because of my doubts. But there was such a lot of huddle in the past.
Is there any target date on the horizon ?

[Timmy254]

Don’t worry, peppermint peppy. I also thought, „Yeah, right!”, when I first read about it on the Cinefacts forums because of all the rumours in the past. But then I saw Karli Kolar's announcement and I knew it was true. I was so excited and I had to post it here or else I would have gone mad (or as Moonraker would say, "GAGA!").
I’m very pleased that the material is in good hands now. Karli Kolar and Felix Böhm are both huge fans of the series, too and I’m sure they’ll do their best. They’ve already done a great job up to now.

[Karli]

Don’t worry, peppermint peppy. I also thought, „Yeah, right!”, when I first read about it on the Cinefacts forums because of all the rumours in the past. But then I saw Karli Kolar's announcement and I knew it was true. I was so excited and I had to post it here or else I would have gone mad (or as Moonraker would say, "GAGA!").
I’m very pleased that the material is in good hands now. Karli Kolar and Felix Böhm are both huge fans of the series, too and I’m sure they’ll do their best. They’ve already done a great job up to now.

Thanks Timmy, we’ll do our best to support our “moviemax” friends from Munich to release a real smashing German/English DVD/Blu-ray edition.

Tony surely has an idea how difficult and which odyssey it was to reconnect the chain of title.
I already spoke about that with Tony during EB Day 2006 in Twyford.
The rights never have been public domain! That was just a dorky rubbish of some brazen fellow pirates of “Captain Jack Sparrow” or himself.

Next step is collecting ideas now for old available and new inventive DVD bonus materials…
Your ideas are always welcome.
We already collected a lot of ideas concerning DVD bonus materials but maybe we’ll get some more new ideas. –Interviews with the actors and audio commentaries, filming locations once and toaday…

@Petermax: Wouldn’t it also be great to make a small DVD bonus track with some comments of the spook train driver “Andy Crespin”?

@Tony: What about shootings during EB Day 2010?

@Gary: No ideas?

<FYI> some press releases:

http://www.video.de/news/fuenf-freunde-auf-video/286835

http://www.mediabiz.de/video/news/movie ... enz/286829

Translation:

“Famous Five”, the cult TV series by Enid Blyton of the years 1978-79, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in the near future. The Munich-based company “moviemax” (moviemax GmbH movies & more) has secured the worldwide home entertainment rights, including video on demand. All 26 episodes of the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog will appear on DVD with lavish bonus materials. A release on Blu-ray also is planned.

Very best wishes from spring-like Austria,

Karli Kolar

[Petermax]

@Petermax: Wouldn’t it also be great to make a small DVD bonus track with some comments of the spook train driver “Andy Crespin”?

An interesting idea Karli. Andy Crespin is easy contactable via Facebook should the DVD producers wish to take up this option.

[Karli]

@Petermax: Wouldn’t it also be great to make a small DVD bonus track with some comments of the spook train driver “Andy Crespin”?

An interesting idea Karli. Andy Crespin is easy contactable via Facebook should the DVD producers wish to take up this option.

The DVD producers „moviemax“ in Munich already took up this opinion due to my suggestion.

You know Andy Crespin more than me. Would be great if you could contact him and tell him about the DVD release and a planned interview concerning him and “his” spook train…

Could you do that, please?

[George@Kirrin]

Karli,

After all our correspondence I'm so so so chuffed for you along with all the fans, are you coming to the 2010 day? Be good to catch up