{"id":503,"date":"2013-03-10T23:52:15","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T03:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediafunhouse.com\/blog\/?page_id=503"},"modified":"2020-12-07T05:23:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T10:23:03","slug":"the-office-collection-special-edition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mediafunhouse.com\/?page_id=503","title":{"rendered":"The Office Collection Special Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
By ED <\/a>\u2013\u00a011\/04\/2011 <\/abbr>FIND OTHERS:\u00a0<\/strong>DVD<\/a>,\u00a0REVIEW<\/a>,\u00a0TV SHOW <\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
STUDIO:<\/strong>\u00a0BBC\u00a0| DIRECTORS:<\/strong>\u00a0Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant\u00a0| STARS:<\/strong>\u00a0Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Mackenzie Crook,\u00a0<\/strong>Ewen Macintosh<\/div>\n

DVD RELEASE DATE:<\/strong>\u00a011\/22\/11\u00a0| PRICE: DVD<\/strong>\u00a0$39.98
\nBONUSES:<\/strong>\u00a0new intros to first season episodes, web videos, \u201cComedy Connections:\u00a0The Office<\/em>,\u201d commentary for the Xmas special, deleted scenes, outtakes, music videos, \u201cvideo diary,\u201d Golden Globes featurette
\nSPECS:<\/strong>\u00a0NR\u00a0|<\/strong>\u00a0450 min.\u00a0|<\/strong>\u00a0Comedy\u00a0|<\/strong>\u00a016:9 enhanced\u00a0|\u00a0<\/strong>stereo<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a>Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the first season of the original British TV comedy series\u00a0The Office<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, BBC\u2019s deluxe four-DVD box set includes new supplements and the full run of the series (12 episodes and the wrap-up Christmas special).<\/p>\n

The collection reminds us why Ricky Gervais (Spy Kids 4<\/em><\/a>) is a celebrity in the first place and of how remarkably timeless\u00a0The Office<\/em>\u00a0is and how influential it became in the 2000s. The series is a known commodity in the U.S., thanks to airings on BBC America, Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network and select PBS stations, and, of course, its long-running, shark-jumping NBC adaptation of the same name. Thus, fans of the series will already have collected the episodes in some fashion \u2014 so what about the supplements found here?<\/p>\n

The primary draws are a series of five-minute introductions to each first-season episode (none for the second), which were shot at the same time as a series of web videos, also contained in this DVD set. Interviewees include the show\u2019s co-creators and directors Gervais and Stephen Merchant (Cemetery Junction<\/em><\/a>), and its stars (Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Mackenzie Crook, Ewen Macintosh). Also serving as talking-head commentators are Christopher Guest (For Your Consideration<\/em>), screenwriter Richard Curtis (Pirate Radio<\/em><\/a>), British comedian David Baddiel and fan of the show Matthew Perry (17 Again<\/em>).<\/p>\n

The most interesting topics touched on in the intros and web videos are Gervais and Merchant\u2019s canny use of the documentary form for the show and the \u201cfailed comedian\u201d aspect of Gervais\u2019 character David Brent. Gervais stresses that the documentary format gave Brent \u201chis own series\u201d and thus his over-the-top behavior. The talking heads also speak about the touching romantic subplot that involves Freeman and Davis\u2019 characters and Gervais\u2019 tendency to burst out in laughter at the drop of a hat (represented in this box at length in the series outtakes).<\/p>\n

An episode of the TV series\u00a0Comedy Connections<\/em>\u00a0devoted to\u00a0The Office<\/em>\u00a0tells of the genesis of the show, as well as where its stars have wound up in the years since. Included is an interesting list of people and programs that Gervais and Merchant admit they borrowed from (\u201cwe ripped off the best!\u201d) to create the show: Laurel and Hardy,\u00a0This is Spinal Tap<\/em>,\u00a0The Simpsons<\/em>, Woody Allen and\u00a0The Larry Sanders Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The most valuable new supplement on this DVD is the pilot for the series, in which Gervais played Brent for the first time. The situations (a lecherous job interview, a dismal practical joke, etc.) were so well-etched that they wound up appearing in the first season episodes. Still, it\u2019s interesting to see that Merchant and Gervais could have delivered the exact same series with or without a BBC budget.<\/p>\n

A few of the special features are in previous\u00a0Office<\/em>\u00a0DVD boxes, with one particular item gaining added resonance. When he\u2019s asked in a featurette on the Golden Globes ceremony, where the show nabbed two major awards, what he will do with the award he has won, future \u201cproblematic\u201d GG host Gervais answers instantly, \u201cit\u2019s great for shoving up your ass!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By ED \u2013\u00a011\/04\/2011 FIND OTHERS:\u00a0DVD,\u00a0REVIEW,\u00a0TV SHOW STUDIO:\u00a0BBC\u00a0| DIRECTORS:\u00a0Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant\u00a0| STARS:\u00a0Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Mackenzie Crook,\u00a0Ewen Macintosh DVD RELEASE DATE:\u00a011\/22\/11\u00a0| PRICE: DVD\u00a0$39.98 BONUSES:\u00a0new intros to first season episodes, web videos, \u201cComedy Connections:\u00a0The Office,\u201d commentary for the Xmas special, deleted scenes, outtakes, music videos, \u201cvideo diary,\u201d Golden Globes featurette SPECS:\u00a0NR\u00a0|\u00a0450 min.\u00a0|\u00a0Comedy\u00a0|\u00a016:9 enhanced\u00a0|\u00a0stereo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":217,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-sidebar-none.php","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-503","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"kubio_ai_page_context":{"short_desc":"","purpose":"general"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Office Collection Special Edition - 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