The West Wing - Vols. 1 To 3 [2001]

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Product Details

Director : Jason Ensler
Format : Box set, PAL
Binding : VHS Tape
EAN : 5014780224957
Number of Discs : 3
Product Group : Video
Release Date : 2002-04-08
Running Time : 495minutes
Studio : Warner Home Video

ASIN : B00005YVV1

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Aaron Sorkin's American political drama The West Wing, set in the White House, has won innumerable awards--and rightly so. Its depiction of a well-meaning Democrat administration has warmed the hearts of countless Americans. However, The West Wing is more than mere feel-good viewing for sentimental patriots. It is among the best-written, sharpest, funny and moving American TV series of all time.

In its first series, The West Wing established the cast of characters who comprise the White House staff. There's Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer), a recovering alcoholic whose efforts to be the cornerstone of the administration contribute to the break-up of his marriage. CJ (Alison Janney) is the formidable Press Spokeswoman embroiled in a tentative on-off relationship with Timothy (Thirtysomething) Busfield's reporter. Brilliant but grumpy communications deputy Toby Ziegler, Rob Lowe's brilliant but faintly nerdy Sam Seaborn and brilliant but smart-alecky Josh Lyman make up the rest of the inner circle. Initially, the series' creators had intended to keep the President off-screen. Wisely, however, they went with Martin Sheen's Jed Bartlet, whose eccentric volatility, caution, humour and strength in a crisis make for such an impressively plausible fictional President that polls once expressed a preference for Bartlet over the genuine incumbent.

The issues broached in the first series have striking, often prescient contemporary relevance. We see the President having to be talked down from a "disproportionate response" when terrorists shoot down a plane carrying his personal doctor, or acting as broker in a dangerous stand-off between India and Pakistan. Gun control laws, gays in the military, Fundamentalist pressure groups are all addressed--the latter in a most satisfying manner ("Get your fat asses out of the White House!")--while the episode "Take This Sabbath Day" is a superb dramatic meditation on Capital punishment.

Handled incorrectly, The West Wing could have been turgid, didactic propaganda for The American Way. However, the writers are careful to show that, decent as this administration is, its achievements, though hard-won, are minimal. Moreover, the brisk, staccato-like, almost musical exchanges of dialogue, between Josh and his PA Donna, for instance, as they pace purposefully up and down the corridors are the show's abiding joy. This is wonderful and addictive viewing.--David Stubbs

Customer Reviews

Five stars aren't enough (2005-02-20)

You can take it from me - five stars are not enough when it comes to rating the West Wing. This series is head and shoulders above any other drama on TV. I have all of the DVD's released so far and I am anxiously waiting for Season 5 (By the way - does anyone know when it will be released?)

From the incredible writing to the exceptional performances by the actors, this show is a treat for the senses. It will have you laughing and crying and I promise you it is never dull. Some of the storylines have been almost prophetic and all have been filled with a quality unmatched by any other dramatic series.

If you have never seen this show - buy the DVD anyway. You will not be disappointed!

Can't wait for season three on DVD (2003-12-12)

Television drama at its best. My whole family sit and watch it over and over. The dialogue is superb, the humour intelligent and truly funny. The characters are a delight and the interchanges truly believable. We wait with bated breath for the next two seasons to be released on DVD.

West Wing Review (2003-05-03)

This is quite frankly the best of the best- a funny, intelligent, thought provoking drama. My dad never watches tv "fiction" He watched 33 episodes in a week- including taking a day of work to watch Bartlett, Leo, Toby, CJ, Josh and all the team.

If you don't own these, buy them and change your life.

Just buy it - it is fantastic (2003-04-24)

I rarely write reviews but what can I say - If you haven't seen it - buy it - you will love it.

It is superbly written and has brilliant casting and great acting. It will make you a fan from the first episode.

My only regret is that I wish I had never seen it so I could re-discover it.

A great series.

The West Wing - Series 1 Part 1 [1999]. - My Initiation (2003-02-09)

This was compulsive viewing from the start. It is fast moving, thought provoking, sensitive and almost has you believing that Martin Sheen really is the American President. There is a superb chemistry at work - with no exceptions - between the cast. The many threads weaving through the series, involving each character, permeating each episode, certainly provides variety and interest. As a latecomer to The West Wing, having stumbled on the dvd in a bargain sale, I am desperate to obtain a copy of Series 1 episodes 12 - 24. I don't want to watch the new series on Channel 4 until I have followed the various threads and brought myself up to speed - it would simply spoil it for me. I am not in the habit of watching programmes/films twice in quick succession, but I re-visited this series as soon as I had viewed episode 11 - a first for me.

The series provides tension, humour, sensitivity, romance, moral issues, relationships and much more. It can take some following. It raises many questions - about American political system - which I find compelled to seek out the answers to. Dare I add educational to the list. Great way to learn!

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