Introduction
Having been a fan of Columbo since I was small, I was delighted to be given the complete first season on DVD. I try and catch it on Channel 5 in the week when I can, but unfortunately I have to work for a living, so it is very rare that I have the chance to watch it. Peter Falk, ... Read review
TV detective fans rejoice: Peter Falk's rumpled and infallible Lt. Columbo joins the DVD ... more
precinct with a five-disc set that features the detective's first nine appearances for NBC. Though Falk as Columbo (no first name) made his TV debut in 1967, the d...
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TV detective fans rejoice: Peter Falk's rumpled and infallible Lt. Columbo joins the DVD ... more
precinct with a five-disc set that features the detective's first nine appearances for NBC. Though Falk as Columbo (no first name) made his TV debut in 1967, the d...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
It's the landmark series that inspired an entire genre. Now, television's greatest ... more
detective, Columbo, comes to DVD for the first time in this deluxe collector's set. Starring Peter Falk in his 4-time Emmy-winning role as the cigar-chomping, trench coa...
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
...Having been a fan of Columbo since I was small, I was delighted to be given the complete first season on DVD. I try and catch it on Channel 5 in the week when I can, but unfortunately I have to work for a living, so it is very rare that I have the chance to watch it. Peter Falk, who plays Columbo, made 43 episodes and two pilots from 1971-8 and then returned to the TV screen to make another 13 episodes and 10 specials from 1989-1991. One reason for ... ...
The characters/actors
Columbo was created by two writers, Richard Levinson and William Link, and featured in a TV show in 1961 called Enough Rope. This was then adapted for the stage. However, Peter Falk did not pick up the role until 1968 when a pilot episode was shown. He was not the actor that was wanted for the role - but Bing Crosby was not available for the role!
Peter Falk brought the character of Columbo to life. ... more
Introduction Having been a fan of Columbo since I was small, I was delighted to be given the complete first season on DVD. I try and catch it on Channel 5 in the week when I can, but unfortunately I have to work for a living, so it is very rare that I have the chance to watch it. Peter Falk, who plays Columbo, made 43 episodes and two pilots from 1971-8 and then returned to the TV screen to make another 13 episodes and 10 specials from 1989-1991. One reason for the popularity of the show is probably that Peter Falk refused to star in a weekly series, believing that this would be overkill. Whatever the reason, he received 4 Emmys for his performance.
The directors and writers There have been a number of directors over the years, probably the most famous of which was Steven Spielberg. Others include Boris Sagal, Patrick McGoohan (who also guest starred in one episode) and Sam Wanamaker. Again, there have been a number of writers over the years, including the creators, Richard Levinson and William Link and Steven Bochco.
The characters/actors Columbo was created by two writers, Richard Levinson and William Link, and featured in a TV show in 1961 called Enough Rope. This was then adapted for the stage. However, Peter Falk did not pick up the role until 1968 when a pilot episode was shown. He was not the actor that was wanted for the role - but Bing Crosby was not available for the role!
Peter Falk brought the character of Columbo to life. He is somewhat reminiscent of Inspector Frost (or rather Inspector Frost is somewhat reminiscent of Columbo) in that he is scruffy and unkempt, wearing a tatty raincoat, and is rarely recognised as a policeman. His manner is also unlike that of a detective - he prefers to work alone, bumbling his way through the investigation, hiding the fact that he is actually a very astute man, picking up on very small points such as a newspaper in the wrong place that eventually lead to the murderer.
Columbo has a wife, although she never appears in the show. There was a follow-on show called Mrs Columbo and starring Kate Mulgrew, but it never really took off.
There are no other constant actors in the show, at least none that are noticeable. Each episode has a guest star - in the first series, actors such as Don Ameche, Leslie Nielson and Roddy McDowall all make an appearance. The quality of the actors adds to the brilliance of the series.
The plot I won't go through each episode, but will rather give an idea of what the series as a whole is about. Columbo is an example of inverted crime fiction - that is, the viewer knows what the crime is and who the perpetrator is before the police come on to the scene. Each of the murderers is a rich, intelligent man or woman, who thinks that they are much cleverer than the police - and on meeting Columbo, they are convinced of it. Bit by bit, Columbo pieces together the clues to the investigation, always by pestering the suspect until they begin to get worried about what he knows and then slip up. Columbo, of course, is always in place to catch them at it when they slip up.
Technical bits There are four DVDs containing all seven episodes from the first series. Then here's the best bit - there are another two DVDs containing the two Columbo pilots, Prescription: Murder and Ransom for a Dead Man, which are the bonus features.
Classification: PG
Running time: 11 hours
Packaging The packaging is simple but effective; just six DVD holders surrounded in cardboard, which is then inserted into a five-sided outer box for protection, with the spine of the inner packaging showing through with the title of the DVD. Both the inner and outer packaging shows pictures of Columbo.
Conclusion I suspect that many will wonder what value there is in buying a set of DVDs containing episodes that are frequently shown on the television. I think you do need to be a fan - I prefer to have the boxed set rather than home-taped videos because I like the show so much - but of course the two Columbo pilots, which are feature-film length, also make it worthwhile. I personally feel that Columbo is one of the best TV detective shows there has been over the past 30-40 years and is hard to beat. Strangely, the repetition of the format - the inverted crime fiction - ought to become boring and yet it never does - or at least I have never yet become bored. The writers have managed to produce a show in which every episode is strong and doesn't totally rely on its star to maintain quality - although Columbo is the main character, each episode spends a lot of time with the perpetrator of the crime, which helps distract from Peter Falk's very similar performance.
There are very few detective series that I have not seen and this is the one that stands out most for me. I love Poirot, Miss Marple and a Touch of Frost, but all of them are based on well-known characters, whereas Peter Falk has taken the original idea of Columbo and moulded it into his own. Different actors have played Poirot and Miss Marple, but no-one will be able to take over from Peter Falk. The fact that no new episodes have been made since 1991 and yet the show is frequently repeated on TV to this day speaks for itself.
This is just about the best Christmas present I could have been bought (OK, I had to request it), but I would have got around to buying for myself anyway. I am now looking forward to buying the other 6 series, so watch out for more reviews.
The set is available from Amazon for £15.97 and around £13 for a new copy. I have also seen it in Tescos for ₤19.99. For 11 hours of class entertainment, this isn't bad value.
Advantages: landmark detective fiction, using inverted storytelling technique, high quality scripts Disadvantages: none
...only ever caught the odd Columbo TV film, and a snatch of a rerun from time to time of the original series having been born only 2 years before the show first aired. Likewise, hubby was too young to be allowed to stay up when it was on, and had also only caught snatches. But we did know that what we had seen, we loved. So we plumped for renting the first series on DVD, and watching one episode a week as a treat. Columbo is rather unique in detective ... ...utter chagrin.
Peter Falk's Columbo is a true work of genius. His scruffy detective has a fumbling, gentle, unfailingly polite demeanour that coupled with Falk's physical visual impairment (he has a glass eye) often causes people to think of him as generally harmless in much the same way as they would a scruffy, hand licking stray mutt. Indeed, often his fellow police officers make that same mistake, trying to point out obvious evidence to him that ...
Shroud 30.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Columbo - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)
...a scruffy looking, forgetful guy, Columbo always manages to track down his killer. The show was always more than an hour long, and half were 90 minutes, giving an almost movie depth to each episode.
IS IT ANY GOOD:
I love this show, and would watch it regularly if it wasn't for my 'anti Columbo' wife. The show works because of a couple of elements that set it apart from other detective TV:
1) The inverted detective plot - Columbo episodes start ... ...it, but watching the process Columbo goes through to find out who did it.
2) Columbo, as played by Peter Falk, is an immensely appealing character. His odd looks and shabby apparel make him stand out a mile, and his apparent absentmindedness also jumps out at you. Of course, what all this does so brilliantly is makes him seem real. Unlike most detective films or shows, there is no sense of supernatural, inhuman brilliance about Columbo - he's just ...
bruffyboy 28.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Columbo - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Easy to watch and follow Disadvantages: Too short
...without the Oxford Education. Columbo always has and always will be one of those classic inspector series in which there is suspense around every corner. Just when you think you have figured it all out, there you go another twist in the tale.
I do not particularly like the fact that you see the crime to begin with and then the program works backwards, however, it does work and works extremely well. Each episode is about the right length for the ... ...better with each one.
It's the same cigar, the same rain coat - do you ever get to meet Mrs Columbo that is the question.
A must buy for all you inspector buffs out there, in my own opinion one of, if not the nest american inspector series. ...
readalittlereadalot 16.06.2007 (19.06.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Columbo - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: well acted Disadvantages: more drama than a mystery
My only real problem with Columbo is that as you see the killer in action it does tend to take the 'mistery' away from it.
However the early episodes of Columbo have quality about them. They are not over acted like many of the other american detective dramas and although they are a bit dated they still remain at the very top of this type of drama series.
Columbo simply beats the criminals with the power of his mind, much like Poirot without all ... ...episodes are topped off by Columbo appering to make friends with the killer in the beginning, being sure that s/he will drop thier guard at some point. This usualy causes the criminal to think s/he has the better of Columbo untill the infamous phrase 'oh just one more thing...' where he delivers the killer blow to the criminal.
I like this particular set, which has six DVDs. It includes both pilot episodes.
The quality of the trancefer to DVD has ...
mjc121 01.07.2007 (02.07.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Columbo - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)
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Advantages: Excellent stories Disadvantages: Some films too long
What can I say about the exceptional Peter Falk? The boxset is great for the ultimate fan. The series's show up and coming stars like Leslie Nielson.
Columbo brings most detective stories to shame. He spots the smallest clues and we just love watching for when he realises "who did it"!
What gets me about these stories is that the killer is always so helpful. They always help Columbo in working it all out, whilst playing along with him. I love the way that killers are so helpful to him at first but start to get exaperated after a while.
Some stories, granted, are a bit long winded but most are cleverly worked out.
The only thing I have a bad opinion of is the length. They can be a bit long compared to other detective films. ...
Raincoat-clad detective Columbo (Peter Falk) is one of television's most popular private investigators. Outwardly Columbo appears to be a pushover, a quiet man who appears to only grasp rudimentary facts concerning detective work. His mind is brilliant, however, and he always appears able to ask the one question that no one else thought to ask, leading to a string of successful cases. Each episode of the series features a careful deconstruction of events by the placid cigar smoking sleuth, aiming to keep viewers second-guessing everything until the final moments of the show. This release offers 7 episodes from the first season, as well as two COLUMBO TV movies.
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