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Chiefs
Additional VHS Tape options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
VHS Tape
June 24, 1997 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
—
| — | $25.00 |
Format | Color, NTSC |
Contributor | Carradine, Heston |
Language | English |
Runtime | 3 hours and 20 minutes |
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Editorial Reviews
Three different police chiefs in three different eras become involved in a growing mystery -- who is the mass murderer behind the killing of transient youths in and around the fictional southern town of Delano over a forty year period? In this three-part, six-hour miniseries, Charlton Heston, in his return to TV acting after fourteen years (his career in television goes back to 1949), is one of the town's founding fathers and he has stayed on as a powerbroker as, successively, cotton farmer Wayne Rogers, racist Brad Davis, and college educated Billy Dee Williams become police chiefs over the years in this adaptation of Stuart Woods' novel. Keith Carradine replaced an ailing Andy Griffith as Foxy Funderburke, a disgruntled local harboring a forty year grudge, and received an Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. The production itself was nominated as Outstanding Limited Series and for art direction and set decoration.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Language : English
- Package Dimensions : 7.32 x 4.19 x 1.12 inches; 6.08 ounces
- Run time : 3 hours and 20 minutes
- Release date : June 24, 1997
- Date First Available : September 29, 2006
- Actors : Carradine, Heston
- Studio : Anchor Bay Entertainment
- ASIN : 630316823X
- Customer Reviews:
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I read the book - and it was pretty good too! As always, in my mind, I try to separate the movie adaptation from the novels they're based on, if I want to enjoy either because there's no way these two medias can replicate each other 100%. They tell the story from different methods of communication. One relies on you interpretation of words and the projection screen in your mind, the other interprets the shapes and paints all the colors on the canvas for you.
I wish they'd release it on DVD Region 1, but I've not found it legitimately yet. The DVD should give it justice; use high quality menu images, don't go crazy on animating the menu if at all, and have decent option for the menu options that seem standard on a typical theater movie DVD release. Like quality captions for the hard of hearing (English) that don't interfere with a good portion of the screen, maybe a couple language option for audio or captions. Just because it's a miniseries from TV doesn't mean it doesn't deserve respect. I'd love to see some behind the scenes stuff (if available) even if it is just still shots with captions, or fun trivia from production. Even the option of a commentary might be enjoyable to some folks. This was a great movie, a fine cast, a must for every library, so we need a single DVD with the whole movie on one side, available in all the regions so everyone can enjoy it. Surely the studio can at least get the word out there or sell on Amazon on an "on demand" basis - I've seen at least one of the major companies do that - where they make the DVDs as they are ordered, especially if they feel it'll not be a huge seller, but an okay one. I would SO buy an on-demand DVD copy from the company. Even if was created from them using a VHS version that has been fully restored for the highest quality digitizing.
I found it once (partially) on YouTube and there are some bootleg DVDs out there - but I don't support that. Why should I pay good money for someone unable to take the movie from the "reel" source? I just make do with my little VHS here for as long as our ancient VHS player holds out. As is this is replacing the one we made when it showed one time in the 90s on TV ... I think it was on TNT.
Wow didn't mean to go on and on and on like that. Sorry. Great Movie! Thank you.
The story follows three generations of police chiefs in small town America, and is essentially a story of good verses bad. The good characters of Will Henry and Billy Lee, Hugh Holmes, and Tyler Watts battle against police corruption, Ku Klux Klan, bigotry, murder, and racism. The "bad" characters of Foxy Funderburke, Sonny Butts, Hoss and Emmett Spence and Skeeter Willis balance out the other side of the coin. There are so many outstanding pieces to this story it is hard to choose one character above all the others, however my personal choice for sheer intensity of characterisation would have to be Sonny Butts (portrayed by the late Brad Davis.)
However - one major complaint!
The series was originally shown on television in Australia over three nights in three, two hour blocks, including commercials, critiques, and pre and end credits. This would mean a running time of a little over 4 hours. The film was released on DVD in the UK on Region 2 and just recently in Australia on Region 4 with a running time of 3 hrs 20 mins, and several major scenes have been either deleted completely or cut short. This spoils the storyline and is completely unnecessary and frustrating. Also the picture quality is lacking in contrast and sharpness. I therefore hope that it will receive a new DVD release with EVERY scene included IN FULL!, as I'm sure the director originally intended. It would probably require a 2 DVD set rather than the single disc set available currently
The story is built around a mystery, but the real story is a classic one of heroism, integrity, courage, and race-relations; it remains relevant and inspiring in 21st-Century America, without being overly preachy. Highly-recommended viewing and, as at least one other reviewer has indicated, a nostalgic look back at a time when film studios took TV fiction series seriously enough to produce excellent drama.
It would be generous to call the quality of the VHS recording "fair," but as far as I can discover, there is no DVD or other media for this film, and for the quality of the original production, acting, and soundtrack, I give five stars. I hope that the series will be re-edited, restored, and re-released in the future.
I also enjoyed the Kindle version of the book on which the mini-series was based, and which the series faithfully reproduces.
Top reviews from other countries
Great cast, with cameo's from actors that you now recognise as household names.
I only saw this mini-series once before when it was aired in Ireland in the 80's. Always remebered it and was delighted to add to my DVD collection.