On a dutch website someone offered the complete Colditz serie on 7 DVD's. Unfortunately de seller didn't respond to my e-mails where I asked him who published the serie on DVD. Could anyone tell me where I can order de Colditz serie on DVD?
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This is not available in any form anywhere. I believe it was only ever shown once. I saw the complete series when it was first broadcast and would love to see it again,
34 years later!Rumour has it that the Americans didn't like the way they they
were portrayed in it, thats why Universal only ever aired one episode. It was shown complete in Canada however.
Write to the BBC, they're reactivating quite a few old programs nowadays.
Good grief. It's a classic: just look at the cast. Antony Valentine, the great arch-villain of the television screen.
What the hell is there for Americans not to like? There was only one in the bl00dy thing.
Yes, I think it's brilliant and Anthony Valentine as SS Major Mohn is absolutely marvellous, especially in the episode 'The Gambler' where his character really loses it. The rest of the cast are also superb, and it is a shame that it has had no commercial release to DVD. I bought a set off ebay, and although the picture leaves a lot to be desired it is quite good and will do until the day that this wonderful series receives the recognition which it deserves. Think of the scope for extras that a set like this would have - Colditz Castle, interviews with POWs who were imprisoned there, and most of the cast of the TV series are still alive as well.
shareWhilst I agree with you almost entirely, the American Senior Officer that showed up at the end wasn't that sympathetic and the American consulate in Vienna didn't cover themselves in glory. Since that was apparently true I suppose I might be a bit uncomfortable watching that scene. Not that it should stop you of course, but there you go.
shareI found it, but it turned out it was a bootleg, and not very good quality, unfortunately ...
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As far as i am aware Colditz was re-aired on UK Gold a few years back and has never been released on dvd.
i have the series backed up on dvd and it's pretty good in quality but i would still like an official version if it was ever released.
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It`s not available commercially yet but a good bet may be a company called DDHE www.ddhe.co.uk who did an excellent job on "Secret Army" a few years back-i`ll email them & see if it`s in the pipeline.
Unfortunately DDHE have just gone into receivership (bankruptcy proceedings) - so even Secret Army might disappear again if someone doesn't buy the company and keep it running.
There is a copy of Colditz at www.raretv.co.uk on 7 DVDs (£28.45 UKP) but I don't know what sort of quality it is. I have bought stuff from them in the past but it varies greatly.
Any one know?
Colditz is available at iOffer. It is a 7.5-8 out of 10 copy.I found that I tend to forgive the picture because the story is so good! The germans come across as incredibly tolerant blokes.Think I'd have bumped off Lt Carter...... :-)
shareThe BBC has finally got it's act together and is releasing the series in a 10 disc boxset on 15th Nov. 2010. Most on-line sellers have it at about £40.
shareIt is available on e-bay
sharePlenty of sets on www.ioffer.com,wonder what the quality is like.
busy
Quality is pretty good on my set, your never going to get proper dvd quality unless there is an official release which is highly unlikely now imho, i doubt anyone under 40 will remember it now but if you do remember it... it's well worth another watch now after all those years, brings back great memories and just as good as it was back then.
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Well, they've released 'Pathfinders', so I guess there's hope.
shareHas anyone bought the $30 version on IOffer.com? There is also a more expensive version with superb packaging but rather too pricey at $95, especially as an official version may be released at some point.
shareYes I have picked up a copy of the $30 copy from iOffer (since it doesn't appear to be available elsewhere). DDHE have now been bought up by another media company so it looks as though classics like Secret Army (another brilliant series with much of he same production team and a number of crossover actors including Bernard Hepton and Christopher Neame) are safe again. However I wouldn't hold your breath for a quick release of Colditz from them.
The quality of the $30 job is not brilliant as it is obviously transferred from old VHS tapes and was probably recorded in long play mode. It was all recorded from UKGold (I'd gues on BSkyB analogue service as I don't recognise the UKGold logo and I have had the digital Sky service from its release). The DVDs themselves are nicely printed (and come in plastic sleeves - so you will need to find a case for them). they have chapter points but unfortunately they don't coincide with the start of episodes which is a bit of a pain.
The picture is a bit rickety in places (obvious tracking problems for the odd moment) and the sound quality varies from reasonably good (mostly) to occasionally briefly inaudible. It is very watchable though and the picture and sound are good enough so that you can follow things easily. In a strange way the anticipation that you will suddenly find an episode collapse in heap and be unwatchable makes the series even more edgy. In a couple of episodes there are short ommisions (perhaps a line or two) where the advert break was paused during recording and not quite started again quickly enough - but it really isn't a big issue.
This was a series I missed first time round (and the subsequent rare repeats) but have wanted to watch for a while. It is brilliantly done and in the latter episodes gets so edgy you begin to wonder if the war is about to take an unexpected turn - a sign of really good drama is that it grips you even when you know the ultimate outcome. Bernard Hepton should be singled out for high praise - his uber-correct commandant is filled with subtlty which would win accolades today from all sides.
Anthony Valentine makes an excellent foil for Bernard Hepton - but actually his panic and desertion struck me as comic - and seemed to lose the plot slightly!
It is interesting that in real life the some of the British prisoners kept in contact with some of the camp guards - such was the mutual respect and understanding that built up between them.
One further comment - BBC online archive has just started a pilot period. They are accepting people to sign up and use it (don't know what the limit is) but as of today there are two episodes of Colditz available to watch via WMA and RealMeadia players. They are "The Guests" and "The Undefeated". The quality is pretty good too. (just checked the archive closed pilot is now full - but presumably it will go live at some point in the not too distant future). See www.bbc.co.uk/archive
Sounds like you got the lower quality set thats floating around, i have two Colditz sets and one is definately of a better quality than the other,
it's still a VHS tranfere obviously and does have the UK Gold Logo's, however i don't recall any real issues with sound or picture quality which is mostly pretty good imho, also the chapter points always find the beginings and ends.
Comes with artwork and a case too. [email protected]
There is an $80 version on 11 DVDs at iOffers and I took the plunge (even though I have the $30 version).
I haven't watched all the episodes yet but it is a HUGE improvement. OK it is still off UK Gold but it is broken into correct episodes, ads are edited out and the picture and sound quality are pretty good so far. The seller claims it is taken from a direct to DVD recording - and it looks like it. The pictures are still fairly soft (probably their age) but they are pretty clear and the sound is good so far (I have watched the first 10 episodes). It looks as though it was recorded from an analogue signal though (which would also account for the soft image at times). There are very occasional signs of atmospheric interference (just the odd line every now and again across the picture) but they are pretty rare and don't interfere with the sound or overall watchability.
The DVDs come in PAL or NTSC format (you specify when you order) and they come in paper sleeves which have a printed DVD label stuck on the outside. The DVDs themselves are standard DVD+R or DVD-R (again you choose) with a handwritten label (eg. Colditz Disc 1). The menus are produced by a standard DVD-VR type recorder but are servicable (if not exciting).
The DVD-VR content may be an issue on some players because some episodes are recorded in LP - and the recorder used uses a non-standard frame size (at least for PAL). They play fine on all of my players (I have 5 or 6 if you include various DVD drivers in computers) but it may be an issue on some older players.
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I saw a reference to it on SELL.COM and I have contacted the seller to see if it is available
shareColditz is being shown on the Yesterday (Freeview) channel in the UK.
http://www.freeview.co.uk/yesterday/Colditz-The-Legend