Sister Wendy – The Complete Collection (Story of Painting / Grand Tour / Odyssey / Pains of Glass)
DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:
I admire Sister Wendy Beckett’s loving, perceptive interpretations of art, presented on the sites of their housing, and I saved my money for some time, waiting for this item’s price to come down until I could afford it. What could I not love from among four of her finest BBC productions: “Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting,” “Sister Wendy’s Grand Tour,” “Sister Wendy’s Odyssey,” and “Pains of Glass”? I found out: the hideous video reproduction. You know you’re in trouble when, before a single episode is viewed, the typeface of the FBI card that warns you away from piracy is blurred. These discs look as though they were duped from VHS tapes stored in a moldy London basement. When you are trying to examine close-up details of the Mona Lisa and electronic blemishes keep appearing, disappearing, and reappearing on the image, it’s enough to make you shriek. And as the picture goes, so goes the sound: muddy and murky. Sister Wendy is not to be blamed for this. The series’ original producers are not to be blamed. Whether the fault lies with BBC or Warner Bros. (the discs’ distributors), or some combination of the two, I don’t know. All I know is that Sister Wendy and her producers have been disgraced by this technological travesty. If you are a Wendy maven or if someone is giving the set away, then I could commend it. If you are looking for something pristine and respectful, stay at at a safe distance from this embarrassment (BBC Video E2680/ISBN 1-4198-3819-9).
– C. C. Black
Far from being a stuffy academy-driven art history course, Sister Wendy has the uncanny ability to invite even the most unschooled viewer to a very deep art appreciation that will almost certainly drive a lifetime of new perspectives and a love of art. This is the perfect series to introduce children or adolescents to the joys of art, as well as tutoring them on how to develop a deeper perception that may well translate to their life in general. With the possible exception of David Attenborough (nature), and Ken Burns (history) there are few people who are so iconic, so able to engage, and so clear. Everyone should watch these series – over and over again!
– Evan Donaldson
Sister Wendy, in her quiet way, brings a wealth of information about art and artists to the viewer, and it’s fascinating. I had watched a few episodes of this on public TV years ago but had mostly forgotten about it until I heard about her death recently. I bought the series and am working my way through it.
She starts at the beginning, with prehistoric cave paintings, and moves forward in time. She has done her research, and it shows. I learned details about the artists and their creations that I’d never heard before. This series moves at a leisurely pace, so settle in for awhile and enjoy it.
– Divascribe
DVD Wholesale Main Features:
Actors: Various
Directors: Various
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, NTSC, DVD
Language: English (Dolby Digital 4.0), French (Dolby Digital 4.0)
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 4
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: BBC Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: July 11, 2006
Run Time: 520 minutes
ASIN: B000GIXLTS
