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Whistle Stopper - Centennial Vols 1-12
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List Price: $99.98
Our Price: $35.79
Your Save: $ 64.19 ( 64% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: William Atherton, Raymond Burr, Barbara Carrera, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Conrad
Directed By: Harry Falk, Bernard McEveety (II), Paul Krasny
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780783215129
Format: Box set
ISBN: 0783215126
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 12
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: 1997-10-21
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1978-10-01
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Centennial....a history lesson a hundred years in the making!
Comment: At long last on DVD!! I recorded this series on vhs when it was being televised. It was a labor of love and I'm so excited that finally it is becoming available on DVD. This is HOW THE WEST WAS WON on steroids. It features an all star cast and follows the town of Centennial, Colorado from conception to present day. If you like the Michener historical novels, you will love this presentation. It has great detail and interesting twists to keep you on the edge of your seat...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Finally on DVD!
Comment: Thank goodness Centennial will finally be available on DVD. My husband and I have put off buying the VHS in the hopes that it would eventually find its way to DVD. I recall vividly watching the original airing and the two of us fell in love with it. One of the catch phrases in our house is "Catch many beaver" as Pasquinel often said! My husband met Robert Conrad shortly after Centennial ran and they both joked about it. We're looking forward avidly to July 29!
Customer Rating:
Summary: There is a God in Heaven!
Comment: I'm so happy that Centennial is finally being released on dvd. The only reason we still have a vcr is to watch the vhs version of this miniseries. James Michener is a master storyteller and this adaption of his novel is superb. I remember eagerly awaiting each new installment on NBC and fell in love with the characters. The story will draw you in and keep you glued to your seat. You will come to care for and never forget these characters, and Merle Haggard's song at the end of the movie is beautiful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the DVD
Comment: I saw this with my family when I was a kid in the '70s, when it first aired. Since the invention of the DVD, I've been waiting for this to get released, so I can show it to my kids. (Over the years, I've been able to tape most of the episodes from TV, but never got them all. I wanted to make sure I had the whole series before I showed it to my kids.)
The series is phenominal. The only way they could screw this up would be a bad video transfer to disk. Here's hoping they get it right!
BTW, one of the unique things about this is that several actors played opposite their stereotypes. Actors we love to hate played endearing roles in here (such as William Atherton who played an EPA agent in Ghostbusters makes a great "Jim Lloyd" in this series), and actors who play likable characters in other films make stunning villains in this, (such as Richard Crenna's "Skimmerhorn"). And, you just gotta love Robert Conrad's "Pasquinel", even though he IS a scoundrel.
Now, if they'd just release the three mini-series "How the West Was Won" starring James Arness....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Memorable characters you will never forget
Comment: I first saw Centennial around 1989 when Channel 56 out of Boston re-ran the series every Sunday night. I was hooked from the very first minute. From Pasquinel, McKeag, and Clay Basket, to Levi and Ellie and Lucinda, to Poteet and The Longhorns, The Skimmerhorns and the massacre, to Sheriff Dumire and the Wendells, to the present day, this series is full of memorable characters that will live in your mind long after it's over. It's been almost 20 years since I first saw it, and I can still remember scenes and lines from almost every episode.
I can't believe it's only $39. I always wanted to buy it on VHS, but I could never justify the expense. As much as I loved this series, I just couldn't see paying $200 to own any TV show. As we all now know, VHS doesn't hold up very well, so I'm glad I didn't spend the money before. But for $39? On DVD? It is SO worth it.
I can't wait to see The Longhorns again. That's probably my favorite episode of all. It's typical of this show, too, because it takes a very common story (a cattle drive) and makes it truly memorable. When I get this DVD I'll start from the beginning. Even knowing what's coming, it's the characters that I look forward to seeing again.
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Editorial Reviews:
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A remarkably ambitious and engrossing project, this 1978 television miniseries ran 26-and-a-half hours, cost a then-enormous $25 million, and involved 4 directors, 5 cinematographers, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 speaking parts. Based on James Michener's panoramic bestseller about the settling of the American West--as reflected in the history of a fictional town called Centennial, Colorado--the story begins in the late 18th century and ends with a typical 20th century conflict over land usage. Centennial, however, largely concentrates on various memorable frontiersmen, trappers, Indians, ranchers, cowboys, and farmers from long ago. Richard Chamberlain shines as the pioneer Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad does some of his best work as French-Canadian Pasquinel, and performances by Alex Karras, Chad Everett, Sally Kellerman, Raymond Burr, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, and Dennis Weaver effectively add to a tapestry of adventure, tragedy, violence, and dubious Western progress. Produced at a time when TV networks were in the throes of acknowledging America's history of racial injustice, the program paints a starkly villainous portrait of opportunists exploiting and destroying Indians in the name of manifest destiny. While the project's great length might make one wary of diving in, Centennial is the sort of carefully paced drama that makes one care about the intertwined destinies of unique characters and how they illuminate America's past. --Tom Keogh
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