OZ Complete Collection (Season 1-6) [DVD]

Last night I watched the last ever episode of `Oz'. That was the end of a 6 week period spend watching the show from Season 1, Episode 1 to Season 6, Episode 8. I'm a huge fan of American TV Drama. In recent years I've watched The West Wing, The Shield, Mad Men, The Sopranos, The Wire, Generation Kill, Damages and The Corner in their entirety. Oz is right up there with the best TV dramas of all time. Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, formerly Oswald State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison at Delaware, USA. Many of the plot arcs are set in "Emerald City" ("Em City"), an experimental unit of the prison in which the unit manager attempts to emphasize rehabilitation and learning responsibility during incarceration. Emerald City is an extremely controlled environment where there are a controlled number of members of each racial and social group. The writing of the show is brilliant and I believe this is helped by the fact that series creator Tom Fontana was involved in the writing for every episode. I believe the slight dip in quality of writing on The West Wing was down to Aaron Sorkin's departure from the show. Oz doesn't have this problem. Although some storylines are slightly far-fetched, each episode has something to grip you and bring you back to the harsh realities of the brutal prison environment. The performances from the principal actors are outstanding. The characters are believable and you develop an emotional bond with some of them. This has a lot to do with the writing but can only have the impact it does thanks to the performances.Emerald City's idealistic founder and Unit Manager Tim McManus (played by Terry Kinney) and Warden Leo Glynn (Ernie Hudson) are faced with the day-to-day struggles and frustrations of working with many criminals who show no signs of remorse for their terrible crimes. The remorseful prisoners are generally either killed or dragged back down by the grip of Oz. This infuriates McManus & Glynn who, as well as the problems they face in Oz, also have to face up to personal problems during the 6 year run of the show. Both actors bring authority to their roles and also likeability to characters who are not always sympathetic.Rita Moreno as Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (known as Sister Pete) and Lauren Velez as Doctor Gloria Nathan are the lead female characters of the show and are present throughout all 6 seasons. Both characters work directly with prisoners to try to help them with overcoming their difficulties in Oz. Both characters have doubts about their lives during the series and Dr. Nathan in particular has to face up to two major personal tragedies.The prison chaplain Father Ray Mukada is played sympathetically by B.D. Wong and the recurring Correctional Officers Diane Wittlesey, Sean Murphy & Claire Howell (played by Edie Falco, Robert Clohessy and Kristin Rohde) are given good storylines which are well handled by the actors.Governor James Devlin is played with relish by Zeljko Ivanek (who recently starred as Ray Fiske in Damages). Devlin is not a fan of Em City and is not liked by many of the staff in Oz. His decisions throughtout the series cause a lot of hassle for the staff and inmates at Oz.That sums up those in charge but what of the inmates?Oz is narrrated by wheelchair-bound inmate Augustus Hill. These narrations by Hill break the fourth wall in that Hill addresses the camera (and thus the audience) directly, out of the fictional context of the scene. Hill is one of the most likeable characters in the show. This is probably because he's played by likeable actor Harold Perrineau Jr. It took me a few episodes to get used to the narration but after that the epsiodes wouldn't have been the same without it.A story arc that carries through the six seasons is that of Aryan Brotherhood Leader Vern Schillinger (the outstanding J.K. Simmons) and Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen). Their hatred of one another leads to many interesting storylines, especially after the arrival of Chris Keller (Law & Order SVU's Christopher Meloni) in Season 3). I was recently impressed with Tergesen's performance in Generation Kill but his brilliant, moving portrayal of the deeply troubled Beecher is on another level entirley. J.K. Simmons has the rare ability to be terrifying and hilarious in the space of a few seconds and Meloni brings intensity, sexual energy and ominous danger as Keller.The Muslims in Emerald City are led by Minister Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker). Said is highly respected in Oz not only by the muslims but my many other inmates and the administration. During his time in Oz he tries to help various inmates with legal and spiritual advice. I had never seen Walker in anything before but I hope this is not the last time as he is a tremendous dramatic actor.Simon Adebisi (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) are troubled inmates who suffer different fates. Both head on roads to salvation only to find themselves pulled back in to their old ways.Chuck Zito as Italian wise guy Chucky Pancamo and Anthony Chisholm as Homeboy Leader Burr Redding are both excellent. As are Luis Guzman and David Zayas as powerful Latino inmates Raoul Hernandez and Enrique Morales.The occassional light relief is mainly provided by inmates Bob Rebadow (George Morfogen) and Agamemnon Busmalis (Tom Mardirosian). Although they regularly provide laughs they both have extremely difficult times during the series, Rebadow has various encounters with illness, to himself and loved ones and `SPOILER ALERT' Busmalis is jilted at the altar.Many other bit-part characters get interesting storylines. Aryan gang member James Robson, biker Jaz Hoyt, death row inmate Shirley Bellinger, Italian inmate Peter Schibetta, undercover cop Johnny Basil, troubled Homeboy Omar White, Rev Jeremiah Cloutier and Correctional Officers Dave Brass and Clayton Hughes.Every member of the huge ensemble cast is impressive. In fact, the ensemble cast is one of the best I've seen on TV.If you are as big a fan of Oz as I am you'll think I've forgotten two main characters. You'd be wrong. I left my favourite characters to last. Real-life brothers Dean & Scott William Winters play inmate brothers Ryan and Cyril O'Reily. Ryan is a manipulative Irish-American serving life imprisonment for manslaughter. He is joined in Oz by his brother Cyril in Season 2 following Ryan's instruction to Cyril to commit a horrible crime.We discover that Cyril was left badly brain damaged by a blow to the head following violence caused by Ryan. This has left Cyril with the mental capacity of a five year old. We sense throughout the series that Ryan is deeply remorseful for the harm he has caused to his brother.Ryan regularly uses his manipulative abilities to get his own way but we never totally dislike him. I found the character to be extremely likeable. Much of this is down to Dean Winters. Many people will associate him with his role as Dennis (Liz's boyfriend) in 30 Rock. In Oz he brings the same likeablity factor and humour but with a touch of menace. Despite his regular criminal activity and violence towards other inmates, Ryan is extremely protective of his brother Cyril. In the final two seasons, in the face of adversity, his love for Cyril shines through and draws out an extremely moving performance from Dean Winters.Scott William Winters excels as Cyril. Many actors could have ruined the character with an over-the-top attempt at a mentally handicapped character. Winters underplays and makes the character childlike more than retarded. His interactions with his brother, particularly in the last season, are touching and emotional. I have a younger brother and know the natural instinct to protect him. These feelings, along with the excellent writing and performances led me to shed some tears in Episode 6 of Season 6 during very moving scenes between the O'Reily brothers. If you've seen this episode you'll know what I mean but if you haven't you'll find out when you watch it. I dare you not to cry!If you have never seen the show you should know that it is extreme television and features coarse language, drug use, extreme violence, male frontal nudity, homosexuality, and male rape, as well as ethnic and religious conflicts.So that's my review of Oz. I hope it's been helpful to you. I strongly recommend that you by the box set right now! If you don't you'll miss out on a wonderful tv drama experience.I'll never forget my experience of Oz.

Many people before me said that Oz is a great show, it is, believe me, so if you haven't watch it yet go buy this boxset now.I'll write this review for those who've already seen the show and wonder about what's really on the dvds (extras, audio, subs).First, I have to warn italian fans that italian audio and subtitles are included ONLY for the first four seasons: for the last two ones there is only the original audio and subtitles in english, french, dutch, danish, swedish,finnish and norwegian.About the bonus dvd: what's in there? No one ever mention it, so I'll tell you:- previews and recaps- deleted scenes- "behind the walls" music video by Kurup ft. Nate Dogg- original actors audition montage- featurette museum of television and radio forum.I've read over the internet about funny commentaries of cast and crew on some episodes: there are NO commentaries in this boxset except for a couple of deleted scenes, so be warned if you're looking for them.In conclusion a 5 stars show, but a 4 stars boxset (disappointed for the lack of commentaries).

good product

I absolutely LOVE this show! Today and as much as I did 14 years ago...This show is gritty, edgy, & as serious as a heart attack.Oz explores the life of characters inside a seriously hard-core prison--that's PRISON, not some County lock-up--characters ranging from the nun, brilliantly played by Rita Moreno, to guards, administrators, and, of course, prisoners. The tremendous ensemble cast includes: Ernie Hudson, Harold Perrineau (recently of LOST & The Unusuals), J.K. Simmons (currently of The Closer), Dean Winters, Eamonn Walker, B.D. Wong, Kirk Acevedo (most recently of Fringe), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (also of LOST), Luis Guzman, Luke Perry (yes sad I know of 90210 fame), & Edie Falco (formerly of The Sopranos & currently of Nurse Jackie).If your favorite shows are epitomized by such network fare as Prison Break, House, & 24, then this show might not be for you; however, if you also or mostly enjoy serious drama found on Premium cable networks (i.e. HBO, SHO, or Starz), shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Spartacus, True Blood, The Tudors, or Rome, then you will definitely enjoy Oz! Oz is a no-holds-barred look at life in a hard core prison. Not your ordinary prison, mind you, but a prison that is opening an experimental housing unit where every cell on the block is made completely of clear plexi walls & no part of prison life is secret. The prison is Oswald Penitentiary, or Oz, & the experimental unit is called Emerald City. Some of the hardest inmates inhabit Emerald City: the neo-Nazi played by JK Simmons, the Nation of Islam Imam played by Eamonn Walker, & the intelligent (omniscient narrator) in a wheel chair played by Harold Perrineau. Each character brings something to the show, some already hard & others made hard by their time inside Emerald City (i.e. the lawyer who's made and example of played by Lee Tergesen.As you would expect from a hard-core prison, there is violence, nudity (mostly male nudity as it is largely about male inmates in a glass prison), & what some would likely consider mild porn (though it certainly isn't porn as there is no real sexual acts being performed on camera). This certainly isn't gay porn, as many of the sex acts depicted are acts of male-on-male rape, but there are those relationships where an inmate "chooses" to become a willing sexual partner (or a "bitch") to receive protection from an inmate in a position of power. Basically, this show is an unadulterated look at life inside a prison, which includes the kinds of violence that one would expect the kinds of inmates housed here to commit. If this bothers you, don't waste your money. However, if you're secure in your sexuality or are unafraid to confront the sex & violence depicted by this show, then don't turn away from this incredible look at the dark side of humanity, wondering if something like this could be our future should society every break down for whatever reason. It's definitely a worthwhile philosophical exercise for the intellect, challenging one to identify literary archetypes & find meaning within the stories, lessons that teach us about the parts of the human psyche civilized people should be seriously afraid to explore within themselves.

After reading the reviews, I bought the complete series 1 - 6 boxset, and I'm half way through series 2 and I can't wait for it to end. Compare this to when I watched The Wire, and when I'd watch 3 episodes a night and went into mini mourning when I had watched it all. Oz is good, with some great characters but there are some really weak ones also, there is too much happening, too much white noise, so that you never see enough of these great characters develop. Now I intend to watch it to the bitter end, so maybe my opinion will change ( and I will update my review when I have), but at the moment the prospect of having to sit through 4.5 more series is not appealing.

Exactly what it says it is.

Conforme à la description et livrer dans les délais prévus bravo !

内容は言わずもがななので省略。ケースが紙製で、厚紙にディスクを差し込む…って感じなので、慎重に入れないと読み込み面にすぐ傷が付いてしまいます。固定されないので逆さ向けるとすぐに落ちるし、綺麗な状態で残したいって人には向いてません。傷を気にする方はボックスではなく、ワンシリーズごとに買ったほうが良いと思います。こちらのメリットはコンパクトって事くらいですかね。

Tutta la serie capolavoro firmata HBO racchiusa in 21 dvd (compreso quello dei contenuti speciali)Fino alla quarta stagione è compreso L'italiano sia come audio che come sottotitoli.Dalla quinta alla sesta niente audio e sottotitoli in italiano (perché in italia non sono mai state doppiate).il disco extra contiene alcuni contenuti speciali tra cui scene tagliate,video musicale ufficiale,interviste etc (descritti anche nel immagine del nel retro cofanetto)

Oz ist quasi die erste große Serie aus der HBO-Schmiede, aus welcher später bekannte Meilensteine wie The Wire, Sopranos oder auch Game Of Thrones entstanden sind.Das Hauptmerkmal war schon damals gut zu erkennen: detailierte, vielschichtige und vor allem glaubwürdige Charaktere. Dazu kommt die erschreckend realistische Weise, mit der die Geschichte der unzähligen Charaktere erzählt wird. Das Casting ist ausgezeichnet, Kenner der weiteren HBO-Produktionen werden viele Schauspieler wieder erkennen.Allerdings muss man sagen, dass der Einstieg relativ ungewohnt ist, da die Serie vorraussetzt, dass man gut aufpasst. Die vielen Handlungstränge sind verzweigt und bei den unzähligen Charakteren zu Anfang verliert man leicht die übersicht. Es wird auch nicht besonders viel erklärt, manchmal muss man einfach eigene Schlüsse ziehen. Auch serientypische Rückblenden gibt es nicht. Beides finde ich aber auch gut so. Auch gute Englischkenntnisse sollte man haben, Untertitel helfen hierbei aber.Wenn einen das alles nicht abschreckt (und O-Ton würde ich generell bei allen HBO-Serien empfehlen) darf man aber beherzt zuschlagen - man bekommt viel geboten. Die Einblicke in die Abgründe einer amerikanischen JVA und auch in die gesellschaft sind einmalig.