Helen Mirren at the BBC (The Changeling / The Apple Cart / Caesar and Claretta / The Philanthropist / The Little Minister / The Country Wife / Blue Remembered Hills / Mrs. Reinhardt / Soft Targets)

I wanted to love the content, but alas, much of it is not accessible, not viewable or listenable. There are serious manufacturing errors in the disks that make much of their content inaccessible (you click on the menu choices and nothing and I mean nothing happens; you can't get past the menu) or only partially accessible (you get halfway or a little more than halfway through a play and the picture and sound seize up/freeze so bad you have to force-eject the disk to get out of it, and get it out, only to have the problem repeat over and over again, so that no matter how you try to jump past or skip the supposed "bad spot," you can never see the final half hour (or whatever) of the work. I am a media professional with high-end equipment and multiple disk players and nothing will play many of these selections and no amount of cleverness on my part can over-ride the problems. This is not a "single bad disk" issue caused by dirt, fingerprints, or scratches; it is a disk coding and manufacturing issue that affects many apparently pristine and unplayed disks in many different places. Be forewarned. You will be very frustrated.

Initially bought the wrong DVD set - it was from the UK and I was unable to play the DVDs - so disappointed! THIS is the right one to be played im American players, for anyone unsure about it.Quality of the DVDs depends on the disc, but even older ones are good enough to watch without difficulty. Don't miss her performance in "The Country Wife" - she is absolutely adorable, and makes sometimes-obtuse Restoration dialogue easily understandable (the rest of the performances are also excellent).

Not that crazy about these made for TV plays, though I much love Helen Mirren in her later mature roles in films."Blue Remembered Hills" had an interesting premise, adults portraying children in Dennis Potter's missive.

my mother is a big Helen Merrin fan, as well as myself. i watched this before i gave it to her for her B-Day. it is very good & she loved it. so if you know anyone that has a thing for Merrin, this a great gift. i will never forget her performance as Morgana in John Boorman's quintessential version of Excalibur (1981).

These are interesting for a fan of Helen Mirren. The works show her in early roles, so are interesting to compare to her more recent roles. They are not the most interesting of works themselves. I'd recommend her later roles over these if a person is limited in the number to purchase.

Helen Mirren is one fine actress.

Great collection

If you value your standing as a Helen Mirren fan, this collection is for you. It's a treat to see her in her sumptuous early career in such a wide variety of roles as well as the later vesion we have to come to know as to Elizabeths and the star of Prime Suspect. It's mostly available on Netflix for previews now.

I guess I am getting old but it seems to me real acting is almost a thing of the past. Helen Mirren is one of the few who continue to stand out as a classic actor/actress. Here she is in some of the unforgettable BBC productions of the past. What wonderful entertainment!!