MovieFreak.com - "ER - The Complete First Season" DVD Review

Starring: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle

ER is a medical drama that chronicles life and death in a Chicago hospital emergency room. Each episode tells the tale of another day in the ER, from the exciting to the mundane, and the joyous to the heart-rending. Frenetic pacing, interwoven plot lines, and emotional connections are used to depict the stressful environment of the ER.

Intense, fast-paced, realistic, dramatic, and surprising are just a few of the many keywords to describe ER, created by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton. Right off the bat, the show introduces the viewer to the behind-the-scenes of a Chicago hospital emergency room. However, ER is not just about behind-the-scenes fluff and puff. Instead, there’s real human drama present here. The show doesn’t only focus on victims and the wounded, but at times also brings in a worried family member or friend, and sometimes the outcome of a procedure or check-up on a patient affects the ER’s staff. Really, what better way is there to portray real-life human drama than in the most important or threatening moment of someone’s life?

In this case, there is no better way for this show performs at the top of the line. The writing this season is excellent. Storylines and plot threads gradually build and develop throughout the season. Characters grow and become familiar, memorable faces. The ability to perform under the most incredible of circumstances, whether those include a regular check-up on a patient or a life-saving operation on a gun-shot victim, proves their unique talent and dedication. The doctors, nurses, staffers, paramedics, and others make up one large team, but each team member is uniquely recognizable. Anthony Edwards plays Dr. Mark Greene, a family man and secret hero of the show. George Clooney is Dr. Doug Ross, the ER’s love interest to Julianna Margulies’ Nurse Carol Hathaway. Eriq La Salle’s skilled Dr. Peter Benton introduces and trains Noah Wyle’s medical student John Carter. Also on staff is Sherry Stringfield playing Dr. Susan Lewis. These actors perform at incredible lengths and make the show so much better.

ER starts off with a powerful and fast-paced pilot presentation which runs an hour and twenty-seven minutes. The amounts of medical terms are hard to pick up on and place into conventional understanding for the casual viewer. However, sometimes action speaks for words, and ER is the perfect example showing that combining action with words creates an atmosphere that is at first hard to follow but turns out to be much more easily accessible and understandable. Naturally, ER is not always easy to get, but that’s to be expected, yet it manages a great balance of outgoing information that also teaches the viewer about certain subjects and medical terms. This show showcases some great writing and talent, and this first season sets a great precedent. The first season of ER is very fresh and includes some very fine episodes, including Blizzard and Love Labor’s Lost (the sixth to last episode receiving 5 awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series).

Disc 1B: Hit and Run / Into That Good Night / Chicago Heat / Another Perfect Day

Disc 2B: Happy New Year / Luck of the Draw / Long Day’s Journey / Feb. 5 ‘95

Disc 3A: Make of Two Hearts / The Birthday Party / Sleepless in Chicago* / Love’s Labor Lost*

Disc 3B: Full Moon, Saturday Night / House of Cards / Men Plan, God Laughs / Love Among the Ruins

Warner Bros. presents ER in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors look pretty good. There’s a lot of white and green, plus the obligatory red. Shading is decent. The print image is less than exemplar, however. There are noticeable scratches, lines, specks, and grain present throughout the presentation. I doubt it’s the transfer’s fault. Instead, the print appears to be in poor condition, and at times it's quite distracting. Despite that problem, the presentation is still in pretty decent shape. The show looks good no matter what. Oh, and the widescreen makes it look all the more cinematic, which is always a plus.

Warner Bros. presents ER in English Dolby Digital Surround Sound. This presentation accurately portrays the hectic and sometimes desperate atmosphere of an emergency room. Sound effects, the score, and dialogue penetrate the soundfield very nicely. Dialog is clear and easy to understand, unless certain chaotic events prevent even the character’s communications. Warner Bros. gives ER a pretty decent presentation that works just fine.

This 4-disc release is packed with extras. Let’s hope this set sets a fine precedent for future releases of the show on DVD. All of the features are newly-produced for this release.

First off are four commentary tracks. The Pilot episode sees two separate tracks. One is by Creator/Executive Producer Michael Crichton and Executive Producer John Wells, the other by Director John Holcomb, Casting Director John Levey, Associate Producer Wendy Spence Rosato, Editor Randy Jon Morgan, and Supervising Sound Editor Walter Newman. Sleepless in Chicago offers commentary by Producer/Director Christopher Chulack and Writer Paul Manning. Lastly, Director Mimi Leder, Associate Producer Wendy Spence Rosato, Editor Randy Jon Morgan, Supervising Sound Editor Walter Newman, and Composer Martin Davich provide commentary for Love’s Labor Lost. Essentially, there is commentary on three key episodes with generally interesting information and comments.

Disc 4 contains the meat of the extras. Let’s start with the outtakes, a 10-minute reel of flubbed lines (considering the tough medical idiom), gags (a hilarious prank by Anthony Edwards), and mishaps (unable to put on latex gloves). There are also some outtakes from interviews, including an excellent recital of dialogue by Noah Wyle. Also on hand are three additional scenes, but placing them into context of all 24 episodes is a big challenge.

Behind the Curtains is a two-part documentary that clocks in at a combined 42 minutes. This documentary is the best extra on this disc as it deals with the show’s creation, creative & production process, casting, shooting, and so on. It’s a very in-depth look at the show and discusses some hardships early on in the production; a tight schedule (working until midnight and on weekends), nearly feature-length scripts (around 80 pages), pressure on the performers (a flubbed line at the end of a take would mess up the entire take, and sometimes as many as six pages would fit into one long take). Quite incredible. There’s some really interesting stuff here. Interviews with cast (Clooney, Wyle, Margulies, etc.) and crew members (Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg, NBC president Warren Littlefield, among others) are available throughout, as are clips of the show in full-screen format and on-set footage. You can play both parts separately or as one whole by selecting the “play all” option.

Next up is the 5-minute Post Operation Procedures, which deals with the very short post-production process of the show. Medical Realism in the ER, running nearly 9 minutes, discusses the show’s most important element—realism. Adding to the importance is the tough nature, requiring the actors to memorize incredible amounts of medical terms. Interviews with the technical advisor and cast/crew members are also included here.

Lastly, there is the First-Year Intern’s Handbook—an interactive feature where viewers can navigate through a variety of information; staff roster, MED speak, County General directory, etc. Cast notes and production info is included here as well. Inside the DVD packaging is an excellent booklet that includes episode listings and synopsis, cast list, and awards information.

You can select to view the episodes with French subtitles only, and for some odd reason English subtitles are not available. The DVD’s main menu is somewhat animated and easy to navigate. Each episode runs approximately 45 minutes and is organized into six chapters. Approximate total run time for all 24 first season episodes plus the pilot is 1179 minutes.

This first season of ER is fresh and makes for a downright incredible program. At first it seems a little experimental, but after the first few episodes the show takes off and heads in the right direction. Warner Bros. gives the show a really good DVD treatment. Video quality is good but poor print quality, although sound is slightly above average. The special features are all-new pieces and the 2-part documentary gives a great outline of the show’s first season. Retail price is relatively low considering the price for other TV DVD sets. For fans and newcomers alike, ER - The Complete First Season is highly recommended.

THE SHOW/SEASON	9
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	9
OVERALL (not an average)	9