Tales of the City - The Complete Series

Ah! to have a landlady like Anna Madrigal, a pair of hunky guys next door (Michael Mouse and Brian!), a fag-hag party girl (Mona) and a fag-hag in training (Maryanne) all in one apartment complex! Add to that all the sex, disco and pot you can handle and you have the recipe for one of the best and most beloved TV series ever!

"Tales of the City" is without a doubt a series you must OWN! Not rent, not borrow... OWN! No gay man in his right mind should be without it and every newbie should have it as "required viewing!"

The magic of "Tales" is that it is equal parts drama, mystery, comedy, love story and a wonderful period piece.

Rarely has a relationship between an older couple been portrayed with such tenderness and when Anna Madrigal states "There are many ways to make love without having sex and they last a lot longer", you can't help but connect with her yearning for something that transcends the ordinary. She is a larger than life woman and she wants memories and passion on a grand scale.

I could not imagine anyone portaying Anna other than Olympia (though Shirley Maclaine/Bea Arthur might be interesting - since Shirley has that "other worldly quality" and Bea has that well.. "Masculine" quality!)... still, I would die a happy man if all of the six books were adapted to TV with Olympia in the lead!

I fell in love with Laura Linney with this series. She's beautiful, naive, sprited, curious and eager to make her way in the free-love world of 70's San Francisco. Her growth throughout this series and the further evolution of her character in the two sequels (thus far!) are a study in excellent acting.

Chloe Webb is also brilliant and I sorely miss her in the follow-ups. Michael Mouse's character is loveable and wonderfully annoying - I mean Marcus D'Amico is BEAUTUIFUL! and yet he's always kvetching how he'll never find his true love! (Give me HIS body and I'll find a way to suffer through!) Fortunately Michael Mouse's character is played equally as well in the follow-ups!

DeDe Halycon, Beechum and our gorgeous Dr. Fielding are all brilliant as well!

If you haven't seen this gem, your in for a REAL treat, if you have, snag that cutie who hasn't and cuddle up by the TV (drink and/or joint in hand) and settle in for your and/or his TV event (to be remembered) for a lifetime... YES, it's THAT GOOD!

Chris


So disappointed.   December 31, 2005
Eric A. Standridge (Charlotte, NC USA)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

The quality is truly the worst transfer I've ever seen. I at LEAST expected broadcast quality, but this looks like someone played their VHS copy, pointed a digital camcorder at the TV, and then transferred it to DVD. Awful. Some of the scenes even shake! Also, the dubbed swear words are so insulting to mature viewers. This is DEFINITELY not the original, unedited version. My old VHS copies are better and will continue to be viewed until a truly quality version comes out on DVD. If ever...


Something for everybody   December 30, 1998
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

The "Tales of the City" series has become dear to my heart - probably my favorite movie of all time. The characters are one's that you'll love, from Mona's search for her purpose in life, to Mouse's quest for love, to Mary Ann's innocent take on things. Especially wonderful is Olympia Dukakis as Anna Madrigal. Her devotion to the Tales movies is commendable and her performance is outstanding. All in all, this is a great story about life in San Francisco in the 70s, from gay to straight, hippies to suits, poor to weathly. The plot keeps you craving for more. Also, I have yet to meet anyone who has seen this and not liked it. And to top it, the books are even better. Enjoy!


I left my heart at 28 Barbary Lane.   February 17, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is the most feel good series on DVD, it is the closest thing to comfort food for your mind and heart. After seeing the first VHS tape of this series, I went out and bought all six of the Tales books. They were good reading when I went out to sea onboard USS Kitty Hawk. I even got other sailors to read them. Of course life at sea can be so boring you'd read the label on a bottle of GP cleaner. I finally saw the whole series when we returned from cruise. I got hold of a fourth generation copy of the series on VHS, since it was out of print at the time. I watched them on my duty day onboard the ship. By the last tape we had quite a crowd watching. It will be nice to finally see a quality copy of the series. I already own More and Further Tales on DVD. I would recommend this and the other series to anyone, although I feel the cast in this series was the best.


Still Terrific....but   March 28, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This DVD is promoted as "unedited." However, it is the same version as originally shown on PBS which WAS edited for language. Those replacement dubs of certain 4-letter words remain in this DVD. (When this original series was shown on Showtime a couple years ago, some scenes were shortened, but the actual 4-letter language was intact.) Why couldn't we have had it all?