Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Heimat or Homeland tells the history of Germany through the eyes of the extended multi-generational Simon family who hail from the fictional rural village of Schabbach in the Hunsrück. It is a great TV series, one of the few that can truly be called epic. The original 16 hour long miniseries eventually spawned 2 sequels to form the Heimat Trilogy which runs for a total of 54 hours. This present release is the original 16 hour miniseries now also known as Heimat I, and essentially follows the life of Maria Simon from the age of 17 in the aftermath of the First World War, through the rise of Nazism, the destruction of the Second World War, the rebuilding of Germany and its subsequent prosperity. It spans the years from 1919 to 1982 and ends with the passing of Maria. Filmed in 1984 for German TV, it features over 140 speaking roles and has literally a cast of thousands. Heimats II and III chronicle the life of Maria's son and take us through German reunification and into the new millennium. Throughout it seamlessly marries the epic sweep of history with the personal and intimate lives of its participants. The original 16 hour Heimat won the FIPRESCI Prize (awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics) at the 1984 Venice Film Festival. Its sequel, the 26 hour long "Die Zweite Heimat" (Heimat II) took home the Special Jubilee Prize at the 1992 Venice Film Festival. This monumental series certainly deserves a lot better than what Facets Video has provided. The Facets release comes with a soft, blurry picture. Colors are washed out. It is like watching a video tape. The reason is that it was transferred from a Beta cam video source. The picture quality is in short horrendous. To top it off, the large English subtitles are not removable. They are permanently burnt onto the film. There is a Region 2 version released in November 2004 (on Tartan Video). It is superior in every way imaginable and despite its higher price is the preferred choice. The picture quality there is superb because it was mastered from the original film source. The image is clear and sharp. Colors are rich and vibrant. The English subtitles are optional and can be removed. It is treated in a way that befits this grand epic. The presentation is also so much more attractive; it comes in the form of a thick hardcover book with dark leather binding and gilt edges. You can see a review and comparison of both versions at [...]. Avoid this Facets release. The Region 2 version is still available from Amazon UK although it is supposed to be a limited release. Don't be swayed by the cheaper Facets version. It does not do justice to this monumental work. Get the original. Keep in mind that your DVD player must be able to play back Region 2 discs and your system must have native PAL capability. German and UK programs are all recorded in PAL format, not the standard American NTSC.