Seinfeld - Season 4 [DVD] [2005]

One of the most popular sitcoms of all time, "Seinfeld" probably would not have lasted had it aired today. However, NBC was able to see a small cult audience gathering around the show when the pilot first aired in 1989, and although the first couple of seasons didn't exactly light up the ratings, or were they the best moments of the series, the sitcom eventually began to gather some serious steam.Of course, as we all know, "Seinfeld" became one of the most influential series ever beamed over the airwaves. Running nine seasons, it pushed all the boundaries, from how the stories were told to testing the strength of accepted taboos. Before "Seinfeld", would anyone have dared talk about masturbation or feminine hygiene products on a network sitcom ? Was anyone ever killed off for comic effect on "Three's Company" or "Too Close for Comfort" ? Not bloody likely!In the characters of George, Jerry, Elaine, and even Kramer, we were able to let fly with all the things that weren't necessarily acceptable in everyday life. They were our avatars, the ones who were "just saying what we're all thinking." Granted, they took it farther than any of us ever would, even if given the space to cut loose, but that's what made it so funny. Like a fun-house mirror, it took all of our private anxieties and blew them up to a gargantuan public spectacle.Basically the show centers on neurotic New York stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, his old girlfriend who he is still friends with Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), his eccentric neighbour with outlandish ideas and wacky appearance with his upright hair and loud clothing "Cosmo" Kramer (Michael Richards), and his loyal best friend the balding, self-loathing, miserly, dishonest, petty and insecure George Constanza (Jason Alexander). Most of the episodes center around Jerry's apartment as well as many other places out and about New York City.Many minor characters appear throughout the series including but not limited to Kramer's best friend and Jerry's worst enemy Newman (Wayne Knight), Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller), Estelle Costanza (Estelle Harris), Uncle Leo (Len Lesser), David Puddy (Patrick Warburton), "J" Peterman (John O'Hurley), Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg), Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris), Mr. Kruger (Daniel von Bargen), Morty Seinfeld (Morty Seinfeld), Helen Seinfeld (Liz Sheridan) and The Soup Nazi (Larry David)."Seinfeld," in most episodes, consists of four stories that are interrelated. The four cast members live their own lives and get themselves in all kinds of messes just like real people. They are so close as friends that they have each other to fall back own when the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune get the best of them. It is quite understandable why none of the four has ever married. Even though in their 30's, Seinfeld and George are still tied to their parents. Both are also bundles of neuroses, particularly George.At least Seinfeld has his looks and job as a stand up comic to keep his ego fed. George is fat, bald, basically a loser, going from job to job, living with his parents much of the time. Elaine is attractive, has a decent job, yet is somewhat of a floozy, although she won't admit it to herself. She is also so self-centered that she is unable to give much in a relationship. Kramer, well, who could live with him ? The only friend who can tolerate him for long is Newman, that nobody likes besides Kramer.The humour throughout the series is cleverly done. It is not over the top nor is it outrageous, yet it relates to everyday events and the writers even incorporated their own experiences and brought it to life in the show. There will never be another show like "Seinfeld" and all four actors will always be remembered for "Seinfeld" no matter what happens throughout their careers. For a show about nothing, it certainly has reaped its benefits for everyone.

While previous seasons had some threads that ran through various episodes (George's job woes, Kramer's jacket, various girlfriends and love interests), Season 4 is the first to have a story line that becomes one of the major focal points of the entire season. That's right, this is the year that Jerry and George pitch their own network sitcom, a remarkably familiar show called "Jerry."I love when entertainers peel back the curtain and show us the goings-on backstage, and I particularly love it when its television, because the tone is usually far more bitter and caustic than in any other medium. The Seinfeld gang is no less biting when it comes to gnawing on the peccadilloes of the network machine than they are with the idiosyncrasies of everyday life. From the two-part opener in Hollywood through the one-hour finale, "The Pilot," the writers have a blast working over the intricacies of the system. The executives are aloof and strange, completely disconnected from reality, while the actors are...well, less aloof, but still strange and completely disconnected from reality. (Watch for future stars Mariska Hargitay and Jeremy Piven auditioning for Elaine and George. In fact, I could do a whole tangent on actors who many saw for the first time on Seinfeld. This season alone had Teri Hatcher, Megan Mullally, Denise Richards, and Jane Leeves.)Having these particular episodes on DVD, complete with the usual batch of extras, takes yet another hammer to the fourth wall. Having been watching all the supplements as I've gone through each disc, by the time I got to Season 4, many of the anecdotes and the people featured were already familiar to me. The truth and the fiction is so twisted and bent, there is no longer any sense in separating one from the other.Smartly, the show creators didn't let this story take over the entire season. Though there was a greater cohesion over these 22 episodes--the Joe Davola stalkings, Morty Seinfeld's wallet, George's mom in and out of the hospital--the meat and potatoes were still best in the individual helpings. Season 4 gave us several more quintessential Seinfeld episodes, including "The Smelly Car," "The Airport" (another labyrinthine script about being trapped in a particular place), and perhaps the most notorious of all, "The Contest." "The Contest" is a must-see example of how far modern television can really go. The bet between the four friends to see who could abstain from masturbating the longest is one of the funniest things ever to be put on television, spawning multiple catchphrases through its many ways around saying what the show was actually about. Who doesn't know what it means to be "master of your domain"?EPISODES: * The Trip: Part 1 (audio commentary with writer Larry Charles) * The Trip: Part 2 (writer Larry Charles) * The Pitch / The Ticket * The Wallet * The Watch * The Bubble Boy * The Cheever Letters (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards) * The Opera * The Virgin * The Contest (Jerry Seinfeld) * The Airport (writer Larry Charles) * The Pick * The Movie * The Visa * The Shoes * The Outing (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards) * The Old Man * The Implant (writer Peter Mehlman) * The Junior Mint (Jerry Seinfeld) * The Smelly Car * The Handicap Spot original version/The Handicap Spot syndication version with Jerry Stilller (including a new introduction by Jason Alexander) * The Pilot: Part 1 & Part 2 (production designer Tom Azzori and director/producer Tom Cherones)

Season 4, another fine season - sees the introduction of George's girlfriend - Susan Ross, who, becomes an integral part of the Seinfeld friend group. Some of the funniest episodes are on here, like when the girls think George has a small manhood, to a rather lewd competition (guest starring Jane Leeves) - it's a roller coaster ride through the life of one comedian, and certainly more than just nothing. This is the season where "Jerry" gets pitched to NBC.My favourites here are nearly all of them, especially the contest, as it's wall-to-wall laughter. I also liked the pick, as someone who got accused of picking their nose as a kid when not doing so, I can sympathise with Seinfeld over this. I also like the mint episode where Kramer accidental gets a mint stuck in a patient.Again, this is well written comedy, Larry got really into the swing of things, and Seinfeld's acting got better. The star for me was the extras, like when Jane Leves turns up. I like the fact that this series played more on older series, like bringing back Kramer's scent "The Ocean" and finally having Wayne Knight as a permanent actor paid off.The DVD set is 4 disks, with all 24 episodes - all in 4:3. The menus are still fun, with the Seinfeld set as the main feature. There's still plenty of good stuff, like out takes, commentaries, animations and inside looks, so this can literally entertain you for a week or more.Another excellent season.

Best comedy series of all time, best season of that best series. What more can be said?

Pour ce qui est de la livraison Amazon, toujours aussi efficace.La série en elle-meme n'est plus à présenter, c'est une serie culte.Amateur de sitcoms et si vous ne connaissez pas, foncez!

Back in the days when "Seinfeld" was a television phenomenon, I didn't watch it.There were some good reasons for that. I was working 50 hours a week in those days - sometimes more; I played softball in a couple of night leagues and was on a bowling team. When softball season ended I played in a YMCA basketball league and did some volunteer work with a nonprofit organization raising money for under-financed hospitals in Honduras.The point is, I was seldom home when the show was being broadcast and, as a result, I never saw it.That changed because of YouTube.Now that I'm retired and writing mystery novels to fill in my days and nights, I sometimes tune into YouTube since I don't own a television.(I know, sounds un-American but it's the truth.)I like YouTube because I can watch interesting documentaries, catch a little political ranting and raving, and watch clips of comedians.It was while surfing YouTube looking for some comedy that I discovered "Seinfeld" for the first time: It was a short clip set in Jerry's apartment in which the immortal line "They're real, and they're spectacular" was uttered by Terri Hatcher.Oh my...Intrigued, I did a little research and watched a few interviews about the show to get a sense of it. In one of those interviews Julia Louis-Dreyfus noted that this was the show's breakout season and so I ordered it.It's hilarious and, frankly, I wish now that I had found the time to watch it back in the day.The ensemble cast blends together perfectly and the guest stars all bring something interesting and unique to their performances.Most of all, however, I love the writing.As a former journalist turned author, I have lived most of my life turning words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into stories. It's all I've ever wanted to do and because that's true I am always searching for writers who can catch my attention and hold it. Usually, I find those writers in the pages of books but every now and then I run across people who can do that in movies and on television.If this season is any indication of their talent, the men and women who wrote "Seinfeld" are certainly among the best I've seen.This season has been reviewed hundreds - maybe even thousands - of times so I'm not going to delve deeply into its episodes. Suffice it to say that there are no clunkers in this set. I also enjoyed the "behind-the-scenes" interviews and notes.In short, one of the best purchases I've made in a long time.

a parte che per le prime 2 stagioni, ho ripiegato sull'edizione tedesca per guardare in lingua originale.4 dvd , custodia larga abbastanza, e via di risate anni 90

Die vierte Seinfeld Staffel von 1992/93 beginnt mit der Doppelfolge „Der Trip nach LA" und endet ebenfalls mit einer Doppelfolge "Die Fernsehshow". Diese Staffel ist besonders hervorzuheben, da sie die für mich beste Seinfeld-Folge aller Staffeln beinhaltet. Es ist die Folge #51 mit dem Titel: „Der Wettstreit". Nach dem George beim Onanieren von seiner Mutter erwischt wird und seinen Freunden Jerry(Seinfeld), Kramer und Elaine davon unmittelbar in ihrem Stamm Coffeeshop berichtet, kommt es zwischen ihnen zu einer Wette. Wer würde es wohl am längsten ohne... aushalten. Man könnte glauben, dass diese obszöne Thematik allerhöchstens für primitive Unterhaltung gut wäre, doch auch in dieser Folge verstanden es die Produzenten ein solches Tabu aufzugreifen und sinnvoll in die Serie einzuflechten. Seinfeld verliert hierbei keineswegs an Niveau. Die anschließende Folge #52 „Auf dem Flughafen" gehört für mich persönlich ebenfalls zu den Highlights der gesamten Seinfeld-Serie.Wer jetzt immer noch nicht weiß, wovon ich eigentlich spreche, kann von mir eine Rezension über Seinfeld unter der dritten Staffel finden, in der ich kurz beschreibe, worum es in der Sitcom Seinfeld geht. Für alle anderen, die Seinfeld kennen und lieben brauche ich das nicht weiter zu erwähnen. Wer sich die vierte Staffel bestellt, besitzt auch mit Sicherheit schon die Staffeln 1-3. Absolut empfehlenswert!!!