Arthur C Clarke Collection

In late 1986, when I was 14, my father bought a 10 ft. satellite dish, the old days before you had those tiny dishes like DirecTV or Dish Network. Unfortunately 1986 was a time when many of the satellite channels were becoming scrambled, most particularly premiums (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax), but at least the then-new Discovery Channel wasn't one of them (unfortunately even that channel became scrambled a little later on). I really missed the early Discovery Channel since there were only commercials ran every half hour. This was the short-lived days when the Discovery Channel was using a map logo (in 1987 was when the very familiar sunset motif logo was introduced). One show I very much remembered was Towards 2000, an Australian science and technology series, which naturally morphed into Beyond 2000, which viewers are much more familiar with. Another one of the shows from those early days I enjoyed was Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, which was originally aired on British television back in 1980 on ITV (actually Yorkshire Television, but they were a division of ITV). It seemed to cover a lot of similar ground to In Search Of... over in the States, although Mysterious World only lasted 13 episodes, while In Search of... lasted six seasons. Stuff like UFOs, the unexplained and paranormal, sea monsters, and other subject matters that can't be fully explained. Clarke might have been a skeptic but not a diehard skeptic, he did state he did see a bunch of UFOs, on the other hand, he really likes to see solid proof to be convinced. Nor did he subscribe to the Erich von Däniken school of thought where if it can't be easily explained, it had to be aliens intervening (I can imagine Giorgio Tsoukalos saying something like that on Ancient Aliens). I really enjoy the narration from Gordon Honeycombe, which gave it an ominous feel along side the frequently ominous music from Alan Hawkshaw (who apparently done a lot of studio session work as well as lots of albums under his own name through the years). Through the years the Discovery Channel continued to air the series, but eventually they thought the series would more appeal to American audiences if they replaced Gordon Honeycombe with an American narrator, and an attempt to make it "less 1980" by replacing the text that described the location (which was diagonal and yellow in the upper left hand corner) with a computer generated version.Until now, the only way you could get the series on video format in the States was to get the 1989 six volume VHS set from Pacific Arts Video (a company that was ran by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, of all people). A DVD set was made available in the UK, so unless you have a compatible DVD player or region-free DVD player (or live in the UK, naturally), you wouldn't be able to use that set. Now VEI Entertainment, based out of Canada, came with a set called The Arthur C. Clarke Collection. With that set you get Arthur C. Clark'e Mysterious World (1980), Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers (1985), and Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe (1994), but it's nice to know that you can buy them separately, in case you already own a copy of Mysterious Universe (which has been available domestically for years, both on DVD and VHS), or you can play the UK version of Mysterious World (I don't believe World of Strange Powers had been made available on DVD previous, but it was available on VHS).What you get here is all 13 episodes of Mysterious World on two DVDs, but there is no bonus material. It's nice to see these episodes again the way they were meant to be before the Discovery Channel decided to "modernize" and "Americanize" this program. Each Episode even ends with the "Yorkshire Television" banner with that trademark "Y" that looks like a "V" (although the Yorkshire Television intro with the horn fanfare interpretation of the Yorkshire folk song "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at" that begins each episode was omitted, probably do to property rights of ITV). I have to say the picture quality is rather good for 1980. I go as far as saying the picture quality is better than the In Search Of... DVD box set that VEI also made available. Probably because the film was better preserved. I only wished the cover art was better. I wish that the package showed the Crystal Skull of Doom (that was owned by Anna Mitchell-Hedges) rather than a dinosaur skeleton, since seeing the Crystal Skull open up every episode was what made my day when I was 14 and still does to this day (of course you get to see the Crystal Skull intro on the DVD). I am also glad to own the DVD of Mysterious World, because I own a couple Pacific Arts VHS tapes of various episodes and the quality of the tapes have deteriorated so bad it's practically unwatchable, but then they were used when I bought them and it's hard telling what kind of abuse they went through. Now for you US and Canadian residents, you can now finally get to enjoy the series on DVD, which means this purchase comes highly recommended.

Love the unexplained

Interesting subjects still, although some subjects covered are a bit repetitious. I finally received a good working and viewable set after having to return a previous set and waited on purpose for awhile to purchase a new one. The first set had 3 episodes that would not play and in some cases I thought the quality of the pictures was a bit on the soft side, but the impossibility to play 3 episodes was the main reason for return. I noticed however that in this set also, that in the beginning of each episode, when they introduced Arthur Clark and mention his accomplishments, it was mentioned among other things that he is the author of 2001 and later, also in the NEW disc set that I received, when in the later episodes an different lady introduces these accomplishments, he is the author of 2010 ! Not such a big deal of course, but I thought when I received my first flawed disc set that this was also an indication that something was wrong with the transfer of the disc in addition to 3 episodes not playing.Minor observations now that this new set I received is of very decent quality considering the age of the films when they were taken. So, any body who likes these types of documentaries, this is still a worthy set to add to your collection but check for the little imperfections that some discs might have and don't hesitate to exchange them if it bothers you. Hopefully you don't have to and thus enjoy it.

The irony of this show is that it's written or informed by super cynic Melvin Harris. Every episode starts with "keep an open mind" and ends with an excoriation of the mystic point of view. Ultimately, this fits nicely with my "In Search Of" box set, YouTube premium account and Wikipedia.on speed dial. I use all of these to try and understand the unsolved mysteries in my daily life- for example, why I can't seem to find two matching socks of most pairs after I do the laundry; why I can't seem to find a matching lid to a jar in my cabinet, or why most women I find interesting won't date me. Those kinds of things.

This DVD set contains the entire run of three different British TV series produced by Yorkshire Television in the Eighties and Nineties. It covers everything from ancient civilizations to paranormal human abilities with just the right balance of open minded curiosity and scientific skepticism. The episodes have stood the test of time pretty well and are worth repeated viewings. I have to admit, I take a certain amount of guilty pleasure in binge watching old shows like this one and In Search Of! I highly recommend the collection for anyone who is a fan of vintage TV about mysteries and the paranormal.

I deeply respect Arthur C. Clark & have read every word he has written including the attempts at finishing ideas he started by other authors (unfortunately). Exactly the same thing went on with Michael Crighton (probably spelled that wrong) posthumously. They both speak in a one-of-a-kind voice that is simultaneously powerful, intelligent, captivating, & wise. So, having not watched TV in 45 years I assumed that this would reflect visually on-screen . . . NOPE! It begins the series with him as the narrator which is why I give it 3 Stars but all too soon that ends. He was obviously not into doing this as the genius professional that he is, my loss.

If you're interested in mysterious phenomena, and you're also annoyed by the current hype or noise surrounding the subject, I recommend this series. Clarke handles the curiosities he presents with a nice balance of enthusiasm and skepticism. It's well produced for its time.Another thing I recommend to you is the book Unexplained! by Jerome Clark, specifically the second edition. I've looked at a lot of books about the supernatural, and this one is by far the best I've seen.

Expedited replacement. enjoying video collection. very satisfied with purchase.

This is a great series in the vain of IN SEARCH OF, and UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. Each 1/2 hour episode is hosted by Arthur C. Clark and there are 8 discs to the set. Picture and audio quality is not bad. Glad I bought it!

Wonderful informative box set perfect condition

Although it might be older information, from what we know now, it basically shows how everything became known.

Clarke, as writer and scientist, brought out some unique topics in these three series. Many that scientists today still don't discuss or put aside for other pursuits. Clarke was a solid presenter and he kept an open mind although he didn't believe... He was a scientist after all, and evidence is gold to science. That a respected scientist and sci-fi author would tackle these issues needs commending. Each episode was nicely done.One disc was slightly scarred so I lost a couple episodes as my player couldn't read, but for the 12.00 I paid for it on sale, I'm not complaining.

Fantastic collection from one of the greatest super brains of the modern era. The series has aged incredibly well. Fifth star not achieved due to there being no bonus features on any of the discs.