Search - The George Carlin Collection on DVD

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Zagnorch | Terra, Sol System | 11/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although I prefer his more mean-spirited and angry 1990-to-present standup comedy, I found this particular collection of early George Carlin HBO specials rather enjoyable. You see him evolve from a somewhat easy-going observer of those strange little moments in life, into a slightly softer version of his lovable mean-spirited & grumpy self as we know him today. Another great thing about experiencing his comedy in the visual medium: his exaggerated pantomimes and wonderfully goofy facial expressions. Carlin's mastery of the physical aspect of standup comedy is the reason I prefer watching his video acts over the sound-only CD releases. I truly believe one can't really appreciate GC's work until he's both seen AND heard the man! Preferably at the same time of course.Although there's some repeated material throughout George's series of hour-long specials, most notably his `Seven Dirty Words' and `My Experiences With Dogs' routines (which appear in `On Location', `Carlin Again!', and `Carlin at Carnegie'), each time the acts are a bit different. One gets to see how he adapts and refines his works so they have greater depth and impact. By his third go-round with the `Seven Dirty Words' in `Carnegie', he's got a ten-foot-long scroll of inappropriate verbiage that he reads to the audience as the closing credits roll! A list I've memorized, by the way. You know, for the next time I'm invited to a church social...Aside from the comedy itself, GC's first HBO special was interesting for having a disclaimer about the controversial nature of his `Seven Dirty Words' routine appear in the middle of the show, right before he gets down to business! Nowadays, such controversial material would be run without any fair warning whatsoever!`CG Again!' features an unusual incident: George gets a bottle of Visine and a joint thrown on stage in the middle of his spiel! If you've ever wondered how good Carlin is at improv, this little moment is a pretty good indication of his skills at making things up as he goes along!Although I originally considered `Class Clown' to be his weakest effort, it's grown on me since I took another look at it on disc. Maybe it's seein' George dressed up as a nun at the opening teaser that has altered my opinion about this particular entry in the GC HBO Specials series. Or maybe it's the weird between-routine cartoon breaks featuring his infamous News Stories, and bizarre new Sporting Events. Actually, I may never understand the reason for my new-found appreciation of this particular Carlin comedy outing. Besides, it's not like you care anyway.I didn't care too much for the `Personal Favorites' compilation disc. This is mainly due to the fact that about half of the material is culled from the other shows contained in this set! The other parts'll likely see release on DVD in the near-future, in their uncut full-hour HBO special formats. But, even though I considered the last disc to be somewhat of a dud, it's still a much better value to buy this set than it is to grab each disc separately. And now, the physical attributes of this set: the GC Collection is a wonderful space-saver. The collection is made up of four discs (`Carnegie' and `Class Clown' are presented on one platter, unlike their sold-singly counterparts), and are all stored in one large snap case that's about the same width as three single-disc snappers. Which is good, `cause I'll definitely need that extra space for the next wave of Carlin video discs, if & when that happens...`Late"