While exploring the history of a city like Chicago can be a monumental achievement, as was the recent case with the PBS mini-series documentary of the same name, a fictionalized exploration can be just as insightful and impressive.  This is the case of "TALES OF THE CITY," based upon the published works of Armistead Maupin.  "TALES OF THE CITY" brings the viewer smack into the lives of various characters representing the diversity of San Francisco.  It is a place like no other, and the freedom of sexuality there helps bring about a pilgrimage of sorts for a vast array of personalities looking for tolerance of a wide range of sexual behavior, not found in most of the U.S. 

Laura Linney is magnificent, as always, as a woman moving to the San Francisco Bay area in the '70s, hoping to escape the tired midwest world she's been living in.  In short, she wants excitement, and in San Francisco, she finds it! PBS also found a lot of criticism and protests when it first aired the series ten years ago!  "NYPD BLUE" and other network television shows hadn't pushed the envelope towards sex and nudity yet, and "TALES OF THE CITY" did both, liberally, in every episode.  While some felt the show's nudity was excessive and exploitative, it was actually essential in conveying the attitudes of that area and time. It helped to explain just how the "norms" of this area were so different from the rest of the country and what many people were used to. Most people, probably reacted with the same surprise as Linney when she first meets Mona, and sees her undress herself in an instant. The openness of the show's sexuality draws the viewer into it.

ACORN MEDIA has preserved the show's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.  It looks great!  While colors aren't vibrant, they're pleasant and the image is polished. There's great clarity in every scene.  Contrast is impressive, with deep blacks and grays. There are no artifacts! Fleshtones appear natural throughout. 

ACORN MEDIA has presented a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix.  There's little in the way of directional effects, but the music is excellent, and fidelity exhibits a nice range.  Dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.

ACORN MEDIA has included a wonderful commentary with Maupin, Director Alastair Reid, Linney, Barbara Garrick and Olympia Dukakis.  This is a stellar commentary.  All of these people contribute substantially in making it entertaining and informative.  While there are plenty of production stories, there are also numerous tidbits about goings-on behind-the-scenes, making it even more worthwhile and funny. 

Perhaps the best supplement, is the "Behind-the-scenes" footage!  Shot by Reid, it displays actual rehearsals and more.

We also get a colorful booklet, bio and filmographies. It's a great dvd boxed set, and the SRP of $59.95 makes it even more attractive!