Blu-Ray Review: Another Stellar Release For AMC’s ‘Mad Men’

CHICAGO – The third season of the highly acclaimed and award-winning “Mad Men” was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of AMC and Lionsgate. Not only does TV simply not get much better than this hit drama but the show also continues a pattern of exceptional Blu-ray releases with perfect video, audio, and an unbelievable amount of special features.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

It may be only three years old, but AMC’s “Mad Men” has already cemented its place on any list of the best television programs in recent memory. The third season suffered from a bit of creative sag in my opinion and I wonder if the show will have the same original power that it did in its first two years now that it’s been parodied on other shows and “Saturday Night Live” but the acting has not faltered in the slightest.

Mad Men: Season Three was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 23rd, 2010.
Photo credit: Lionsgate

The performances by Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, and John Slattery are reason alone to rent “Mad Men: Season Three” and the spectacular presentation of the show and its accompanying special features turn that rental recommendation into a purchase.

Mad Men: Season Three was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 23rd, 2010. Photo credit: Lionsgate

The action of “Mad Men: Season Three” moved to 1963 and while many of the themes stayed the same - the progression of women in the workforce, the deepening of the cultural revolution taking place at the time - there was an interesting multi-cultural angle with the addition of the great Jared Harris and the men seemed more notably world-weary as the era of three-martini lunches seemed to be catching up with them.

Once again, it was the characters not the symbolism that distinguished the show. These are wonderfully realized, full-rounded characters of the kind that you don’t usually see on TV outside of HBO and Showtime. If you’re new to “Mad Men,” start with the first two spectacular (and arguably a shade better) seasons and then move on to the third. It may represent a slight dip in quality but it’s still one of the best shows on television.

Of course, a show as richly detailed as “Mad Men” works best in 1080P and Lionsgate has really out-done themselves with “Mad Men: Season Three,” a set that stands with anything recently released in terms of picture quality. The episodes have been perfectly mixed and are pristinely presented. They are accompanied by a cavalcade of special features that include a commentary on every single episode:

o Mad Men Commentaries – Matthew Weiner and his cast and crew invite viewers to join them as they explore each episode through feature-length audio commentaries
o “Medgar Evers: An Unsung Hero” – A documentary exploring the life and legacy of slain Civil Rights Activist, Medgar Evers
o “Clearing the Air: The History of Cigarette Advertising” – A visual depiction of the relationship between Big Tobacco and Advertising
o “We Shall Overcome: The March on Washington” – The historic “I Have A Dream” speech accompanies a pictorial gallery of the March on Washington
o Mad Men Illustrated – Meet the mad artist behind the illustrations inspired by Mad Men
o Flashback 1963 – An interactive look at the inventions, events and people that defined the year

[19]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [20] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [19]