The name Roald Dahl, for all intents and purposes, should be a household name. Well, it is in Europe but not in the states. With only a few exceptions, his work is familiar to just about everyone, yet his name still escapes our memories. This is a travesty that must be put to right. Roald Dahl was an author. (Ring a bell?) Amongst the host of books and short stories that he wrote, several have been made into popular children’s movies. (Got it now?) Will it help if I mention the titles “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, James and the Giant Peach”, or “Matilda?” (If that doesn’t do it for you, nothing will.) Roald Dahls’ body of work encompasses far more than just those three books, and a visit to his website will certainly prove that.

Being that he was such a popular storyteller in Britain, it should come as no surprise that his many of his short stories were filmed as part of an anthology series known as “Tales of the Unexpected.” The series in turn was incredibly popular and ran from 1979 to 1988, an incredible nine seasons. But, it came as a surprise to me. I have to admit to being one of the many who is familiar with the books, but didn’t recognize the name.

Once I realized who Dahl was and took a visit to his website, I was stricken with a sense of awe over all of the work he did during his distinguished career. Even now, long after his death, his legacy is being carried on in countless ways that benefit children all over the world. It was with this newfound knowledge that I decided I had to familiarize myself with more of his work.

When I was presented with the opportunity last year to review a DVD set that was being released of the first two seasons of “Tales of the Unexpected”, I jumped at the chance. Part of the reason had to do with Dahl’s involvement with the project, but it also had much to do with the fact that I love a good anthology series. I’ve always been a big fan of shows like “The Twilight Zone” and “Amazing Stories”, so I was curious to see Dahl’s vision of this type of series.

I am please to say that the series was everything I hoped, at least most of the time. Like any anthology series, it had its hits and misses. Some episodes were far superior to others, but very few were ever bad. Like some of the more popular anthology series that aired here in the States, “Tales of the Unexpected” boasted some of the top talent in the British acting world. Stars like Joseph Cotton, Joan Collins, and Derek Jacobi graced various episodes of the series. Even the great Michael Gambon found the time to lend his talents.

On the negative side, some of the adaptations of Dahl’s stories suffered from the same problem that many of Stephen King’s movies do, which is the simple fact that it is difficult to properly adapt the written word of a well-crafted story to the screen. This isn’t to say that the series wasn’t any good; actually the truth is quite the opposite. It’s just in the case of Dahl’s work, reading it will always be better than watching it. A good case in point is that of the very first entry from “Set 1”, “The Man From the South.” It was one of the few stories I had read prior to seeing the series, and while it is a good episode, it couldn’t quite live up to what I imagined while reading it.

Once I found out that there were more episodes being released on DVD, I had to see more. Over a year later, Acorn Media has released a second set, with an additional 23 episodes that made up the third and fourth seasons. And if the cast list from the first set sounded good, get a load of the stars that graced the show in this set. John Gielgud, Telly Savalas, Joan Collins, Nigel Havers, Nigel Hawthorne, Roy Marsden, Robert Morley and Eli Wallach are just a few of the heavy hitters that you’ll find in these episodes. It was interesting to note that in these two seasons, not all of the stories were written by Dahl, and admittedly his are still the best ones. But there are a few standouts from other authors.

One small nitpick, though it is one I can get past, is that of the overall quality of the transfer. Being that the series is as old as it is, and that it was shot on both video and film, the quality is a bit scattershot. Fro the most part, everything looks fine, and it is never less than watchable. However, really nitpicky DVD owners will probably complain a bit about the various flaws in the image.

There are no extra features to speak of beyond a biography of Dahl, as well as that of some of the cast and crew. You’ll also find a few production notes, but that is pretty much it.

Aside from these few little nits, the set itself is still well worth taking a look at. The 4-disc set offers up all 23 episodes from the third and fourth seasons. Each disc has its own keepcase, which in turn are housed in a slipcase. Most of the episodes are very good, though there are few I would call scary. I also found it a treat to have Dahl introducing some of the episodes.

Episodes:
The Flypaper
A Picture of a Place
Proof of Guilt
Vengeance is Mine, Inc.
A Girl Can’t Always Have Everything
Parson’s Pleasure
The Stinker
I’ll Be Seeing You
Would You Believe It?
Vicious Circle
The Boy Who Talked With Animals
The Best of Everything
Shatterproof
The Sound Machine
Never Speak Ill of the Dead
The Last Bottle in the World
Kindly Dig Your Grave
Completely Foolproof
There’s One Born Every Minute
Bosom Friends
The Way to Do It
Hijack

Extras: Roald Dahl Biography, Production notes, Cast & Crew Biographies
Specifications: Full Frame
Studio: Acorn Media
Release Date: 3/15/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Tales of the Unexpected: Set 2 a B.