Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1039 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-24
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: Albanian, Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 334 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
From practically the first episode, broadcast in 1989, The Simpsons impacted on planet TV like a giant multi-coloured meteor. With a claim to being the defining pop cultural phenomenon of the 1990s--hip, fast, sharp and primary--there was nothing even in rock & roll to match this. The Simpsons is possibly the greatest sitcom ever made. Although the animation was initially primitive, never before had cartoon characters been so well drawn. There had been loveable middle-aged layabouts on TV before, but Homer Simpson successfully stole their crown and out-slobbed them all in every department ("The guys at the plant are gonna have a field day with this," he grumbles in "Call of The Simpsons" as he watches scientists on a TV news item who can't decide whether he is incredibly dense or a brilliant beast). However, in this first series he isn't quite yet the bloated man-child he would become in later series; instead he's a growling patriarch with a Walter Matthau-type voice. His sensible half Marge's croak, meanwhile, has yet to settle down, while the vast cast of minor Springfield characters have yet to find their place. Bart, however, was a smash from the start: dumb as Homer but spiky-haired and resourceful, he sets out his manifesto in "Bart the Genius"; while "Moaning Lisa" spotlights his over-achieving sister and is a good early example of the series' clever handling of melancholy bass notes.

Throughout its life there's always been confusion as to whether The Simpsons is a show for kids or adults, but with allusions in these first 13 episodes to Kubrick, Diane Arbus, Citizen Kane and (in a very satisfyingly anti-French episode) Manon des Sources, it should already have been clear that this was a programme for all ages and all IQs from 0 to 200. Dysfunctional they may have been, but the Simpsons stuck together, and audiences stuck with them into the 21st century. --David Stubbs

On the DVD: The packaging is good but the 13 episodes are spread very thinly here, with just five each on discs one and two . The commentary track is intermittently interesting though a tad repetitive, as creator David Groening is joined by various other members of the team. The third disc has some neat extra stuff, including outtakes, the original Tracey Ullman Show shorts and a five-minute BBC documentary, but is again fairly brief. The menu interfaces are pretty clunky, annoyingly forcing you to watch endless copyright warnings after each episode and with no facility to "play all". The content is wonderful, of course, but three discs looks like overkill. --Mark Walker

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

All 13 episodes
Ratio 1.33:1
Dolby 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: Spanish

Disc 1:
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Bart the Genius
Homer's Odyssey
There's No Disgrace Like Home
Bart the General
Moaning Lisa
Bonus Features: Original scripts featuring notes by Matt Groening for "Bart the Genius", "Bart the General" and "Moaning Lisa". All episodes are accompanied by commentary.

Disc 2:
Call of the Simpsons
The Telltale Head
Life on the Fast Lane
Homer's Night Out
The Crepes of Wrath
Krusty Gets Busted
Bonus Features: All episodes are accompanied by commentary

Disc 3:
Some Enchanted Evening Bonus Features: Original script notes by Matt Groening
Outtakes from un-aired version of an episode
Animatic of an episode with commentary by Matt Groening and David Silverman
The Making of The Simpsons "America's First Family"
Easter Egg ABC News Special on a reported controversy
"Tracey Ullman Show" First ever Simpsons to air on Tracey Ullman Show
Five Foreign Language Clips
Early Sketches Stills Gallery
Magazine Covers

Synopsis
This collection presents the original 13 episodes from the first season of THE SIMPSONS, including such classics as Krusty Gets Busted, featuring the first appearance by Sideshow Bob; There's No Disgrace Like Home, in which Homer tries to get the family to shape up via electroshock therapy; and Life on the Fast Lane, in which Marge is tempted by a bowling instructor named Jacques. This set also features the original Simpsons shorts seen on The Tracey Ullman show, a never-before-seen lost episode, and more.

Customer Reviews

a classic
i have the 1st season for dvd and it is good.there is a total of 13 episodes and funny scenes.however this is like a classic season of the simpsons.the voices have been changed and it is sometimes drawn differnet from season 6,8,9 or the other seasons.

Four Onion Rings!!!!!
While watching the more recent episodes of The Simpsons, I found myself craving that "old" Simpsons look. I know, it's crazy, right?....Wrong. Crude animation and Walter Matthau impressions aside, this box set is essential when it comes to The Simpsons.

This season, obviously, is where it all started. Fresh from the Tracy Ullman show, The Simpsons dared to extend their episodes to a whopping 21 odd minutes, offering audiences the chance to stare at these incredibly yellow beings for even longer than before.

Many viewers will highlight this season (and probably the second, too) as the one that didn't really didn't hit all targets, with regard to laugh-out-loud comedy. This is very understandable, as the show started off on a satire trip, which in later seasons evolved into just plain genius comedy. You can really tell in this season that the writers were really just finding their ground.

I must say though, it's quite relaxing to watch these episodes of The Simpsons, as there seems to be less "in your face" content. You can really just sink into the world of this wonderful family, rather than feeling you are a fly on the wall, just dying for the next gag. It seems that the modern Simpsons episodes have A, B, C, D, and quite possibly E stories, whereas most of these old episodes are lucky to have a B story. One more ingredient that makes this season just so so different.

All in all, I'm going to quit my yammering for now. Just one last note. Buy this box set, it won't disappoint.

Bliss!!!
I can't recommened this DVD boxset enough, it is a superb package for all Simpsons fans.
The first season may not have been the best, episodes like "Bart The Genius" and "Moaning Lisa" are, in my opinion forgetable but "The Telltale Head", "The Call Of The Simpsons", "Life In The Fast Lane" and "Krusty Gets Busted" are hilarious! Of course, the very first ep is included and is a cracking cartoon, you really can see why the Simpsons became so popular.
The package of the DVD sets are fantastic with so many bonus features to keep you entertained for hours.
I recommened this to everyone who has a passion for the greatest cartoon series of all time but be warned, this is a package of which you find yourself playing again and again.