Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15651 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-29
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 734 minutes

Synopsis
Geena Davis (THELMA AND LOUISE, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST) lights up the screen as President Mackenzie Allen, earning a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in the show's inaugural season. Experience all the captivating drama as an acclaimed cast, Donald Sutherland (DON’T LOOK NOW, AN AMERICAN HAUNTING), joins Davis for every thrilling episode of Season One. When the President of the United States dies in office, his independent Vice President ventures into territory no woman has ever entered before. Now, the nation's first female Commander In Chief must balance the pressures of running the country and the responsibility of raising a family -- while facing a sustained torrent of underhanded attacks from the Speaker Of The House (Sutherland). It's an exhilarating blend of suspense and drama that is as realistic as it is riveting.

Customer Reviews

good...but not as good as The West Wing!
....pretty much as the title suggests!

to be honest i went into watching this as the worlds biggest West Wing fan, so i guess i was a little biased lol. it took me a few episodes to get into as i was constantly comparing it to the West Wing, but when it got going its realli good. Donald Sutherland is excellent as the 2 faced, scheming Leader of The House, one minute backing the President and the next stabbing her in that same back!

all in all if u loved the West Wing then watch this...no doubt like me you will end up comparing the 2...this will lose....but its very very close!

Overshadowed but worthy
On occassions in history it has appeared that some Presidents are overshadowed by the successes of their predecessors. Compare for a moment the reputations of Truman and Johnson with FDR and Kennedy - sometimes a President is remembered most for who they followed rather than their own actions.

`Commander in Chief' suffers significantly from a similar problem - witness the number of comparisons to `The West Wing' amongst the reviews here for evidence of that. It is understandable as `Commander in Chief' appeared to be treading the same ground and tried to steal viewers away from its older competitor.

However `Commander in Chief' deserves to be judged on its own merits as it has an individual style, emphasis and agenda. It is primarily a story of a woman and her attempt to establish herself as the President and set an agenda in place. She is a trailblazer - her status as an independent and a woman makes her an extreme outsider to the Washington establishment and her family have to adjust to the change in their circumstances.

On top of that the ambitious Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton (played by Donald Sutherland) is trying to discredit her in order to ensure that he wins the Presidency in two years time.

The show certainly had great potential for dramatic conflict. Unfortunately these eighteen episodes can only hint at that and the result is an experience that is maddeningly incomplete.

It walks a frustrating line - at times seeming like a typical family drama, at other times having the Machiavellian overtones of Macbeth (Mrs Templeton does seem to have something of the Lady Macbeth about her). In just eighteen episodes the direction is never quite set in stone and we are left with a show that lacks dramatic identity.

So, why watch `Commander in Chief' at all given its short life? Well, the show firstly has two stellar leads in Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland who play off each other wonderfully and a strong supporting cast. You come to care about the characters and whilst each episode's outcome can usually be predicted it is interesting watching the characters arriving at it.

Secondly, because there are some really strong episodes amongst the eighteen that were filmed and whilst the wider plotlines do not come to a conclusion it is interesting to see where the show was headed.

Finally, because it is a different take on the White House than is presented elsewhere. The show has a feminist outlook on politics, debating the equal rights amendment, the compatibility of political office with family life and the `glass ceiling' for women's jobs. Coupled with its moderate family values, `Commander in Chief' has a unique political outlook that differentiates it from other political dramas.

`Commander in Chief' is not a complete picture. It never comes to a conclusion and now sadly never will. It simply ends in the middle of a number of plot threads. Whilst incomplete, it does entertain and impresses in its short life. For fans of political drama, it is worth a look.

Pure Brilliance!!
Perhaps I am biased, I do like American Political Dramas, but this is truly outstanding and highly addictive. I bought the complete Season One and I'm glad I did now. Once you watch the first episode, you'll be hooked!

Geena Davis plays the first female President, and the show is about the everyday battles she has to fight against other members of the government. First rate performance by all the cast. It almost makes you wish that Macenzie Allen was the REAL PRESIDENT.

If you like The West Wing, you'll almost certainly love this.