Review of Neighbours: Best Of (Two Discs)

Introduction

Suddenly you`re seeing me
Just the way I am
Suddenly you`re hearing me
So I`m talking just as fast as I can
To you
Suddenly
Every part of me
Needs to know every part of you

I can quote lyrics too, much to my eternal shame. But for me, Angry Anderson`s power ballad is far more evocative of the daytime TV phenomenon that is Neighbours than Barry Crocker`s well-worn theme tune. Today, Neighbours is an institution, partly because of the shows positive outlook on life, where Ramsey Street is the street that the sun always shines upon and quiche is the balm that can soothe any broken heart. It is a permanent fixture in the schedules that is sacrosanct. But in the late eighties, Neighbours was an explosive cultural typhoon that peaked with Scott and Charlene exchanging their vows to the fractured chords of Suddenly. Royal Weddings may come and go, celebrity marriages may fill a gossip magazine or two, but the Ramsey Street wedding brought the country to a standstill, a singular moment in television history.

Neighbours has also proved to be the springboard for many a career. The Australian invasion began late in 1987 with an assault on the pop charts. The biggest Australian star since Rolf Harris was also the first to escape the confines of Erinsborough, leaving her mechanics overalls behind for the glitzy world of pop. For Kylie Minogue, the Locomotion didn`t really trouble the charts on its first release, but with "I Should Be So Lucky" she entered the pop stratosphere, as well as our collective hearts. Hot on her heels was her screen love Jason Donovan with "Too Many Broken Hearts" and it must have been karma when the inevitable duet was released just in time for the Christmas number one. Other famous Neighbours music artists include Natalie Imbruglia and most recently Holly Valance and Delta Goodrem. However the hall of shame stretches just as far, Craig McLachlan and Check 1-2 "Hey Mona", the Blakeney Twins had a half-hearted swipe and who else is haunted by Stefan Dennis` "Don`t It Make You Feel Good" I`m sure that Madge and Harold released a ditty but that could be my warped imagination.

Acting careers haven`t fared quite as well, with Kylie`s most memorable performance coming in Streetfighter, Jason made it big in musicals, Joseph and Rocky Horror in particular, and most recently Natalie Imbruglia played opposite Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English. Few Neighbours alumnususes (sic) hit it big in Hollywood until very recently. Alan Dale has of late been a short lived Romulan in Star Trek: Nemesis, an enigmatic alien in the X Files finale and ever so briefly the President of The United States in the second series of 24. The biggest splash has to be Guy Pearce though, a genuine Hollywood star on the ascendant, who after breaking through with Priscilla Queen of The Desert, established himself with LA Confidential and with Memento became hot property. Easily the biggest star from Ramsey Street, or is he? Believe it or not, Russell Crowe once made a brief leather clad appearance in the coffee shop.

But Neighbours is where it all began, and for every star clambering his way into the limelight, there have been five who have faded back into obscurity. With this two disc retrospective looking at some of the momentous events that have shaped Ramsey Street over the last couple of decades, you can wallow in nostalgia and keep a sharp eye out for some of your favourite characters of yore. Over fifteen episodes you can revel in the most memorable hatches, matches and despatches to occur in Erinsborough and top of the list is the timeless marriage of Scott and Charlene. I`ll also be keeping an eye out for Plain Jane Superbrain as well as keeping score of just how many Lucy Robinsons there actually were…

The episodes are as follows.

Disc One

Des & Daphne`s Wedding
Scott & Charlene`s Wedding
Daphne`s Baby
Daphne`s Death
Madge & Harold`s Wedding

Plus a bonus gallery

Disc Two

Christina`s Baby
Todd`s Death
Jim`s Death
Beth & Brad`s Wedding
Annalise & Mark`s Wedding
Helen`s Death
Libby & Drew`s Wedding
Madge`s Death
Libby`s Baby

Video

It`s immediately apparent that the picture quality leaves much to be desired on these discs. Initially this is because of the age of the episodes, Disc 1 particularly has shows that are obviously transferred from videotape, with all the artefacts that implies. Disc 2 on the other hand has episodes of a more recent vintage, and the source quality does tend to improve, the final three selections, Libby & Drew`s Wedding, Madge`s Death and the double episode Libby`s Baby are all presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, as opposed to the 4:3 ratio of the other episodes. That said there are a few disc authoring issues that need to be addressed, especially with Disc 2. Compression artefacts are apparent throughout, with instances of severe pixellation and one instance of judder marring the image. These are few and far between, but they are sufficient enough to justify a negative mark.

On a trivial note, it is interesting to see these episodes as they appear on commercial networks, complete with idents flashing up for advertisement breaks twice an episode, as well as the corporate logos sponsoring the end credits.

Audio

The sound is presented in the DD 2.0 format. The quality, like the video improves through time, with the earliest episodes even suffering from a little hiss. The dialogue is mostly clear, but alas there are no subtitles.

Features

A gallery containing some 30 or so pics of various casts and moments.

Conclusion

What an emotional rollercoaster! These two discs have Australians dying, giving birth and marrying willy-nilly. It`s enough to frazzle the nerves, especially if like me you watch them all back to back. But let`s face it, this title is never going to win any new fans for Neighbours. With all the episodes on this disc taken out of context and shown by themselves, it`s impossible to get to grips with any major storyline other than the one mentioned in the episode title, and that only tangentially. No, this disc is for purposes of nostalgia only, and unless you have been a Neighbours fanatic since the year dot, you`ll only be interested in parts of this disc. For me personally, I was totally enchanted by Disc 1. This is Neighbours as it is supposed to be, with the Ramseys and the Robinsons, Scott and Charlene, Mrs Mangel, and even Bouncer. This is when I was a fan, when I was back at school and cute Australian actresses were of particular interest to teenaged boys. When it comes to Disc 2 though, I can take it or leave it. My appreciation for Neighbours ended with Todd`s death, and what followed after is a complete mystery to me. I recognise the faces, but when you see one episode a month or so it rapidly becomes meaningless. Naturally everyone will have their own favourite eras, The Willis`s and The Martins, The Scullys and The Kennedys, but I know where my heart lies.

Still it is of interest to see how Neighbours has evolved over the years. Those who watch episodes today may be surprised to see just how tacky Neighbours was in the beginning. It would have been good if the first ever episode had been included on this disc. If I remember correctly, it was Paul`s stag night and the stripper just happened to be Daphne. Des was smitten and the rest was history, leading up to the first episode on this disc. Looking back now at the wobbly sets, the trivial storylines and the dire acting, it`s a hundred miles away from the more professional show that we get today. But there was a cheap and cheerful charm to the earlier episodes that is lacking today, but is still evident in the episodes on disc 1. Paul Robinson, as played by Stefan Dennis was supposed to be the J.R of Ramsey Street, but more often than not came across as a spoiled brat on the verge of a sulk. Perhaps the worst purveyors of acting were Des and Daphne played by Paul Keane and Elaine Smith, readily apparent in the first few episodes, and making for perhaps the most ridiculous death scene committed to videotape in the history of television. Yet the first episodes did spark incredible nostalgia for me, seeing old characters like Henry and Shane, Lucy #1 with the perpetually blocked nose, or Lucy #2 with the complete inability to act, Mrs Mangel fawning over Harold Bishop, and Gail and Paul`s sham of a marriage.

The big problem is as I previously mentioned, that with the episodes taken out of context, there is no real point to any of the ongoing storylines. Christina`s baby sees Paul pledging undying love to her and his commitment to their family, yet the next episode sees Paul in the doghouse after having cheated with Caroline. You never get to see how Lance solves his problem at school, or just whom Todd was chatting to over the Internet. But there is a big bonus in Daphne`s Baby. While the main story is a little dull until Des faints, it also is the episode where we get to meet Melanie, she of the raucous laugh. Believe me, if you have seen her, you will remember. One of the big flaws of landmark episodes like these is that they also reveal the lie about soap operas. As Madge lay in her deathbed, comforted only by Harold and a couple of inconsequential characters, where were Henry and Charlene? Stuck in the Neighbours purgatory that is Brisbane, that`s where.

As for the later episodes, well it`s good to see the acting bar hasn`t been raised too high, with characters like Brad and Mark almost as interesting as cardboard. And it`s nice to see they can still glam up weddings as they did for Libby and Drew. I finally got to see Jim`s death, and it immediately reminded me why I stopped watching Neighbours. That episode came during the phase where they tried to sex the Neighbours dossier up. Beth and Annalise talk candidly about their love lives, there`s a psycho in Phoebe`s house and while Jim`s body isn`t even cold, an evil heartless bitch is making the moves on the family trust fund. If one death isn`t enough, the episode ends on another cliffhanger as Helen collapses. This for me was the point that Neighbours stopped being Neighbours and my viewing habits changed. Since then though, Neighbours has returned to its sunny roots, but no one makes quiche any more.

These discs are a nice idea in principle, it`s a little harrowing, but certain characters are only brushed upon. There is hardly any mention of Mike, and my favourite characters, Joe and Kerry Mangel are completely absent. It might have been a better idea to pick a character and to follow a particular storyline through several episodes. You could have had a Paul Robinson disc, and a Charlene Mitchell disc and so on. It also would have been nice to have seen a few of the inconsequential episodes, like where Bouncer went missing, or when Toby Mangel was beaten up by a girl at school because he wouldn`t kiss her, much to the embarrassment of his father. There are other monumental moments, like Lucy`s tumour and the Lassiters fire that could also make up a few memorable discs. Hell, releasing the whole series would only take a few hundred discs. How about a 24 hours Neighbours channel? After 15 years there`s over a thousand hours of programming and counting. Tell me if I sound ridiculous…

This disc is ideal for Neighbours fans looking for a little nostalgia. But there are a couple of question marks over its repeat value and the picture quality isn`t the most ideal, but taken in small doses it will leave most people smiling. Judging by some of the comments on some of the forums on this site, good neighbours are in short supply around here. But with this disc, you can have them at your beck and call. And Jane Harris is still gorgeous, sigh…