Ratings and reviews

Learn more

4.2

93 product ratings

59 users rated this 5 out of 5 stars
16 users rated this 4 out of 5 stars
7 users rated this 3 out of 5 stars
3 users rated this 2 out of 5 stars
8 users rated this 1 out of 5 stars

Good value

Entertaining

Engaging characters

Most relevant reviews

See all 82 reviews

by lell8041
11 May, 2016Most favourable review
Really great adaptation
I love this story. This adaptation stayed true to the book almost entirely. There were only a couple minor details changed for tv...until the end. For me, the book ending was just so poignant and bittersweet that any change wasn't necessary. That is especially true, considering how well the rest mirrored the book. Still, it was good. The DVD was in good condition. The case and disc labels looked kind of generic. This is a hard to find item and those things did not matter to me. The video quality was poor but I believe that is due to the fact that its a made for TV mini series from 1981 and not anything against the product or seller.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by czuc9514
26 Oct, 2016Most critical review
A bit missing
I enjoyed seeing this PBS series again but there was a portion of the original that was left out. It was like seeing the director's cut of CINEMA PARADISO, versus the film released originally in the US. The portion left out of the US version of CP tied the entire film together. In A TOWN LIKE ALICE, an important portion was removed and that served to illuminate the rather backward view of women in post WWII small-town Australia. Our lead female character's attempt to bring progress to the town only served to jeopardized her relationships. Someone who had not seen the original PBS series would not have known that a small portion was removed. The transition was done smoothly. It is well worth having, regardless. The British women captured, in Malaysia, by the Japanese, at the beginning of WWII, is very interesting.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by flamingoyenta
27 Oct, 2018
Loved the series, video quality lacking
I remember the series when it came out, and I loved it. Loved the book also. The quality of the dvd’s is pretty poor, kind of like an old 70’s video just copied onto dvd, but it is still worth watching. Makes you really appreciate todays HD stuff. This isn’t bootleg or anything like that, but the blurriness of the video takes some getting used to. Once you manage to get past that, you get caught up in the story. Wish it had closed captioning, but overall, was just glad to be able to watch the series again. I’m not sorry I bought it, but I could only give it 4 stars due to the video quality, or lack thereof.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by valverderose
08 May, 2017
Engaging story with strong female character
I had hoped that someday this series would be available on DVD as I only had the VHS. The book is one of my favorites when I want to reread a good book. The actors are great and the production values are not bad as it seems to have been a TV mini-series. Really down-to-earth characters are what makes this survival story interesting. The dvd did have a couple of glitchy spots on the last disc. The transfer quality of the movie was a bit below good but I am just happy to have a copy that I can play anytime I want.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by t4R2Pk11TPm@Deleted
11 Jul, 2018
Very very disappointed in the stretched format.
I cannot stand it when the picture has been stretched left to right to fill a letterbox screen. This distorts everything making all circles look like ellipses and faces, etc. stretched. I would pay twice the price to have it in the original 4x5 format of televisions before wide screen flat screens (letterbox). The movie has obviously been copied from VHS tape as it has very poor resolution. At one time we thought this was a great clear picture until Hi-def hit the market. Sorry to have to review the movie this way - the story, the acting, and everything else about a A Town Like Alice were great - just great.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by sandybbarry2016
26 Sep, 2017
This is a great story.
This is a great story for all times. I first saw it in DVD form many years ago. I lost my copy so hunted the internet for it and found this one. This IS the story and actors that we was many years ago however the quality of the video is very poor. We would also appreciate closed captions/ Please work on the video quality and keep this story alive for generations to come.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by cea94mvwsds@deleted
15 Jul, 2018
"Full of flaws, but better than nothing."
I love this movie SO much. I bought the VHS set of tapes in 1982 and have been waiting and waiting for someone to produce it on DVD. I knew the picture so well - have watched the movie many times, and knew immediately the color was off (greens were garish, etc), and it is not as crystal clear as the original. What bothered me the most, I think, were the frequent black-outs, which I assume were replacing commercial ads when it was filmed as a TV movie. They were most annoying. A couple of times I thought I even noticed some small pieces of the film missing. Surely there are copies of the original still around that are in better shape than the one that won the "honor" of being transferred to DVD. I'll be waiting again for a truly sharp and well done DVD. I still have my original tapes, and they still show better than this copy.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by kaysplay44
03 Mar, 2020
Great story telling! The quality of the picture isn't very sharp. But you forget about that because you're so ingrosed in the story.
Great story! Received the DVD in a timely manner. The quality of f the picture isn't up to snuff, but you get so engrossed with the story that you almost forget about that. Would buy again if I didn't already have it.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by ingrsutc
15 Dec, 2021
Fantastic story, terrible movie and artwork quality.
The story is fantastic, close to the book, worth keeping for the moment until I find a better version with higher resolution/remastered. The DVD looks like home made: disc on the back is purple like the blank discs. Art burned onto disc is distorted. The video itself is in color but of low resolution like unremastered old classical movies found in cheap movie packs. The sleeve artwork is also of low resolution though the paper is good quality. The disc was sealed. The seller did offer a refund.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New
by 1979ruth-mo
30 Apr, 2022
Title has little to do with story
I have read the story and the movie brings it to life not a lot of changes in it. This is a good yarn. Having visited Australia it has been good to hear the accents again. Now the only down side is it appears a bit fuzzy but it appears to be the way it was filmed. We will be watching this one again
Verified purchase: YesCondition: New

CURRENTLY SOLD OUT

a Town Like Alice 3 DVD Set Bryan Brown Helen Morse 1981 Good

About this product

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Ratings and reviews

Most relevant reviews

Really great adaptation

A bit missing

Loved the series, video quality lacking

Engaging story with strong female character

Very very disappointed in the stretched format.

This is a great story.

"Full of flaws, but better than nothing."

Great story telling! The quality of the picture isn't very sharp. But you forget about that because you're so ingrosed in the story.

Fantastic story, terrible movie and artwork quality.

Title has little to do with story

More items related to this product

Best-selling in DVDs & Blu-rays

Save on DVDs & Blu-rays

You may also like