Queer As Folk UK Series 1 Pt. 1: Amazon.ca: Video

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From Amazon.co.uk

Television has become so much a part of our lives that it rarely surprises us anymore, so when a series like Queer as Folk comes along--truly shocking and genuinely touching--it's an event to be remembered. Originally broadcast as eight half-hour episodes on Channel 4, QAF follows the lives of three men through life, love and all the travails of such in Manchester. That the protagonists are all gay--and Nathan (Charlie Hunnam) is just 15 years old--is treated as matter of course, and were it not for the fact that every character who is introduced is so vividly realised, it would be the only point. The ultimate triumph of QAF is not that the explicit, explosive subject matter is handled (mostly) tastefully, or that it made it on screen at all--it's that the characters are so intriguing that the unflinching looks at sex and relationships almost fade completely into the background.

The series certainly starts with a bang: in the first episode, young Nathan is deflowered, Stuart (Aiden Gillen) becomes a father and Vince (Craig Kelly) pines away with an unrequited love that quickly establishes itself as the series' main theme. (That Vince spends half of QAF with a boyfriend complicates the situation some.) Nathan has already come to terms with his sexuality by the time the series starts, but that doens't mean that the rest of his family--or his fellow students--have; Stuart, the biggest (or, at least, busiest) stud in town, and QAF's approaches 30 and starts to re-examine his life; and Vince has to live with the rest of them.

The parents, families, friends and co-workers of all involved get plenty of screen time, and occasionally steal the scenes themselves--especially Denise Black (hairdresser Denise Osbourne from Coronation Street).

The DVD includes a Photo Gallery and a handful of interviews, which add little to the package. --Randy Silver

Amazon.com Essential Video

When it appeared on British television in 1999, Queer as Folk caused quite a ruckus. There was the sex, as graphic as most anything you'd see in an R-rated film. There were the questionable morals--after all, one of the lead characters knowingly seduced a virginal 15-year-old boy. There was, of course, the rampant homosexuality, seeing as the series followed a group of gay men living in Manchester. But what really got people talking was the quality of the series: no leaden soap opera or exploitative sex romp, Queer as Folk is an engrossing, incredibly well-written series that ranks with some of the best ever produced for British TV. Following the adventures of Stuart (Aidan Gillen), a rake capable of seducing anyone anywhere, and Vince (Craig Kelly), his boy-next-door best friend, as well as the family and friends who surround them, Queer as Folk paints a complex, emotional, and funny portrait of its characters, who range from the regular to the outlandish. Less sensationalistic than it sounds, Queer as Folk shares more in common with gritty, working-class British films like My Beautiful Laundrette and Beautiful Thing than it does with glossy, sex-themed American TV like Sex and the City or even the Americanized version of Queer as Folk. Though definitely comedic in parts, Queer as Folk takes a clear-eyed yet fond view of its characters, from lothario Stuart, who can be charming one minute and self-obsessed the next, to hapless Vince, a mess of insecurities who can't believe it when a handsome Australian (Peter O'Brien) falls in love with him. Fans of the American Queer as Folk will recognize the British counterparts to the American characters, as well as familiar plot arcs, but this series' writing and directing make it a far more dramatic--and multifaceted--look at gay life. This first season set, known as "Series 1," clocks in at four hours. --Mark Englehart

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Customer Reviews

55 Reviews

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4.3 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fabulous!, April 27 2003

By

Amanda (RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

I bought this because I love the US Queer as Folk and would have never gotten a chance to see the british version unless I had bought it! I am glad I did! It is very different from the US one yet the same. One thing that confused me is how they represented it as a series. I am not aware of how British shows do their series, but this one only has about 5 episodes total including set #2. They run a little over an hour, which made me wonder if they are just half an hour episodes pushed into an hour.
Aside from that little confusing matter, the show itself is superb.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Original, Dec 20 2001

By

Ian D. Smith (Bangor, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

I had seen 'Queer As Folk' in its original cut in the U.K., and I was dutifully impressed by how realistic, breezily fun and uncompromising this series was. As sexy, glitzy and prettily-cast the American version is, it doesn't have the heart or depth of the British original.
One of the most obvious things the U.K. version develops better is its characters. The non-chalant and irresponsible Stuart is not as cut and dry as his American counterpart (though I personally find the American Brian to be more attractive), and the multi-dimensional character is served by a more interesting actor. The hapless character of Vince, with his babbling unease, obsession with 'Doctor Who' and endearing modesty is never hard to watch, and he is played with absolute earnest by Craig Kelly. Nathan, as played by Charlie Hunnam (late of Fox's 'Undeclared') is a fresh-faced and honest character with a well developed transformation from innocent boy to more worldly young man.
Without the need to stretch stories out for whole seasons at a time, this miniseries is able to spend just enough time on all the fun and serious moments which comprise the plots of these 8 episodes. While this series isn't as graphic or as dependent on sex as the Showtime version, it certainly has more than its fair share of controversial situations and characters, and as a result it is a far more daring and relevant production.
The DVDs are a bare-bones presentation of the series, condensing all 8 episodes into 4, and editing some scenes while severely altering the soundtrack into basically a series of generic (read: cheap) dance tracks. While the original score is left largely untouched, there is no 'Sexy Boy' or 'It's Raining Men' for instance in the C1 version, which is disappointing to say the least, as the songs chosen for the original soundtrack added so much. There are no extra features of any kind on the DVD - a scene selection menu and subtitles would have been in order at least.
In the end, this is a must-see miniseries, a triumph for television and a tribute not only to the gay lifestyle, but to good old-fashioned smart dialogue and honest characterization. The skeleton DVD and the annoying C1 edits may diminish things slightly, but not to those who have never seen it before - it's such a compelling and sincerely fun series. Gritty, frank and unapologetic, the British 'Queer As Folk' is a testament to truth and realism, obscuring nothing but serving to open many eyes.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST!, May 3 2004

By A Customer

There are moments in every episode where you think "Nothing on tv well ever be better than this" (that is before you see the next episode).
The American version of Queer as folk is simply not comparable to this one.
Every second of the UK version is worth watching. Not every episode of the US version is worth watching. That¡�s the difference.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated Series
While the American version of QAF focuses on sensationalism and sleaze, the original British version takes a more artistic approach to presenting gay life. Read more

Published on Jun 17 2004 by John L. Hughes, Jr.

1.0 out of 5 stars ?
Why do people like this? Its not like real life at all and in fact has done nothing but stain the reputation of hard working, moral, intelligent gay men.

Published on May 4 2004