Last year, Madacy released a 2-disc "Classic Commercials" package which appeared to have been mastered from third-generation video dubs. Even at its budget price, the package seemed like a rip-off. Collectors griped about the poor-quality video, the hissy sound, and the lack of chapter stops. Until now, it was the only DVD of commercials widely available in stores. Passport Video has risen to the challenge and produced a first-class compilation that puts Madacy to shame.
This budget-priced DVD includes over 120 ads, each one remastered for the best possible picture and sound. Video quality ranges from fair to excellent. Most are mastered from cleaned-up 16mm films, some are taken from newly-discovered color videotapes, and a few were salvaged from Madacy's DVD package. Every ad features a celebrity (hence the title), which makes this disc ideal for casual star-gazers as well as hard-core commercial buffs.
On a technical note, Passport has gone the extra mile by including a chapter stop for each commercial so you can skip past any ad you don't like. There's also two alphabetical indexes which you can use to quickly find any ad by product name or celebrity name. The producers have even taken the time to provide a brief on-screen graphic at the start of each ad to help you play the Spot-The-Celebrity game. Purists have complained about the placement of a transparent logo in the upper-right corner of the screen to 'brand' the picture and discourage thievery, but most viewers will simply ignore it. Other reviewers have been frustrated by typos and minor technical glitches in the indexes, but the overall performance is still above-average for a DVD of this price.
This is the most enjoyable commercial compilation on DVD to date. I recommend it for anyone old enough to remember when a Dove Bar was made with cleansing cream instead of ice cream.
