Search - Ramar of the Jungle - Volume Seven on DVD

Ramar's Origins

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Volume 7 of Alpha Video's "Ramar of the Jungle" series is notable as it includes the series' premiere episode "Evil Trek" which sets the stage for the adventures of Dr. Tom Reynolds (Ramar) and his assistant, Professor Howard Ogden in Africa. The episodes included here are all part of the first 13 episodes and feature James Fairfax as "Charlie," Ramar's Cockney guide from Capetown. After the conclusion of the first 13 episodes, the series would shift to India for another 13 episodes (with Victor Milan as Zahir, the Indian guide), and then return to Africa for the remainder of the series (with Nick Stewart as Willy, the native African guide). The early episodes include elements that are, for the most part, indicative of the entire series . . . . . jungle diseases, greedy hunters, peaceful and violent native tribes and, of course, the ubiquitous wildlife stock footage that's not always well integrated into the studio scenes. This was a childhood favorite that, I'm happy to say, holds up reasonably well with age.

In terms of the number of volumes that Alpha has released to date, this volume is recommended primarily for collectors of the series, though casual fans might be interested in seeing the first episode of the series. Reflecting its somewhat rare status, the visual quality of this release, while far from perfect, is certainly watchable. However, anyone expecting modern day high definition quality will be sorely disappointed.

Normally, I rate the Ramar releases from ** & ½ to *** & ½ stars, mostly because of the visual quality, as opposed to the entertainment factor. The visual quality of this release is no better than most of the others, but the inclusion of the first episode of the series merits ****.
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