The Starlost - Complete Series | 
 enlarge | Directors: Joseph L Scanlon, Ed Richardson, Harvey Hart, George Mccowan, Leo Orenstein
Actors: Keir Dullea, Gay Rowan, Robin Ward, William Osler
Studio: VCI Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $21.08
You Save: $28.91 (58%)
New (25) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $21.08
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 9392
Format: Color, Digital Sound, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Items: 4
Running Time: 800 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 8540
UPC: 089859854026
EAN: 0089859854026
ASIN: B001DW2BG0
Theatrical Release Date: 1976
Release Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
Studio: Video Communications Inc. Release Date: 11/04/2008 Run time: 800 minutes Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 The TV On DVD Fad Has A Useful Purpose After All November 8, 2008
S. Nyland (Syracuse, New York United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
And rest assured, while awkwardly executed & downright creepy, "The Starlost" is not as bad as urban legend might suggest. I'll let others describe the series, the box set rules (though for a retail cost of $50 VCI should have given us an actual box & some more extensive supplemental materials) with every one of the 16 episodes produced included. One of the creepiest things about the show is that like "Gilligan's Island" they're still out there, you know. The series never had a resolution episode that brought it all together, so Devon, Garth, Rachel and all the rest are still wandering the universe, trying to figure out how to avert disaster & find a new home. In a conceptual sense, at least.
One unmentioned useful function of this show is for curing hangovers, by the way. There is something about it's plodding, hesitant nature crossed with the funky retro SF production design that works with your brain's receptors to induce a sort of waking coma state that makes the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption less uncomfortable, especially when watched on a glum rainy Saturday afternoon in one's slippers. Bake up a tray of chicken tenders & open a bottle of Powerade, at 800 minutes total length it's going to be a long day. Ohh, my aching head ...
Yes, I Own The DVD Set And Watched It!!!! November 7, 2008
Zoot Zoot (Myrtle Beach, SC)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Unlike most all the previous reviews, I have received my copy of The Starlost and am very impressed with the quality of the dvd. It's a 4 dvd set and contains all the 16 episodes that were filmed and finished. They have been remastered and have a good quality to them. If you've been used to watching these episodes on a grainy youtube video you will be pleasantly surprised on the quality. No, it's not like today's sci fi quality but for the early 70's it's fantastic. There are scenes I have watched on youtube but on dvd it's much clearer and you see everything. It's funny, this is the first time I have seen a clear picture of the show in color. In 1973 I was a kid and we didn't own a color tv then. If you are a fan it's a must have. Bless you VCI. If you'd like to know more about The Starlost check out this fan site at [...]
Now go out and buy it!
 Canada's embarassing foray into sci-fi... October 30, 2008
Kenneth M. Pizzi (San Mateo, CA United States)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This was a Canadian video-taped science fiction series featuring a pretty well-known cast to sci-fi fans: Walter Koenig (Chekov from Star Trek), Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey), and Alexandra Bastedo (The Champions), but that's about all it has going for it. Makes Space 1999 seem like Shakespeare, and viewers might find the short-lived "Quark" sci-fi comedy more entertaining.
Despite the fact that this remastered set includes the entire series 16 episodes instead of the initial 10, "Starlost" still comes up short--despite some interesting guest stars, Sterling Hayden and Frank Converse to name a few. The series apparently had a lot going for it even with noted science writer Ben Bova as a technical consultant, but alas, the show is still a yawner. Fans would have to wait yet another two years, until Gerry Anderson's "Space 1999" made its debut in America's living rooms re-igniting the excitement of big-budget science fiction.
Rumor has it that the series was so poorly done and so utterly dull that its creator, the respected Harlan Ellison, disowned it and signed the pilot to the series wth his pen name "Cordwainer Bird." The series seems more appropriate as a cure for insomnia and was thankfully terminated after one season. The premise of the show revolved around a group of survivors from the destroyed planet Earth who were on an endless journey thru the farthest reaches of space in a huge spaceship consisting mainly of plastic, mod, circa early 1970's furniture and cardboard sets--not unlike seen on "Moonbase 3" which debuted the same year. For sci-fi purists only...
"The Complete Series ... The Starlost (1973) ... VCI (2008)" October 7, 2008
J. Lovins (Missouri-USA)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
VCI Entertainment presents "THE STARLOST: COMPLETE SERIES" (22 September 1973) (800 mins/Color) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- Now for the first time all 16 episodes are available in this collection on four discs --- Enjoy the one and only Canadian sci-fi series from 1973 that ran for sixteen episodes before it was canceled due to low ratings --- The series was written by renowned science fiction author Harlan Ellison under a pseudonym, with additional episodes being written by other sci-fi authors --- It was created in Canada by Glen Warren Productions and partially funded by Twentieth Century Fox, who now own the broadcast and syndication rights to the series --- It was also compiled down into five movies, each composed of two episodes each, with new credit sequences --- The Starlost has a cult following, especially with Canadian sci-fi fans and must admit has a certain charm --- Also notable as being the second Canadian sci-fi series ever created --- Some of these episodes have not been seen since their original air dates.
The principal leads are Kier Dullea, Gay Rowan, the perpetually gruff Robin Ward, and William Oster as the endlessly helpful computer "host" were very well cast and gave their all, and the guest appearances by some of the best and brightest of the day the late Lloyd Bochner, a misplaced Walter Koenig, "Space: 1999"'s Barry Morse, priceless Ed Ames, and John Colicos who even makes the word vegetable sound like a Shakespeare sonnet are wonderful.
Under the production staff of:
Joseph L. Scanlan - Director
Ed Richardson - Director
Harvey Hart - Director
George McCowan - Director
Leo Orenstein - Director
Martin Lager - Director
William Davidson - Producer
Douglas Trumbull - Producer
Jerome M. Zeitman - Producer
Harlan Ellison - Screenwriter
Norman Klenman - Screenwriter
Martin Lager - Screenwriter
George Ghent - Screenwriter
Ray Fitzwalter - Cinematographer
Gordon Stoddard - Film Editor
Lissa Calvert - Special Effects
Bob Colquhoun - Special Effects
Gordon Lowe - Special Effects
Lou Margolis - Special Effects
Mereline Thompson - Special Effects
Douglas Trumbull - Visual Effects
Our story line and plot, In the year 2790 A.D., a giant Earth ship, Ark, drifts through deep space, out of control, its crew having been killed five hundred years earlier --- The airlocks connecting the ship's domes that housed the last survivors of the dead planet, Earth, were sealed --- Without a crew at the helm, the Ark was on a collision course with a sun --- The giant Noah's Ark like spaceship, composed of hundreds of huge "domes", each containing a sample culture from the planet Earth, Three simple farmers accidentally find their way out of their dome and must find a solution to the predicament or the Ark and all of humanity will be lost --- As each episode progresses, they move from dome to dome, experiencing the fascination and danger of meeting different cultures, as they search for someone who might know how to save The Ark. Rarely seen cult television favorite.
the cast includes
Keir Dullea ... Devon
Gay Rowan ... Rachel
Robin Ward ... Garth
William Osler ... Computer Voice
Jim Barron ... Garth's Father
Walter Koenig ... Oro
Allen Stewart-Coates ... Computer
Scott Fisher ... Four - Prosecutor
Aileen Seaton ... Rachel's Mother
BIOS:
1. Keir Dullea
Date of Birth: 30 May 1936 - Cleveland, Ohio
Date of Death: Still Living
2. Gay Rowan
Date of Birth: 1948 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date of Death: Still Living
3. Robin Ward
Date of Birth: 1944
Date of Death: Still Living
4. William Osler
Date of Birth: 16 May 1933 - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date of Death: Still Living
SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES:
1. The Starlost Sales Pitch: This is a long lost piece that was sent to the networks to sell Starlost for syndication. It stars Keir Dullea and Executive Producer Douglas Trumball. It's only been seen by a few, our thanks to Lewis Schoenburn for finding this little gem.(7 mins/Color)
2. "Darkstar" (1974) Trailer --- Stuck on a 20 year mission to destroy unstable worlds, the weary crew of Darkstar can barely remember their home planet, Earth. When an asteroid storm short-circuits the vessel's weapons system, the astronauts and senior surviving officer Lt. Doolittle (Brian Narelle) must talk a "smart bomb" out of killing them all. This surreal parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey marked John Carpenter's directorial debut.
Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections --- all my heroes have been cowboys!
Total Time: 800 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (10/21/2008)
 So Bad It's Wierdly Good August 16, 2008
J. Penrose (Kelfour's Landing)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This series should be used as a teaching aid for prospective screenwriters to show them what happens when the "suits" get involved in the creative process.
Originally, this series had the involvement of SF great Harlan Ellison, but after everyone from studio execs to apparently the photocopier repair guy got to have their "input", the series was so gutted and emasculated that Mr. Ellison removed his name from the production completely and substituted his WGA alias (Cordwainer Bird) as allowed when someone is so disgusted with what they have done to the writer's material.
There are faint glimmers of genius still left in the twitching corpse the stories became and some intruiging plot lines that never got resolved (There appears to be evidence that there may have been a mutiny as well as other problems among the crew running the generation ship..many critical log entries have been erased it appears.)
Some of the plots are hokey to the point of beggaring belief: Giant bees (badly back projected) threaten our heroes in one area, in another, they must make repairs to a circuit board by being shrunk down to the size of transistors...apparently the ship lacks magnifying glasses, tweezers and soldering irons.
If you've never seen the show, rent it first. Some of us will buy it simply because of what it could have been.
Either way, pick up Phoenix Without Ashes to see what Ellison really intended.
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