Sailor [DVD] [1976]

A REAL SHAME THE ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK HAS BEEN CHANGED.... ONLY REALLY BOUGHT THE DVD TO SEE THE LIVE FIRING RANGE SECTION WITH THE PHANTOMS AND BUCCANEERS..,WHICH IN THE ORIGINAL SERIES OF THE 1970S , WAS SHOT TO THE MUSIC OF :PINK FLOYD.. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND..A VERY POWERFUL PART OF THE SERIES .. DISTROYED BY COPY RIGHT NO DOUBT..

...with this wonderful series dealing with the (old) HMS Ark Royal - one of the classic '50's angled deck aircraft carriers.Filmed in the mid '70's, this series covers life aboard the ship from every angle, while on a cruise to the USA and back.It is now also an interesting historcal glance into the past, while the filming technique enterans the viewer and holds ones interest.If you are a Royal Navy lover get this set.....and dream of days gone by!

This made me join the Royal Navy over 34 years ago. Absolutely BRILLIANT!How it used to be see if you can spot a scene where there is no one smoking, even in the sickbay.

very good value for money excellent quality dvd

Classic TV and a must for old sailors.

An excellent series when origianlly released and well worth a return visit. Thoroughly enjoyed the entire series again

While it was a great joy to see the Ark and all the characters again ( I served on her from 1977 , the year after the series was made) I was very sad to see , and hear, that the BBC had made so many cuts and changes.This version was cut and spliced together in 1999 and non too sympathetically either, although it was interesting to see the 'where are they now' bit, which I missed completely when it first came out in 1984. In the original series there was a great deal more 'atmospheric' stuff which gave you a real sense of the presence and power of the machinery of the Ark Royal whereas this cut version tends to concentrate on the humans almost exclusively. The removal of the Pink Floyd tracks is a disaster and , even as an ex Royal Marine Bandsman , I have to say that the recording by Ark Royal's RMB is no replacement for Rod Stewart's original.Its still well worth a look but I wish somebody would bring out the whole un-tarnished original. It was much better than this.

Sailor documents the lives, loves and losses of the ships company of (the previous) HMS Ark Royal, a 40,000 ton British aircraft carrier. What is truly fascinating about this documentary is the way it was shot.Long, observational pieces following key moments in the ships deployment uninterrupted by unnecessary commentary telling the viewer what is happening. It is inconceivable that this sort of film making could be presented to a modern audience without the interruption of music, constant camera angle changes or frequent talking heads pieces to give the production pace and keep the viewer interested.The absence of the above only adds to the appeal of this program. Far from lacking the pace of a modern documentary it takes on a pace of its own, allowing the viewer to get a 'stripped back' view of what life must be like for those on board a big ship on a long deployment.There are also some genuinely intriguing real life characters such as the Fleet Master at Arms and the Captain himself. Both have come from very different social backgrounds yet both display the unavoidable institutionalisation that has resulted from a life at sea and a life of naval discipline.However, the excellent production aside, Sailor is a valuable historical account of the operational life of Britain's last conventional aircraft carrier. Well worth a look.