Winstar Home Video presents

Deepak Chopra: The Essential DVD Collection (2000)

"Success is a journey, not a destination."- Deepak Chopra

Stars: Deepak Chopra
Other Stars: Martin Sheen, Robert Guillaume, Joanna Cassidy
Director: B.C. Flood

Manufacturer: DVDL
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for suitable material for any age
Run Time: 05h:08m:00s total
Release Date: 2000-10-03
Genre: educational

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B	B	B+	B+	D

 

DVD Review

I am difficult to teach but love to learn. I am especially responsive when someone finds a new way to piece things together and lends a new perspective, sheds a new light, even on things that I may already know. When Joseph Campbell took the ancient myths from legend to lesson, I listened and learned. When Clarissa Pinkola-Estés took oldwives- and faerie-tales back from Hollywood, I gobbled them up. When I first heard Deepak Chopra speak, I was alert and fascinated. The first time.

In Deepak Chopra: The Essential DVD Collection, we have four of Dr. Chopra's presentations on 2 discs, covering more than 5 hours. He is a wise and insightful man, and if you have not spent much time indulging your curiosity in spiritual thought, he provides a good introduction to East/West philosophy. He does tie some of these centuries-old jewels into our modern times, but as always, it is up to the individual to weave them into one's own life. Having these talks available on DVD, in a medium you can play (and play again) at your leisure, lends itself well as a learning tool.

Two of the presentations are in lecture format: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and The Way of the Wizard. In these, Chopra stands before a seated audience and expounds his homogenous teachings in a clear and present voice. The first lecture is based on his popular book of the same title. The latter, The Way of the Wizard, is aligned with the remaining two in the series, The Crystal Cave and Alchemy, in which he uses an interpretation of the Arthurian myth, focused on Merlin, to aide his teaching. These other 2 are readings as opposed to lectures; Martin Sheen, Robert Guillaume and Joanna Cassidy read from the legends of Arthur and Merlin, while Chopra comes forward to explain the hidden lessons as they apply to everyday, contemporary life.

A good teacher knows his subject and breathes life into the process of learning. Chopra has his moments, but I find him much more interesting when he is unlocking the mysteries of ayurvedic medicine.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Color ranges appear natural and the lighting is attentive. Contrast and black levels are good. The transfer is quite clean and clear of any real defects. Nothing here to distract from the lectures themselves.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Mono	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The audio appears to be a suitable mono track, surprisingly even as 2 of the four lectures seem to have been captured outside. Forgiving Chopra's accent, his voice carries well and is clearly understandable at all times. The 3 participating actors carry even better.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 24 cues and remote access
Packaging: Alpha
2 Discs
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Deepak Chopra "biography"
2. Production Credits
3. Weblinks

Extras Review: Nothing much here. The onscreen menu is fairly straightforward and offer 8 chapter-stops per title. The 6-screen Chopra bio is actually a bit more of a résumé and lists his most popular titles. An actual bio might have been more interesting.

Weblinks for The Chopra Center For Well Bring (www.chopra.com) and the usual Winstar DVD Newsletter (www.winstar.com/dvdform.asp) are provided. The usual Winstar production credits finish the bill.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

Dr. Chopra is an eloquent speaker. His lectures are well-prepared and for the most part, interesting. If you are looking for an introduction to East/West philosophy, he's you're man, and Deepak Chopra: The Essential DVD Collection is for you.

debi lee mandel 2000-12-26