True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) |  | Actors: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten
Studio: HBO Home Video
List Price: $59.99
Buy Used: $15.51
as of 11/6/2009 11:14 CST details
You Save: $44.48 (74%)
New (75) Used (44) Collectible (1) from $15.51
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Rating:  540 reviews
Sales Rank: 63
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 720 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.7 x 1.6
MPN: 1000045477
UPC: 883929048830
EAN: 0883929048830
ASIN: B001FB4W0W
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: May 19, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | TRUE BLOOD chronicles the backwoods Louisiana town of Bon Temps. where vampires have emerged from the coffin, and no longer need humans for their fix.Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, Golden Globe(R)-winner for "True Blood", Academy Award?-winner for ?The Piano?) works as a waitress at the rural bar Merlotte's. Though outwardly a typical young woman, she keeps a dangerous secret: she has the abilit |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 05/19/2009 Run time: 720 minutes
Amazon.com
Alan Ball’s True Blood series works well for television, as it has enough sensationalism to tantalize and enough story girth to make the viewer care about the characters. That one can finally invest emotion into monsters, including an undead Civil War victim, a transformer who can shapeshift into various animals, and a female mind reader, speaks volumes about America’s willingness to accept fantasy. Of course, television has always produced good fantasy shows (I Dream of Jeannie), but True Blood’s Southern Goth brand of fun horror is more macabre and more perverse, not to mention gorier, than most shows of its kind to date. Adapted from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, True Blood thrills because of its equal blend in each episode of erotica, humor, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parrish, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her clan, sweet grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) and air-headed brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Illicit love is spawned early on, when Sookie saves vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) from having his blood stolen in the parking lot of Merlotte’s diner, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who completes what will form a complex love triangle. As tensions between Sookie’s suitors loosen or tighten, many side plots, such as her African American best friend Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) struggle with an alcoholic, Bible-thumping mother and her brother’s dangerous crush on drug addicted hippie, Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan), keep one wondering who will succeed in this podunk place. The main tension throughout, however, is a race war waged between vampires and humans. As murders of “fang bangers” occur (human girls who let vampires bite them) and dumb policeman Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) fails to find clues, one sees the metaphorical implications of vampirism and feels deeper resonance with what can be a downright trashy show. Gossip galore, especially about what kinds of babies interbreeding will produce, is rampant. One of the funniest characters is Tara’s flamboyant cousin, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who deals drugs, works as a fry cook, and services the local white politicians, while making sure he’s always up in everyone’s business. What makes True Blood smarter than pure soap opera is the parallels it draws between its monster mash and actual, familiar societal problems. Sookie and her friends watch the news, where Evangelicals bash vampires and prohibit mixed marriage, and everyone is addicted to V, a.k.a vampire blood, that effects like psychedelic heroin. Even its gore reflects a mix of serious and silly, as vampires explode into red, sticky goop. Though it may not be attempting to qualify for the best vampire footage ever shot, True Blood is as addictive as that substance the town’s youth obsesses over, which is a metaphor in itself. --Trinie Dalton
Stills from True Blood (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 540
 True Blood November 5, 2009
Ramona Westling (Iowa)
Finally - a vampire story for adults that's not as dark as Dracula; instead, it's fun and very sexy!
 Disappointing Adaptation November 4, 2009
Steven Muni (Sutter Creek, CA USA)
If you've never read the Sookie Stackhouse books of Charlaine Harris on which this series is based, the TV series is literally OK. It's an interesting situation (vampires come out of the "coffin" thanks to a synthetic blood that eliminates the need for them to attack humans.)
But for fans of the books, this series is a major disappointment. Not because things are changed somewhat--you expect that in film adaptations--but the changes here are often damaging to the very things that made the books so much fun. Season one, in all of its episodes, deals with the basic plot lines of the first book, "Dead Until Dark".
First of all, in the books the lead character, waitress Sookie Stackhouse has a wonderful, wry, witty and slightly catty sense of humor. She's reasonably smart, gracious, sexy, and lots of fun. That's totally gone here--Sookie as played by Anna Paquin is clueless, slutty, and shrewish--as if the entire series is a depiction of PMS. In the book, although she works as a cocktail waitress, she is definitely a lady. In the series she becomes trampy white trash. In the books, Sookie's grandmother is pictured as an elegant, refined, kind if slightly old-fashioned lady. In the series she dresses like a homeless person and is portrayed as kindly but hardly refined.
Second--a lot of time is devoted to side stories involving minor characters whose characterization has been changed for no apparent reason other than to feature lots of sex and nudity. Sookie's brother Jason is pictured not only as oversexed and not the sharpest tool in the box (as in the book) but as downright stupid, a drug addict and a bigot to boot. And far too much time is spent on his sexual escapades. Sookie's friend Tara becomes a major (and rather unpleasant) character here (as well as changing races). The flamboyantly African-American cook Lafayette (who is portrayed sympathetically in the books) here becomes a dealer of particularly unpleasant drugs. And Sam, Sookie's boss, who is a shape-shifter and a supernatural creature himself, by his unexplained and unreasoning hostility towards the vampires becomes much less sympathetic than in the book for no discernable reason.
Third--there's a lot of gratuitous sex and pointless nudity. The books have some graphic sex scenes in them--but they are all relevant to the plot or the characters. This being HBO, you are treated to lots of naked bodies and simulated sex, regardless of the relevance to the story. While the actors are all very attractive physically, this runs the risk of turning the series into soft-core porn.
So in short--it's OK. But I think you'll enjoy the books more. They are funnier, more exciting and more interesting than the HBO series.
TrueBlood season1 November 3, 2009
M. Castelli (jacksonville, FL)
I am kind of glad I learned about this show late because I was able to watch all the episodes back to back. The only problem now is that Season 2 just ended and now I have to wait all year for Season 3!!! It is wonderfully dark and seductive and additive!!! I am a huge vampire fan to begin with, but my husband is not, and he got just as hooked as I did. After about the 3rd episode, we couldn't wait to watch another. It is David Lynch meets Anne Rice.... truly amazing!!!!
Thank You! November 2, 2009
Pottertosser5 (Georgia)
I got this in great condition and I am hooked from the first episode!! I also saved 20 bucks!!!
True Blood: The First Season November 1, 2009
Kelly J. Webster (Texas City, TX)
If you haven't gotten hooked on True Blood yet you might want to give it a shot...if, that is, you like southern belles, vampires, shape shifters, and who knows what else! Lafayette will keep you in stitches as he's great comedy relief. And if you're like me you'll love the spunk of Tara. Jason ... he's a nice kid but WAY too cocky (for me anyway). Sam the sexy bar owner and, well, there's more to Sam than meets the eye. Vampire Bill ... well, he's just a downright sexy gentleman ... for a vampire. And then there's Sookie ... who can't love naive, sweet, southern Sookie? It's a little racy at times, and intended for adults. But if you've got nothing else to do give it a shot. I don't get HBO so I'm just waiting for season 2 to become available.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 540
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