Set in the amoral arena of advertising executives in the early ‘60s, ‘Mad Men’ focuses its eye on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a junior partner at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency who has become extremely successful at wooing the firm’s toughest clients with brilliant, revolutionary ad campaigns. His good friend and direct manager, Roger Sterling (John Slattery), has big plans for Don and readily embraces his thoughts and vision for the company. However, Don doesn’t have it as easy as his colleagues assume. He has to contend with a young office upstart named Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), a psychologically troubled wife (January Jones), a feisty mistress (Rosemarie DeWitt), and the truth of his own secretive past. Earth Day 1970 (HD, 3 Mins.) - This focuses on the start of the movement that wanted to make the planet better, ecologically. Season Four - Audio Commentaries, Marketing the Mustang: An American Icon, Divorce: Circa 1960 Part 1, Divorce: Circa 1960 Part 2, How to Succeed in Business Draper Style and 1964 Presidential Campaign. One criticisms of the show was that, for all its arty direction, it was something of a soap opera at heart: the complicated love life of an alcoholic shagger whose behaviour is more often than not legitimised by the fact that he looks good in a suit. It’s not a completely unfair criticism. Rewatching, you wonder how many times Draper can fall in love, break hearts (including his own) and then turn around and do it all over again. But both of the marriages he trashes over the seven series tell important stories. His first, to anthropology-student-turned-model-turned-anxious-housewife Betty is one of male power and the latent tension of late 1950s/early 1960s suburbia. The other – to Québécois secretary-turned-actor Megan – slowly, painfully shows a redress in power, as she gradually outgrows their uneven relationship (while the world surrounding Draper does the same).

Mad Men Merchandise, Blu-ray and DVD - Zavvi UK Mad Men Merchandise, Blu-ray and DVD - Zavvi UK

The Final Season Part 2 - Audio Commentaries, Generation Boom: Baby Boomers, Earth Day 1970, Unmarried Professional Woman, Laurel Canyon and Advertising Timeline. Unlike many drama series on television today, it isn’t necessary to suffer through the first few hours of ‘Mad Men,’ waiting for the story to hit its stride. From the opening volley of the first episode, viewers are thrust into the sexist, racist, and anti-Semitic culture that dominated American corporations in the early ‘60s. Business executives were WASPs, housewives were the naïve property of their husbands, and working women were secretaries, sex objects, and office play things. Weiner doesn’t pull any punches, exposing the show’s fictional firm for what it is -- an impenetrable boys’ club whose existence is fueled by other successful boys’ clubs. As a result, the show’s plotlines, character development, and central themes generate plenty of unsettling reactions that make it difficult to root for the whole of Sterling Cooper’s greedy and distasteful workforce. Every stitch and and imperfection can be seen clearly. Closeups reveal every individual hair, bead of sweat, and fancy makeup blemish nicely. Wider shots also look excellent too, as the image never goes soft. Colors are bold and bright, simply popping off screen with vast array of those iconic 60s/70's color schemes. It's really a joy to watch whether the characters are in an interior office setting or outside by the beach. It's simply marvelous.Season Five - Audio Commentary, Mad Men Say the Darndest Things, What Shall I Love If Not the Enigma?, The Party of the Century, Scoring Mad Men: Themes of Season Five, Scoring Mad Men: Inside a Session and The Uniform Time Act of 1966. Advertising the American Dream (HD, 20 minutes) -- This marketing featurette explores the many ways American advertising has evolved over the decades. It digs into the early beginnings of product propaganda ushered in by the execs and firms of the early ‘60s and looks at their influence on modern materialism, culture, and merchandizing. Still, ‘Mad Men’s’ second season is compulsively watchable (and makes way for its even crazier third season), beautifully photographed, expertly written (largely by series creator Matthew Weiner, a ‘Sopranos’ vet), and wonderfully acted. It’s now that I’ll say that when I started watching the show, in preparation for this review, I was afraid it would be all machismo swagger, a kind of period ‘Entourage.’ I’m sure others fear this too. But what I was so impressed by, from the very beginning of season one, was that the women characters are the most fully fleshed out and interesting, particularly Joan and Peggy. While the show may be called ‘Mad Men,’ it’s the women that keep you watching. Presenting a historically authentic rendition of the 1960s, Mad Men provides insight into the developing social mood of the United States throughout this time period. Presenting an ego-driven world of clashing personalities, there is a whole assortment of dramatisation and well-acted scenes for you to sink your teeth into. An award-winning sensation

Mad Men: The Complete Collection - Blu-ray Mad Men: The Complete Collection - Blu-ray

Pictures of Elegance -- This multi-layered HD photo gallery is divided into nine sections that include shots of the shoot, cast and crew, costumes, sets, advertising campaigns, and more. It was a perfect send off for this character as Don was always mysterious to us, and still remains a mystery in those final moments in the commune on the mountain, but it was in those final moments where we finally see the real Don Draper. As for the rest of the excellent cast of characters who we have followed through the years, we get to see them push forward in their lives with a slight amount of joy and goodness, which if any of you have seen the show, was not always the case. Mad Men: The Final Season Part II' comes with an excellent 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. If you've seen the previous seasons, then you know just how great this video presentations look, and this one is no different. Detail is very sharp and vivid throughout with excellent closeups that showcase the amazing textures in that 60s/70s clothing and furniture.Part of what makes ‘Mad Men’ such a fun watch is the period detail. Here, with the set’s sublime MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer (aspect ratio: a cinematic 1.78:1), this detail has never looked better.

Mad Men: The Complete Collection review - The Guardian Mad Men: The Complete Collection review - The Guardian

And joining Hamm in his seminal role as Draper is a stellar cast of endearing actors and actresses, featuring Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell, January Jones as Betty Francis, and so many more names you will become closely attached to over the course of this encapsulating 92-episode epic.The series finale, which has been widely discussed almost as much as the finale of ' The Sopranos', leaves us with an image of Don Draper that seems to tell us that this character has been met with as much success as he's had failures, but he has finally found his place in the world, and who he really is, which is followed by one of the most famous ads to ever come out. There have been a ton of theories on how fans and critics should interpret this, but I'm guessing that the true fans of the show know the true outcome, which is a good one. Directors: Phil Abraham , Michael Uppendahl , Jennifer Getzinger , Matthew Weiner , Scott Hornbacher , Lesli Linka Glatter This is a comprehensive set, with so many extras it will take you just as long to get through them as it will to watch the entire series. Widely labelled as one of the greatest television series of all time, Mad Men is an unmissable piece of live-action American period drama. Assemble your Mad Men collection Mad Men' is one of the best television shows to ever be released. It's attention to period details, the amazing characters, the writing, the music, the whiskey, the cigarettes, all of the retro set pieces, truly showed what a milestone in television 'Mad Men' is. These final seven episodes arenot to be missed.