A Discovery of Witches [DVD]

Enjoyable

You have to read the books, before or after this DVD, they do complement not compete with each other. It is deep, intelligent and complex. The magic is just a small part. The politics, a new perspective on history, and the many characters are all finely drawn, richly woven together and engaging.This is a good adaptation of Book 1 in 8x 45 minute episodes finishing on a a cliff hanger. It is moody, subtle. Not perfectly faithful to the book but close and faithful to its spirit and tone. The action moves along at a good speed, and there is never a dull moment. The photography is well done and while some strong language and 'petting' is on show, the '15' maybe due more for 1 short scene of magical torture than the few scenes of modestly suggestive lovemaking. The palpable menace, the odd cross species tensions, weird magic, real world agendas mixing in: It's all well done and delightfully understated with a lot left to the imagination.There are weaknesses, though nothing major. Foremost, a few inconsistencies, (1. 'You have all the genetic attribute of witches, every last one'; yet: 'She does not have the fire gene marker'. 2. A Bishop of the famous Salem Bishops.... Most powerful mother, yet: 'She's not from any known witch clan'. 3. Some flimsy dialogue supporting simplistic debate in Congress). Secondly the acting and camera work mask (but mask it well) a lowish technical budget. Last, the all-star cast are good, perhaps not quite great though. But overall I don't mind, the formula and overall impact win you over... it just works. The production values are convincing. And of course, it ends a cliff hanger: At least we now know series 2 and 3 are confirmed after the warm US reception at it's April 2019 release (Various industry websites confirm filming has started. Series 2 is due to be on UK retail DVD release in April 2021).There's alot of very good TV series around nowadays: To my mind this is close to as good as anything in UK or US, Book or DVD. Well worth seeing and reading. There's a lot of clever and original entertainment here.STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

A book brought to the small screen generally loose something but Deborah Harkness's A discovery of witches doesn't loose that feelings the words evoked. Some changes was done but the plot wasn't lost and storyline stayed similar. A wonderful visual representation of a beloved characters. They brought them into reality with beauty and pose. A must watch...

I fell in love with this series, I don't think there could have been better casting. I was a bit hesitant after reading and loving the books but it's better than I thought.Visually stunning and great in blu ray can't wait to get the second series as well.The case was in good condition, discs played well just wish there was special features.

Great love these books

Having read the trilogy plus Times convert which covers not only Marcus's story but gives more of Diana and Mathew's story too. Now I've watched all 8 episodes of The Discovery of Witches, which I literally managed over two days! Although an adaptation can never match a book for details the TV version did a really good adaptation and more or less stuck to the orriginal. There were a few pieces that had been patched in as the book, the first in the trilogy has over 750 pages and takes around 15-17 hours to read. The second book is around 600 pages and the final around 550 pages. I can't recall off hand how many pages in Times convert. I was a bit disappointed in the appearance of the vampires, they are described as having ethereal beauty which none had. Still acting skills were great. Peter Knox the witch came across exactly as he did in the book along with Gerbert, one scary thing you'd not want to meet either even in your worst nightmares , Yasbeau was described in the book as flawless beauty, no offence to the actress who played her but she was middle aged and simply didn't fit in with my perspective. Can't wait for the next two seasons.

Watched on " Now " and just loved it.So very pleased to get the first series, second and third on list for pay day.Looked at the book and wasn't sure about buying as reviews weren't very good.Luckily with Amazon's " Look in side " did think I would not get on with it, so thats on the back burner.Feel the series has probably condensed the book, which of course all films / series do.This does not detract from the story and makes the viewing very pleasurable .Highly recommended.

Watched this a few times on sky and loved it. Cast is great, Matthew Goode really fits the bill as the 1500 year old vampire and some great British actors playing other parts, Trevor Eve is a revelation as the menacing and evil Gerbert and Owen Teale as the sneaky and corrupt Peter Knox. I have read the books and think the series script does well as a summarised version of the first book. The locations chosen are stunning, especially their recreation of the Bodleian library in Oxford. Overall a romantic and gripping story. Cant wait for series 2 set in the Elizabeathan period.

I had already viewed the series when it aired on tv...liked it so much decided to buy the season dvd. Looking forward to next season.

I saw the previews for "A Discovery of Witches," and started researching ways to watch it. I'm used to shows showing up in the UK first and available as Region 2 DVDs there before they migrate across the pond. However, I bought the first book to see how much effort I wanted to put into obtaining the show. I fell in love with Matthew and Diana. So I bought this region 2 DVD. I already have two libraries though, since I spend some time in the UK and some in the US, so I just watch on my computer. Works perfectly. So I've read through the first two books in the series and I'm on the third. I just finished binging the UK series on DVD today, so I'm ready to watch it on AMC at a more leisurely pace.The story involves a book, discovered in the library at Oxford by a historian, Diana (who is also a witch), doing research. Diana is discovered by a vampire, Matthew, played by Matthew Goode, who I've crushed on for years. I like his face. Witches and vampires are forbidden by creature law (the Covenant) to be together. And so, of course, the two of them fall in love. Everyone is searching for the book that Diana called up - even though she promptly returned it to the stacks. But now they are searching for Diana too - and Matthew. There's a lot of intrigue and mystery, but a lot of philosophy and romance, as well. I love the world that Harkness built, and I intend to keep exploring it.

"A Discovery of Witches" è una serie tv basata su una trilogia di libri fantasy scritti dall'autrice americana Deborah Harkness. La prima stagione è composta da otto puntate, la seconda e la terza usciranno prossimamente e sono già state confermate. Il telefilm racconta l'amore tormentato fra Diana Bishop, una strega che rifiuta il suo retaggio, e Matthew Clairmont, un fascinoso vampiro di origine francese. Questa "strana coppia" si incontrerà a Oxford, Inghilterra, e si metterà sulle tracce di un manoscritto alchemico che tutte le "creature" che popolano il nostro mondo (streghe, vampiri e demoni) consideravano scomparso da secoli. La ricerca spingerà Diana a riscoprire i suoi poteri e Matthew a sfidare le convenzioni di una comunità "magica" molto rigida e conservatrice, con esiti interessanti."A Discovery of Witches" è una serie di argomento fantasy-sentimentale ben fatta e interpretata da bravi attori. L'edizione inglese del cofanetto/dvd può essere vista in Europa (è regione 2) ma ci sono solo i sottotitoli in inglese, quindi consiglio l'acquisto a chi conosce questa lingua. Confezione e contenuti sono molto essenziali, ma va bene così. Secondo me si tratta di una serie tv adatta a chi apprezza il genere "romance" (in particolare Outlander, Poldark e serie di questo tipo) e chi è dunque alla ricerca di storie d'amore intense e senza tempo. La componente soprannaturale comunque è piuttosto riuscita, quindi anche i fan dei vampiri potrebbero gradire. Matthew Goode, che interpreta il protagonista maschile, è un attore davvero bravissimo e carismatico. Nota di colore per i fan di Doctor Who: la zia della protagonista è interpretata da Alex Kingston, cioè la mitica River Song... SPOILERS! :)Il servizio Amazon è stato impeccabile come sempre. Buona visione a tutti!

Ich habe die Bücher geliebt und kann die Serie nur empfehlen! Ich stehe Buchverfilmungen normalerweise auch eher kritisch gegenüber, war aber sofort von der Besetzung überzeugt. Das Drehbuch orientiert sich sehr nah an der Buchvorlage und die Charaktere werden überzeugend dargestellt. Besonders Diana wurde gut getroffen - Teresa Palmer gelingt der Spagat zwischen Historikerin und Hexe grandios. Und bei Matthew Goode passt auch nicht nur der Vorname zur Rolle!Ich vermute, dass sich bei denen, die das Buch nicht gelesen haben, an einigen Stellen ein paar Fragezeichen auftun (Z. B. was die Eigenheiten des verhexten Hauses angeht oder den Sinn der Congregation) - aber vielleicht regt es ja dazu an, für Hintergrundwissen zum Buch zu greifen ;)Besonders gut gefallen hat mir im Übrigen der Soundtrack!Die DVD-Version enthält 2 DVDs mit je 4 Folgen à 40-50min.Das Englisch ist auch für Nicht-Muttersprachler sehr gut zu verstehen, mit Untertiteln (nur Englisch vorhanden) gibt es m. E. gar keine Verständnisschwierigkeiten.

If you liked the Twilight series this is even better. It is more for adults but still includes witches and vampires. The settings in England and France are fantastic. Read the books too.