{"id":11317,"date":"2011-03-27T20:40:11","date_gmt":"2011-03-27T19:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=11317"},"modified":"2011-03-27T20:43:57","modified_gmt":"2011-03-27T19:43:57","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-mad-men-season-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2011\/03\/27\/blu-ray-dvd-mad-men-season-four\/","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray: Mad Men Season Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The fourth season of the acclaimed TV show<\/a> continues its fascinating exploration of the life and times of a New York ad agency.<\/p>\n

By now Mad Men is something of a phenomenon. Even though it doesn’t get huge ratings, it has captured the hearts and minds of critics<\/a>, cultural tastemakers<\/a> as well as receiving multiple awards, including thirteen Emmys and four Golden Globes.<\/p>\n

Its influence can be seen in publishing<\/a>, fashion<\/a> and even people’s Twitter avatars<\/a> as the show mines the social anxieties of a past era<\/a>, which in turn reflect our own<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The end of Season Three<\/a> saw the partners at ad agency Sterling Cooper dissolve their copmany to start afresh and the cultural eruptions of the 1960s<\/a> and the personal dramas of the characters continue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Opening in November 1964, this series begins with recently divorced Don Draper (Jon Hamm) still struggling to balance his personal and professional life, as he juggles relationships and deals with revelations about his past rising to the surface.<\/p>\n

Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) continues her rise at the agency despite the sexism of the times; the senior partners have to deal with a tricky major client; the Vietnam War is beginning to rear its head and affect Joan (Christina Hendricks), whilst Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) deals with the personal ties that conflict with his work.<\/p>\n

As with previous seasons the creative standards are very high, with the acting, writing and direction as good as anything you’ll see on television.<\/p>\n

The production values and period setting are as impressive as ever, but Weiner and his creative team go beyond just recreating a past era and skilfully explore the social anxities of the time, which also neatly reflect the current turmoil<\/a> in Western culture.<\/p>\n

One of the chief pleasures of the show as it progresses is the way in which it conveys the compleys layers of the characters lives. Don still remains enigmatic despite numerous revelations about his life, Pete is a much more sympathetic character than he was in Season One and the painful realities of divorce are explored through Don daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka).<\/p>\n