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Dom Robinson reviews

Jam

Distributed by
VCI


Jam was Chris Morris' TV version, to a point, of his Radio 1 show "Blue Jam", something which I tried to listen to but could never get into.

Back then I found TV a medium more easy to get into, whereas in the past year or two I've been listening to many Radio 2 and Radio 4 comedies such as The 99p Challenge, Just a Minute, The News Quiz, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue as well as old favourites, The Now Show, The Shuttleworths, It's Been a Bad Week and Parsons and Naylor. Perhaps BBC7 will repeat them at some point - they seem to be repeating many other good things.

How can I best describe Jam? It's not easy to describe other than to give you examples of the sketches within it, all of which are unconnected and make little sense if at all. Even if you can't grasp what's going on, if you were a fan of Chris Morris' previous disturbing TV work, Brass Eye, you'll find this just as encapsulating.


This double-disc DVD set contains both the original version of Jam as well as the later repeats which were remixed and retitled as Jaaaaam. This DVD then takes them a bit further as the extras list will show.

So, what to expect from his Morris creation? There's the man who marries himself because, at the age of 46, he realises he's never going to get married, the doctor who explains things calmly and methodically... and then pisses himself right in front of the patients, an unlikely estate agent who demands sex with both halves of the couple before moving on to the husband's mentally-disabled sister. Then there's a nude Kilroy on the day he lost his mind, in which he literally pisses all over a shop-front window which has a TV playing his programme.

If you're of a sensitive disposition and looking to be offended, there's a sketch in the first episode about a woman who accuses her husband of having an affair, but he eventually confesses that it's not true, he had never met her before and never even got a kiss off her. Why? Because he was raping her. Suddenly, she forgives him for her accusation and they hug affectionately.

It's obviously going to take a strong stomach in some cases and the brain to realise that he's not taking the piss out of such a horrific crime, but is simply using that as a crux for a straight-forward gag about misinterpretation.

Still looking to be the next Mary Whitehouse? Then witness the one about the plumber who's called round in an emergency. The shattered female house owner ushers him into the room where he's to perform his task. It's her baby... it's suddenly not working. You realise he's been called to fix her dead baby, but she'll pay through the nose for him to resolve it. The end result is something that has to be seen to be believed as he re-routes the entire central plumbing system through the baby, which at least leaves him warm.

When originally shown on Channel 4, there were no advert breaks and no closing credits. If you wanted to find out who did what, the weblink www.jamcredits.com appeared onscreen in place of these. They've since been updated to take account of the DVD production.



Chris Morris - a genius?


Most TV productions are now made in an anamorphic 16:9 ratio, but not Jam. The ratio changes... several times. It's 4:3 full-frame for one sketch, then 16:9 letterbox for another, 16:9 anamorphic for a third and any combination of those. The quality varies widely between the sketches but that's intentional and dependent upon the topic. When it's meant to look clear there are no defects.

The sound is basic Dolby Surround, although the disc offers a Dolby Digital 5.1 option. Select this and it tells you instead to download the sound effects of distant artillery from the website and play them behind you as you watch the show. I've gone with the first option and given it full marks because the weird noises you get are just so incredibly effective.

Chapters-wise, this DVD couldn't get any better. There's one for every sketch in the show, making 12 in total. The menus are all animated with strange sound effects and subtitles are available in English for the hard of hearing - and you're going to need them!

The extras are as follows:


FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS



OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2003

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