Those who want to see the "Little House" book series vivid on the TV screen would be disappointed. The TV series are not based upon Laura's books as claimed at the beginning of each episode, but rather based upon the characters in Laura's books. I can see Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura and Carie, and Jack (not a bull dog as mentioned in the book series), but I see very little of their adventures, while their struggle to survive in the wild and against the nature and their escapes from death are not seen.
The first disk entitled "The Pilot – The Premiere Movie" covers the book "Little House on the Prairie", but there are no birds, rabbits, gophers and as described in the book. The creek crossing of the family's wagon is described vividly and excitingly in the book, but it becomes pathetic in the movie. Pa's fiddler is not impressive as described in the book: the melodies are nowhere to be felt. The scene of Mr Edwards "went down the creek road and out of sight, Pa played, and Pa and Mr. Edwards and Laura sang with all their might" the song "Dan Tucker" is not impressive at all. Pa's encounter with the wolf pack is not as exciting as in the book. In short, the adventures, the hardship, the danger... are not shown as vividly as in the book.
Then Season 1 and Season 2 (6 disks each) covers the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek", near Walnut Grove. There are no dugout, plum trees, badger, blood-suckers, cattle stampede, grasshopper swarm (it is a hailstorm instead), wheels of fire, blizzards, flooding. But Mr Edwards is the permanent resident of Walnut Grove whereas he is not mentioned at all in the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek". And so the plots are totally different from the book. Some are too intrigued to the point of being absurd and unconvincing, while others are soon forgotten after viewing without leaving any impression in me. In short, the exciting and adventurous events described in the book series are not seen in the TV series. Pa seldom does farming, but he does mainly labor work for hire and voluntary work for Walnut Grove dwellers. And Mrs. Oleson is an extremely mean person. If this person had been real while the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek" did not say anything bad about her, then the TV series might have committed slandering of Mrs. Oleson! Then I lost patience and quickly went through the first disks of Sessions 3 and 4: still episodes in Walnut Grove.
Disk 1 of Session 5 shows the blind Mary as mentioned in the book "By the Shores of Silver Lake", but the scenes are still in Walnut Grove. Also according to that book Laura meets Almanzo in Silver Lake, but the TV series show they met in Walnut Grove.
Disk 1 of Session 6 is back to Walnut Grove, with Almanzo.
Disk 1 of Session 7 shows "Laura Ingalls Wilder" in Episodes 1 and 2, but then I lost interest.
I dearly want so to see Laura's family life in the Big Wood with many exciting events and interesting activities, but the TV series simply ignores this period. I dearly want to listen to Pa's fiddler, but Michael Landon's playing is pathetic. I dearly want to listen to nice melodies mentioned in the book "Little House on the Prairie", like "Bye, baby Bunting", "Daisy Deane", "Green grows the laurel", "Roll on silver moon", and particularly the song "The blue Juniata" that Ma sang – a rare occasion that she sang an entire song but there is none . Similarly, don't expect to enjoy songs from "On the Banks of Plum Creek" like "Lily Dale", "Swanee River" or "Wait for the wagon". Lacking such songs played and sang by Pa and Ma, the soul of the book series has lost.
I am annoyed with excessive lighting throughout the scenes. The isolated house uses oil lamps, but it looks like it is lit by several 100-watt electric bulbs, inside and outside. In several scenes, the shadow of the oil lamp is seen clearly on Pa's pillow, and even when he turns down the lamp, there is strong light from the outside through the window and it does not look like moonlight at all. And no fire-light can be seen. Such excessive lighting dampens the rustic but warm atmosphere of the forlorn house on the prairie; it looks like any wooden house in a modern town with electricity.
While the picture looks acceptable, the sound is bad: it is not 5-channel sound at all except for the introduction of the TV (or whatever logo) at the beginning of each episode.
In short, the TV series is loosely - in fact too loosely - based upon the "Little House" book series such that many feelings and meanings conveyed by the book series are entirely lost. A big disappointment. I do not see how the TV series "capture the heart of viewers" as its booklet claims. It does not capture my heart at all. If you want entertainment without thinking of the book series, then this TV series may be for you. But if the book series has captured your heart, keep it this way but DO NOT view this TV series else your heart will be broken.
The first disk entitled "The Pilot – The Premiere Movie" covers the book "Little House on the Prairie", but there are no birds, rabbits, gophers and as described in the book. The creek crossing of the family's wagon is described vividly and excitingly in the book, but it becomes pathetic in the movie. Pa's fiddler is not impressive as described in the book: the melodies are nowhere to be felt. The scene of Mr Edwards "went down the creek road and out of sight, Pa played, and Pa and Mr. Edwards and Laura sang with all their might" the song "Dan Tucker" is not impressive at all. Pa's encounter with the wolf pack is not as exciting as in the book. In short, the adventures, the hardship, the danger... are not shown as vividly as in the book.
Then Season 1 and Season 2 (6 disks each) covers the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek", near Walnut Grove. There are no dugout, plum trees, badger, blood-suckers, cattle stampede, grasshopper swarm (it is a hailstorm instead), wheels of fire, blizzards, flooding. But Mr Edwards is the permanent resident of Walnut Grove whereas he is not mentioned at all in the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek". And so the plots are totally different from the book. Some are too intrigued to the point of being absurd and unconvincing, while others are soon forgotten after viewing without leaving any impression in me. In short, the exciting and adventurous events described in the book series are not seen in the TV series. Pa seldom does farming, but he does mainly labor work for hire and voluntary work for Walnut Grove dwellers. And Mrs. Oleson is an extremely mean person. If this person had been real while the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek" did not say anything bad about her, then the TV series might have committed slandering of Mrs. Oleson! Then I lost patience and quickly went through the first disks of Sessions 3 and 4: still episodes in Walnut Grove.
Disk 1 of Session 5 shows the blind Mary as mentioned in the book "By the Shores of Silver Lake", but the scenes are still in Walnut Grove. Also according to that book Laura meets Almanzo in Silver Lake, but the TV series show they met in Walnut Grove.
Disk 1 of Session 6 is back to Walnut Grove, with Almanzo.
Disk 1 of Session 7 shows "Laura Ingalls Wilder" in Episodes 1 and 2, but then I lost interest.
I dearly want so to see Laura's family life in the Big Wood with many exciting events and interesting activities, but the TV series simply ignores this period. I dearly want to listen to Pa's fiddler, but Michael Landon's playing is pathetic. I dearly want to listen to nice melodies mentioned in the book "Little House on the Prairie", like "Bye, baby Bunting", "Daisy Deane", "Green grows the laurel", "Roll on silver moon", and particularly the song "The blue Juniata" that Ma sang – a rare occasion that she sang an entire song but there is none . Similarly, don't expect to enjoy songs from "On the Banks of Plum Creek" like "Lily Dale", "Swanee River" or "Wait for the wagon". Lacking such songs played and sang by Pa and Ma, the soul of the book series has lost.
I am annoyed with excessive lighting throughout the scenes. The isolated house uses oil lamps, but it looks like it is lit by several 100-watt electric bulbs, inside and outside. In several scenes, the shadow of the oil lamp is seen clearly on Pa's pillow, and even when he turns down the lamp, there is strong light from the outside through the window and it does not look like moonlight at all. And no fire-light can be seen. Such excessive lighting dampens the rustic but warm atmosphere of the forlorn house on the prairie; it looks like any wooden house in a modern town with electricity.
While the picture looks acceptable, the sound is bad: it is not 5-channel sound at all except for the introduction of the TV (or whatever logo) at the beginning of each episode.
In short, the TV series is loosely - in fact too loosely - based upon the "Little House" book series such that many feelings and meanings conveyed by the book series are entirely lost. A big disappointment. I do not see how the TV series "capture the heart of viewers" as its booklet claims. It does not capture my heart at all. If you want entertainment without thinking of the book series, then this TV series may be for you. But if the book series has captured your heart, keep it this way but DO NOT view this TV series else your heart will be broken.