Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set
by Martin Shardlow
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DVD details
Actor: Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray, Robert East, Rowan Atkinson, Tim McInnernyDirector: Martin Shardlow
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 860 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-01-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Reviews of Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set
DVD Review: Classic Brit Humour at its best
Summary: 5 Stars
For anyone who knows anything about Rowan Atkinson and his cronies in comedy, Black Adder is a must have for your collection. By far, the best of the series is Hugh Laurie playing the idiotic Prince George and RA as his conniving butler. My husband loves that his favourite character in the series, Baldrick, appears in all episodes as Blackadder's hapless sidekick. DVD Review: An adder can really sink its fangs into this bloody brilliant BritCom!
Summary: 4 Stars
With the help of writers like Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, comic genius Rowan Atkinson pokes irreverent fun at the human frailties that made British history such a bloody mess. Of course, I realize that our short USA history is just as full of human frailty and bloody messes, but the British seem to have a greater sense of humor about themselves than we do, and they are certainly more open about accepting and poking fun at the role of politics and even religion in the mishaps and mayhem in their past. Witch Smellers, dishonest Archbishops, depraved loan-shark bishops etc. are as much a part of Britain's dark past as the corruption, greed and violence of royalty and politics. Again, the US has much of these qualities in our own past too, but the British (as shown in this wonderful comedy) have a greater sense of humor about it. In the first season, Brian Blessed supurbly portrays the loud, brash king in the 1400s who would gladly kill his son or even The Archbishop of Canterbury (who somehow needs to be replaced on a weekly basis because archbishops seem to have fatal "accidents") if they cross him. In the second season, the Elizabethan era queen, played wonderfully by Miranda Richardson, is a spoiled, simpleton twit with the brain and attention span of a child. In the third season, Hugh Laurie is the scatter-brained Prince Regent who literally can't dress himself without his butler's help in the 1700s. And the final season finds Blackadder in a foxhole or bunker on the front lines during WW1. The fifth disc is not really a season, but a special where a modern day Blackadder goes back and forth in history via a time machine. That is a funny and interesting special, but does not stack up against any of the 4 actual seasons of the show. Many of the characters in all 4 seasons are based on actual historic figures. Aside from Laurie, many great actors add their talents on a regular basis, such as Tim McInnerney, who is a wonderful and usually buffoon-like regular character in 3 seasons, Steven Frye, who takes on very different characters in 2 seasons, Tony Robinson is Rowan's constant sidekick, Baldrick, and is perfect in the role. There are so many others I can mention. Let me just say that this is a dark, cynical and often irreverent comedy where some of Britain's finest cemedians poke fun at their own history during different stages. They are not afraid to peal away the thin vaneer of respectability and reveal some of their ugly secrets in a way that never would have been done here in The States (even though we share many of the same dark secrets). Politics, royalty, religion, heroes and so many things are the target of this brilliant comedy. Holding up a mirror to themselves is holding a mirror up to us as well. Even if it scares you a little, it will still make you laugh. It will make you laugh A LOT!
DVD Review: Must have for Rowan Atkinson fans
Summary: 5 Stars
Great series, the first 3 episodes are a little so so compared to his other works but, from episode 4 he hits stride and it is the Black Adder we love, sharp, witty and cynical.DVD Review: The Whole Bloody Dynasty
Summary: 5 Stars
Black Adder stands out as one of the most brilliant, and hilarious, British comedy series of all time. I grew up watching this show, in fact, so was quite pleased to finally have the whole set available on DVD (with some added goodies to boot). Words cannot describe how great this series is... well written, well acted. And, you'll probably learn more about British history than you would in most high schools (at least, here in America anyway).
So the premise? Rowan Atkinson plays Edmund Blackadder, in his various incarnations, a slimy, manipulative bastard. Throughout various eras in British history, his descendants (all played by Rowan Atkinson, of course, and all more or less the same) scheme and plot, accompanied by his faithful servant Baldric (played by Tony Robinson). Their (mis)adventures span from the Middle Ages to the Great War, and all are absolutely brilliant satires of just about every moment in British history.
In fact, the first series contends that Henry Tudor in fact fabricated his victory at Bosworth Field and that Richard IV (played as a bloodthristy maniac by the talented Brian Blessed) in fact took the throne after Edmund accidentally killed Richard III! From there, his descendants go on to the court of Queen Elizabeth (humorously portrayed by Miranda Richardson) where he and Baldric are often thwarted by her pompous chamberlain Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry) or their own stupidity. Next up, Mr. Blackadder is a butler to Prince Regent George (Hugh Laurie, of House fame). And their final outing finds Captain Blackadder and company on the frontlines of the Great War, accompanied by the descendants of Baldric and George, and led by the mad General Melchett.
As I said before, not only is the writing a brilliant and humorous look at British history, but the series also benefits from some great actors as well (many of whom are recurring characters) - Rowan Atkinson of course, but also Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny, Hugh Laurie (who is brilliant in comedy as well as drama), Stephen Fry, Robbie Coltrane, and even Tom Baker at one point!
The special features to this DVD are no less impressive. Not only do we get some small blurbs about historical references on the show, but there are also three additional episodes - the Cavalier Years (short sketch set in the English Civil War, that ends with the Royalist Sir Blackadder killing Charles I), the Blackadder Christmas Carol (a Victorian story in which the good Blackadder winds up seeing his ancestors and turns evil to enjoy material benefits to his life), and finally Blackadder Back And Forth, a modern time travel adventure featuring a return of most of the cast, and some new sketches as well (like a Roman Blackadder!)
If you want to experience one of the most hilarious and outrageous British comedy series, then buying this boxed set is the way to go wrong. It has pretty much all the Black Adder you could ever want, and then some!
DVD Review: Incredibly fantastic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was already a fan of Black Adder before I bought this set because it was a good price on Amazon. Unfortunately that case was a little broken when it finally arrived, but that does not at all diminish my love of this particular set. I've only had it for less than a month, and I've watched it enough to pretty much memorize every line of every episode: all the sarcasm, cutting quips, and historical allusions. I'm pretty well versed in European history (for an American), but I certainly learned a few things from the special features (with delightful narration by Tony Robinson).
Now my only worry is that I may wear out this copy and need a new one! It actually takes a bit of self-discipline to tear myself away from the tv and to not try to bring the discs with me everywhere I go! I would highly recommend this set to anyone who loves Black Adder (though you'll likely already be drooling over it if you do!) since it's all together in one place. If you haven't seen any episodes yet and don't know about the series, I wouldn't get it just yet. It's not for everyone, but if you rent it (start out with the second season!) and decide you like it, just go and indulge!
Description of Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set
One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes.One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund--as with his ancestor--can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny. --Tom Keogh
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