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 enlarge | Director: Martin Shardlow
Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Elspet Gray, Tim Mcinnerny, Brian Blessed, Robert East
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $99.98
Buy New: $59.99
You Save: $39.99 (40%)
New (31) Used (14) from $52.66
Rating:  196 reviews
Sales Rank: 2339
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 860 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 1
MPN: DE2460D
UPC: 794051246028
EAN: 0794051246028
ASIN: B000EBCEVS
Release Date: January 24, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 6 to 10 days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 196
Must have! October 20, 2007
S. Smith (Dallas, TX USA)
Too much wit in one place? It might be possible in these DVD's! Silliness at its smartest! And Hugh Laurie as Prince George in Black Adder III.....cannot beat it!!!
Great investment! October 20, 2007
A. J. Hand (North Carolina)
I am new to the Black Adder--have always loved Fawlty Towers and Vicar, so investigated this series. I was not disappointed. Too funny. I did have to brush up on some English history to keep up with all the jokes and references. But it was worth it! The show is clever, biting, witty, subtle, and sometimes over the top. Love it. Will enjoy watching episodes over and over again....you always discover new things with each viewing.
Black Adder October 17, 2007
Michael H. Johnsa (Buford, GA)
This Black Adder collection is hilarious. It's timeless characters make for a great laugh...throughout history.
I have a cunning plan..... October 7, 2007
D. Colley (England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Blackadder showcases the talent of British comedy through the history of the devious and cunning Edmund Blackadder, played brilliantly by Rowan Atkinson. With his dogsbody Baldrick, Blackadder flits through the pinnacle ages of English history.
The first series is the poorest of the four series. Shot on location, the first series lacks the wit of the other three series, and relies too much on physical comedy (Atkinson's squirming face for example). It is also in the first series that we see the very worst of Blackadder, portrayed as weak, conniving and sniveling heir to the throne. Even his haircut is hideous...
Ben Elton was brought in as a writer for the second series - which is now set in Elizabethan England - and the script improves considerably. It has more witty humour and greater character dialogue, as well subtle references to modern history and culture as well. Also, this series is shot in a studio and this makes the whole thing more atmospheric (believe it or not!)
Whilst Rowan Atkinson is the star of the whole historic storyline, each series has its own star that steals the show. In the second series it is Miranda Richardson's Elizabeth I that sparkles. Richardson plays the strong-willed Queen as a brattish spoilt girl who demands she wins at everything, and not just at war with the Spanish (everybody lets her win at party games in case she decides to cut off their heads). Other recurring characters include Lord Melchett, played by Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson as the sufferable, but filthy, Baldrick. Rik Mayall pops in as Lord Flashheart, a swashbuckler who steals Blackadders 'bird'.
The third series is the best in my opinion, and whilst Atkinson is great as usual it is Hugh Laurie (House) as the gluttony, pampered Prince Regent (son of George III, the 'mad king') who steals the series. Laurie is superb as the buffoon, served by his considerably smarter butler Blackadder. Other real historic characters come to and thro in this series, including The Duke of Wellington, played draconically by Stephen Fry, who hates the Regent more than he hates servants, and, apparently, his own soldiers.
The fourth series, set during The Great War of 1914-1918 is the most poignant. The humour is more double-entendre and `toilet based' but Blackadder, by this time is a more sympathetic character, less cruel as before but still as devious and cunning as ever, though is main objective through out the series is to survive the war.
Stephen Fry plays General Melchett, who sits behind the frontline by 35 miles and barks insane unworkable orders to the Tommys on the frontline. Tim Mcinnerny, who plays Percy in the first two series, returns as Captain Darling in this series. A man of nervous disorder and doing things by the book, as well as loads of Darling jokes, he is as pathetic as Percy and the butt of Blackadder's jokes.
This series is very anti-war, and in particular the war that it is set in. Blackadder, like many of the officers in the British army at the time, was a veteran of the Great Colonial Wars of the British Empire. These men now found themselves suddenly involved in this new unimaginable horror of mechanical and industrial warfare This series was criticized for humouring a difficult subject, but the ending, where the boys go off to their doom in no-mans-land, definitely put a poignant and sobering end, as the battlefield merged into modern day, full of poppies.
The extras are great, but one off specials are not as good as the series, but they add new insight into the family of Blackadder, and his dogsbody Baldrick. If you want to watch a series with sharp jokes whilst serving up a humorous portion of English history, then watch this!
I hope they make a new series, and rumours always abound that they will (including one where Blackadder and Baldrick are in a music band).
 A great show in a crummy package September 29, 2007
M. Fay (Cape Cod, MA United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This show is one of the best of the Brit coms. The way they have packaged it however is another story. Do the makers of theses packages ever actually try to use them? I'm sure not. The five disc set is packaged on 3 holders. No not one by it's self and two discs on opposite sides of swinging leaf pages. That would have made some sense. What they have done is stacked the discs on each other. You say you want to watch Blackadder the third. Then you have to take out Blackadder II and hold it (or lay it down somewhere) while you get out the disc you want. The discs are stacked in a staggered fashion on one another. No protection for them at all. The manufacturers of this and all DVD's should stop trying to save an extra 3 cents per package and place these discs in the package in a manor that is protective for the disc and convenient for the people who will be using them.
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