|
| 
 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: $58.50
You Save: $41.48 (41%)
New (32) Used (13) from $53.00
Rating:  196 reviews
Sales Rank: 1402
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 5
Running Time: 860
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
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 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
THE BEST! September 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great dvd. Great show. The best of British comedy.
Despite the fact that I would have prefer more extra features (this one has a great interview with Richard Curtis), nevertheless, this DVD is a great add to your collection. If you like the show, you will love this DVD.
Classic Black Adder! August 25, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this set for my son who is a huge Hugh Laurie ("House") fan. He was amazed how funny he is! My other kids love Rowan Atkinson ("Mr Bean")so this has been a big hit in my household!
Blackadder, Blackadder, he's going to rule the world August 11, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
You have to give the Blackadder family credit -- they're tenacious. "Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set" chronicles this odd, sardonic family's presence throughout the greatest eras of British history. The first season stumbles somewhat, but the following seasons are brilliant -- sardonic, kooky, and sometimes rather sick.
On the day of the Battle of Bosworth Field, the Duke of York (Brian Blessed) and his son Harry (Robert East) accompanied the king (Peter Cook) into battle. His second son Edmund (Atkinson) hopes to come along, but he oversleeps -- and when he arrives, he accidentally kills the king, and Edmund's his father is made king. He dubs himself the "Black Adder" and decides to one day become king of England... too bad nobody likes him.
He's followed by a string of descendents through the ages -- all more acid-tongued and intelligent than he, or anyone else around them. And they're always accompanied by a Baldrick. That includes Lord Edmund Blackadder, the favorite of the demented queen Bess (Miranda Richardson); Edmund Blackadder Esq., valet and butler to the half-witted Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie); and Captain Blackadder, a soldier in World War I who spends his time trying to get out of it.
These unlucky Blackadders find themselves dealing with demented Puritans, hosting bawdy drinking parties, crazed bishops, even crazier princes, giant turnips, the Red Baron, drag musical acts, Spaniard inquisitors, and almost being shot for eating a carrier pigeon. Startlingly, the final season -- although another is in the planning stages -- ends on a very poignant note.
But there is an upbeat ending overall -- the final episode introduces us to the modern-day Blackadder, a sharp-tongued aristocrat dining with the modern-day descendents of Prince George, Queen Elizabeth, Melchett and Darling. Not to mention Baldrick in a truly horrifying porno apron.
Blackadder reveals that using da Vinci's plans, Baldrick has constructed a time machine, and bets 30,000 that he can bring back historical items. It's actually an elaborate scam... until the machine works, and Baldrick and Blackadder find themselves spinning helplessly through time, with no idea how to get home. Or, for that matter, how much they've inadvertantly changed things...
The series starts off a little weakly -- the first season is funny, but not outrageously so, and Prince Edmund is the incompetant twerp rather than Baldrick or Percy. But things blossom with the arrival of a new writer in "Blackadder II," and sets the tone for the rest of the series: a smart, bitter man who's constantly surrounded by nincompoops.
There are one or two dud episodes, but the majority of them shine with comic genius, from the kookily childish Queen Elizabeth ("Who's Queen?") to Baldrick's rancid boxers killing the dinosaurs. Atkinson gets most of the good lines ("He's the most over-rated human being since Judas Iscariot won the AD31 Best Disciple Competition") but the rest of the cast usually gets in some great ones too ("A total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through!").
Atkinson, of course, rules the whole series a series of acid-tongued Blackadders who have influence but no power, and Robinson is great as the gross servant who always has a cunning plan. The rest of the cast reappears regularly -- Laurie as a series of half-witted bluebloods, Richardson as drippy young women, Fry as cunning advisors and hearty generals, and McInnery as airbrained idiots and prissy assistants.
The complete series of "Black Adder" is a comic cornucopia -- it starts off a bit weakly, but once it gets its footing, it's absolute hilarious. A must-have.
Hilarious Show That Begs for More Episodes... August 1, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Blackadder is a British comedy that follows the lives of the royal "Blackadder" line, a lineage that seems to produce nothing but sniveling cowards who are always trying to shirk duty and avoid all sense of obligation. Produced in four seasons, with each season taking place at a specific time in history, the series commences in season one with the life of Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), a son of the English King (Brian Blessed) in the 15th century. As the seasons progress, we move forward in time until ultimately arriving in season four with a certain "Captain Blackadder" in the trenches in World War I. The premise of the show, then, is to watch the machinations of the current Blackadder as he squirms his way through each threatening situation while continuing his quest to wiggle ever higher up in life, whether that be to become King (as in season one) or to escape the trenches of World War I (as in season four). The show is one of the most successful comedies to ever come out of the BBC.
The character of Edmund Blackadder begins in season one as the Duke of Edinburgh (his accidental killing of Richard III over the misappropriation of a horse seems to cause him some serious difficulties about this time, with a little help from Shakespeare), and episodes revolve around Blackadder either attempting to seize control of the throne or, in the other cases, trying to keep from being executed due to his shenanigans. Without giving any of the story lines away, we can say that each season sees Blackadder incarnated in the form of one of the descendants of the Blackadder line, and so Edmund's character shows up, first in the Middle Ages, then in the Renaissance, and finally, in World War I. Over this span of some 600 years (specifically, 1485 - 1917), we see that for one to be a "Blackadder" carries a whole series of connotations with it, this being the underlying theme of the show in all its contorted situations and events.
Edmund Blackadder is not the only recurring character throughout the seasons. His dogsbody is Baldrick (Tony Robinson), who is also present in every episode in the entire series. Other actors (including Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Tim McInnerny) who appear as key characters in one season will frequently appear as different characters other seasons. Each of the supporting actors is outstanding, and although Blackadder is clearly Atkinson's show, all the actors work together to pull the effort off seamlessly. Many of the special characters are famous British actors and/or comedians, but it is not necessary to know that as you watch the episodes.
To a certain extent, "Blackadder" defies categorization as a TV show. It certainly is a comedy, and a sardonic, cynical one at that. However, the series is so vested in British history that one almost feels you are receiving a series of lessons on British history rather than just watching a comedy show. And while it is not necessary to be fully aware of the major events of British history in order to enjoy the show, it certainly helps to bring a richer enjoyment to the experience, and you also won't miss the numerous history-oriented "asides," "caricatures," and allusions that fill the show. The other side of the coin, so to speak, is that by watching the entire series, you can get a "mini" British history lesson on an almost subconscious level.
The show is indeed extremely funny, but this is a distinctively "British" show. If you are an American viewer and are not familiar with this type of humor, there may be a short period of adjustment, but after one or two episodes, understanding the humor becomes second-nature. True, there is much similarity in Rowan Atkinson's style of humor and the type of humor commonly seen in America, but there is certainly also that little added "twist" that may take typical American viewers a little time to absorb. Once you do, it is straight laughs all the way. And it is not all high-brow: there are sight gags, physical humor, and yes, even occasional crassness. This is history for people who don't take history all too seriously, and Blackadder in a way epitomizes all that we average people feel as we go through life, regardless of the historical backdrop operating during our lives.
Some viewers may be aware of Atkinson's other very famous and popular series, "Mr. Bean." Let's be clear and explain that there is virtually no relationship between these two shows, which have different premises, a different comedic approach, and are generally aimed at different audiences. To think that Rowan Atkinson successfully completed an engineering degree at Oxford and ended up playing Edmund Blackadder is a stretch, at best. And yet, once you see him in action, you can easily see how this came about. He is like a little kid in class, always wishing to pull the string on the person's clothes sitting next to him, or perhaps placing the proverbial whoopee cushion under the teacher's chair. In a very real way, it all seems a natural, un-acted role for him.
Blackadder season four was voted in 2000 by the British Film Institute as the 16th best British TV series in all the BBC's history. The previous three seasons are every bit as good, and it is likely that the strong political themes underpinning season four played into the rating. Let's just say that, in spite of its occasional crudity and offensiveness (yes, we may be offended at a few things here and there - the show is an equal opportunity lancet), Blackadder must be easily rated as one of the BBC's master productions. It's fun to watch, helps us learn, and perhaps even more, makes us think. But it is simply sheer comedic entertainment that begs for another season. Purchase all four seasons together in the single set. You'll end up wanting them all, and this approach will save you a few pounds.
Greatest Fractured History Comedy Ever July 15, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very enjoyable. The writers had a feindishly cunning plan, making Black Adder. See Rowan Adkins at his best as the Black Adder a recurring historical character who is plotting his way to the top with the help of his friends( including Hugh Laurie, decidedly very un House like).
|
|
|
| |
