The Blackadder series is undoubtidly one of the most loved British Sitcoms. This box set brings you all four of the TV series in full, plus "Blackadder's Christmas Carol"and "Blackadder back and fourth", the time Travelling special made for the Millenium.
There is much to enjoy here for the simple reason this is British comedy at its finest. There is little to say about the series that most people don't already know.
Disc one contains all six episodes of the Original "The Black Adder" series in which the world was introduced to Edmund and his side kick/servant Baldrick (a dung herder). This series takes place in a time in History (supposedly) wiped from the conventional History of Englands King's by Henry Tudor. Edmund is the Son of "King" Richard IV, and gives himself the title of "THE BLACK VEGETABLE" until Baldrick suggests Adder would be more impressive.
The series is full of nods to Shakespear plays and even borrows dialog from the bard. With plenty of jokes about dung eating, devious plotting and slapstick (sometimes dark) humour this series set the stage for all the following series. There are no real features on the DVD and to be honest picture quality is not great, more like a slightly old VHS copy. Its a pity some time and effort hasn't been spent on this to give it a shaper picture for the modern DVD generation.
Disc Two is the Sublime "Blackadder II" a trully brilliant series that really cemented Blackadder as a nasty, devious and lovable anti-hero. This Blackadder lives in Elizabethen England and is a Favorite of Queen Elizabeth. In a brilliant piece of casting Mirranda Richardson plays "Queenie" as a spoilt, bratish vindictive School girl. Always reminding her courtiers "who's Queen?" Steven Fry is the snivelling Lord Melchet and we once again have Baldrick and Edmund's "Friend", the terminally stupid, Lord Percy Percy. With Rowan Atkinson stepping aside in the writing department, Ben Elton joined Richard Curtiss to pen this fabulous romp of a series. Again this disc has no features and suffers some poor picture quaility by modern standards.
Disc three and in "Blackadder the Third" we have reached regency times, with this Edmund a lowly Butler to the barmy in-bread Prince Regent, played superbly enthusiasticly by Hugh Laurie. In this series Baldrick is still a servant and has aquired a First Name, that can't be repeated here. This is probably the weakest of the four series. Not that it isn't funny, it is, it's just not as funny as the other three series. There is no Percy Percy or Melchet in this series and i think it suffers for it. Again the problems of no feature and picture quality need to be mentioned.
Disc Four and we move forward in time as "Blackadder goes fourth" into the trenches of the First World War. This series is on a par with series two and is maybe even better. Obviously with a subject matter like the Great War the humour can be very Dark, but the writing is simply superb and never mocks the Soldiers instead using humour to drive home the awfulness of War. The final scene where the main Characters are freeze framed in the moment of going "over the top" is one of the most powerful and poinant in any Television show. Again no feature or cleaning up of picture Quality.
Disc 5 is a Christmas special "BlackAdder's Christmas Carol" in which we meet a kind and decent member of the Blackadder clan. Not a bad entry in the series but never reaching the heights of the previous 4 series . And the same can be said of Disc 6 "Blackadder back and fourth" in which a modern day Blackadder moves through time meeting the likes of William shakespear.amongst others. Again not bad but not as good as previous episodes.
One disappointment for me is that the Original Pilot show, never shown on TV, and with some differnt actors playing familar parts isn't included in this set.(Would you believe a clean and tidy Baldrick?) If it had been it really would be the "complete Blackadder". Also i would have liked at least a short documentry with some cast and crew interviews.
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One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England,Black Addertraces the deeply ... more
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-Mr Beantriumph, British c...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England,Black Addertraces the deeply ... more
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-Mr Beantriumph, British c...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Throughout the ages, men of finesse, intelligence and outstanding courage have played ... more
their part in England's glorious heritage. Others, like the long line of deceitful, cowardly and conniving Blackadders have somehow emerged to claim their wrongful po...
Like a skidmark through history the Edmund Blackadders left an indelible dirty stain on ... more
every era they passed through. No one knows where the notorious Blackadder family originated from - some say the shallow end of the gene pool others just nod and p...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Blackadder - The Complete Collection [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/79206883.jpg "Blackadder - The Complete Collection [DVD]")
Nov 9th, 2006
(Nov 10th, 2006)
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