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Blackadder's Christmas Carol [1988] [DVD]
![Blackadder's Christmas Carol [1988] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HA7DK6B4L._SL160_.jpg)
On the DVD: Blackadder's Christmas Carol offers nothing extra on DVD other than the inclusion of optional subtitles. The sound is mono but crystal clear and the 4:3 image is good considering the source material is a TV studio production shot on video. --Gary S Dalkin
RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £2.35 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Among the many films and TV shows which add a new twist to Charles Dickens' classic tale, Blackadder's Christmas Carol is the most ingenious. Made between Blackadder the Third (1987) and Blackadder Goes Forth (1989), the inspired concept is to recast the self-serving Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) in Dickens' Scrooge role, but rather than a misanthropic miser make him the most kind-hearted man in England. Tony Robinson's Baldrick is as moronic as ever, while Robbie Coltrane plays the Spirit of Christmas like a forerunner to his Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, showing Edmund visions of past and future to not quite the desired effect. Hugh Laurie returns as the Prince Regent from Blackadder the Third and the entire court from Blackadder II (1986) is reassembled for japes involving a merry seasonal death warrant. Miranda Richardson is outrageously capricious as Elizabeth I, then takes the character a stage further in a decadent space opera future which also sees Patsy (Nursie) Byrne as an android. Though not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as the regular Blackadder series this is an excellent Yuletide special.
Blackadder Christmas Carol
Review date: 2010-05-07 Rating: 6 out of 10
Having been a fan of all four complete series of Blackadder, this later "special" was one I hadn't seen. Probably because of the gap between the original series and this, the original zing was not quite there. This is perhaps too, because Blackadder is not quite what you expect him to be for a significant time (I'm trying to avoid a spoiler here), so part of the delight at his wicked, world-weary persona is missing too. However having said that, we did enjoy it and thought it was necessary to have as part of the entire Blackadder odyssey.
Similar Products
- Blackadder Back and Forth [1999] [DVD]
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Reviews
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Review date: 2010-01-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is enormous fun and I am delighted to have it; it subverts the Dicken's story very well - until the last moment!
Cannot view in the U.S.
Review date: 2009-12-01 Rating: 8 out of 10
Love Black Adder's Christmas Carol, but I stupidly assumed that it would be a U.S. version DVD. You cannot order this alone in the U.S. You must order the Complete Black Adder to get Christmas Carol, which I have subsequently done. I mailed the European version to our U.K. office.
Back in those days, Christmas really was Christmas
Review date: 2009-03-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
This was the first episode of Blackadder I ever saw (back in 1988), and it's an ideal purchase or gift for Christmas. As you'll have probably guessed by the title, it's a take on Charles Dickens' famous story but is re-worked in the inimitable style of the Blackadder comedy series. Mr Ebineezer Blackadder, owner of the moustache shop, is a kindly soul whose life is transformed one Christmas eve when he is visited by the Spirit of Christmas and is shown visions of his ancestors and of the as-yet-undetermined future. This has to be the best individual episode of the series ever. More or less every line of dialogue is hilarious, and it's nice to see Blackadder II and III in festive action. It's also interesting to note that the Victorian Baldrick (despite being obviously uneducated, but then education was only for the wealthy in Victorian England) is actually the voice of reason both during the scenes when nice Ebineezer is being conned by his neighbours and later when he's treating them like dirt. The 'future' scenes are well-imagined and take the series into previously unexplored sci-fi territory. Overall a flawless masterpiece of comedy.
Hilarious, Festive, Brilliant!!!
Review date: 2008-12-09 Rating: 10 out of 10
For years I have watched this on DVD at Christmas time. Each year I find it hilarious. A wonderful play on A Christmas Carol we find Edmund Blackadder - the most generous and happy man in London. Yes, he is happy! That alone is worth the admission fee. A chance encounter with a Robbie Coltrane as the Spirit allows Edmund to see the past generations of his family and some of the nasty things they did. Of course Edmund is amused by this and quickly works out that being bad actually isn't that bad. And sure enough he does so with hilarious consequences. This really is an excellent Christmas special of a wonderful series. If you are a fan of the series and have never seen this I thoroughly recommend it. In truth I would recommend it to anyone with a liking for comedy. Very enjoyable.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Tony Robinson
Rowan Atkinson
Hugh Laurie
Miranda Richardson
Stephen Fry
Creators:
Rowan Atkinson (Primary Contributor)
Tony Robinson (Primary Contributor)
Chris Wadsworth (Editor)
John Lloyd (Producer)
Ben Elton (Writer)
Charles Dickens (Writer)
Richard Curtis (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503114121
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2002-11-18
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 43 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1988
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Original Language)