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Blackadder: Complete Collection - BBC Series 1-4 & The Specials


RRP: £59.99
Our Price: £21.68 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

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-Mr 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 favour 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 -- like 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

Editorial
DVD Description

For the first time every Blackadder episode is packaged together in a special boxset, including Blackadder's Christmas Carol, Back and Forth and The Cavalier Years. This six disc set has a running time of 763 minutes.

Great Value DVD, worth every penny
Review date: 2008-07-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

Blacckadder is one of the Britains finest ever comedies. The comic genius that is Rowan Atikinson as Edmund Blackadder, outstandingly supported throughout by the brilliant Tony Robinson (before his "Time Team" days) as his ever suffering side kick Baldrick, and by Tim McInnery, Steven Fry and Hugh Laurie, among others.

The first series is set in the 1490s when, apparently, the history books were incorrectly written and Richard III wasn't defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, but was succeeded on the throne of England by his brother Richard IV (Brian Blessed) after being beheaded at the battle of Bosworth Field by his clutz of a nephew, Prince Edmunded Pentagonist, who later (after briefly considering calling himself "The Black Vegetable") re-names himself "The Black Adder". A legend is born.

Series 2 - move forward 80 years or so to Elizabethan times and the great grandson of Edmund Pentagonist - it's in the lyrics of the closing song on the episode "Head", for anyone who hadn't noticed it already "His great grandfather was a king, although for only 30 seconds". Now demoted to Lord rather than a Prince of the relm, Blackadder is the much more sharp, cunning and altogether nasty character we came to love. Baldrick is now the stupid one and that's the way it ought to be and, in deed, stayed.

Series 3 - Now in the late 1700s to early 1800s in the time of the Prince Regent, Edmumd is demoted again to being the butler to Prince George (brilliantly played by Hugh Laurie). Baldrick is still his ever sufferong dogsbody, whos immortal words "I have a cunning plan" are the bain of Blackadders life.

Series 4 - It's now world war one and Blackadder is demoted still further to a captain in the army trenches, with Baldrick and George as his comrades and Melchet as his barmey General.

The series just got better and better as it went on and the ending was perfect when they went over the top. At the end of last episode, as the final scene is shown, there's no theme tune or credits, it simply cuts to a picture of poppy fields. The way this is done is so moving, and a perfect ending to a brilliant series.

The full four series, along with all the specials, like "Blackadders Christmas Carol" and sketches that were done for Comic Relief, make one brilliant collection. If you don't already own any of the Blackadder series, then this is definitely the one to buy and well worth every penny.



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Reviews


Simply excellent.
Review date: 2008-06-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

I'll keep this short- this is a boxset of every Blackadder episode ever released, including the specials, entirely (to my knowledge) unedited and uncut. What Blackadder fan could ask for more?

I've read some reviews criticising the sound and picture quality of the DVDs. Sure, it's hardly High Definition, and even through 1080p upscaling the picture isn't great... but neither was the picture of the original broadcasts. Personally, I don't find it a big problem.

The box has some nice artwork with classic Blackadder quotes, the DVDs are arranged in order by series and personally I would say the packaging is generally flawless.

You may be expecting bonus material for the price you are paying- don't get your hopes up. Apart from some hastily added "making-of" scenes on the final disc, bonus material is unheard of. It's a shame- most of the actors are still alive and in their right mind today- some audio commentaries wouldn't have gone amiss.

That said, I couldn't ask for a better boxset. If you are any self-respecting Blackadder fan, you will need this gem.


EDIT: On another note, it is really very interesting to watch how the series has progressed over time. Series One doesn't have Mr Blackadder- it has Mr Bean. Watching Rowan Atkinson slowly change into the cynical, sarcastic, sour-faced witty individual he forms into in the last series, is worth the £37.99 alone! Series One, although not a quarter as funny as Series Two and onwards, is intriguing to watch, as Blackadder is still finding his feet!

You don't just have a comedy golden nugget in this box, but a piece of British history too!

The best of all comedies
Review date: 2008-05-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

When I think of my favourite comedies of all time Blackadder, alongside Red Dwarf come top.

What makes Blackadder one of the great is its variety of different comedy which is mixed well. Perhaps most famous for its sarcastic wit, of which is does like no other show, it also uses other humour to good extend and thus has something for everyone.

All the characters are well written and acted meticulously. Each actor brings his or her own special quality to the show, yet it can never be said any upstage the other, they compliment each other.

This will have you laughing long and hard and something you will want to go back to time after time.

A must for anybodies collection.

Get the best of all comedies for a great price.

Wonderful stuff
Review date: 2008-05-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is one of the finest TV shows ever, with lines as funny as watching Celine Dion being tarred and feathered by music lovers and acted better than Olivier. Buy this.

A very stylish boxset.
Review date: 2008-03-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a 6-disc boxset of all four series of Blackadder with subtitles, two feature-length specials ("Blackadder's Christmas Carol" (with subtitles) and "Back and Forth" (without subtitles)), a 15 or so minute mini-feature having Blackadder in the time of Cromwell ("The Cavalier Years"), and a 30 minute making of documentary about Back and Forth (but does cover the series of Blackadder as well - analyzing the characters etc) "Baldrick's Video Diary". And all of this comes in a very stylish, specially designed limited edition box... 4cm thick (so very shelf-friendly) and made to look like an 'olde worlde' book.

And I just wanted to also say... for anyone who has been dreading or putting off seeing series one because of bad reviews - it's not bad it's just different. It's not got Ben Elton's style but it does still have the essence of Blackadder - the sarcasm and cynicism of Edmund, the not-so-cunning plans of Baldrick, and the total idiocy of Percy. The only real difference is that Baldrick's a bit cleverer (worth seeing it for that IMO) and Blackadder's a bit Mr Bean-ish (with a squeaky voice and goofy look), but the character hierarchy is still the same. It also has a lot of before-they-were-famous appearances, such as Angus Deayton and Jim Broadbent (DCI Roy Slater, Del Boy's arch enemy in Only Fools and Horses). It does take some getting used to but it really is just as hilarious as the others at times.

Overall, if you love Blackadder this is the set to get.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Stephen Fry
Tony Robinson
Brian Blessed
Tim McInnerny
Rowan Atkinson

Creators:
Rowan Atkinson (Primary Contributor)
Tony Robinson (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503174620
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: Box set, PAL, Special Edition,
Release date: 2005-10-03
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)
Language: English (Original Language)

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