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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
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
157 of 159 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
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.
122 of 126 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you've never seen Blackadder before, here is your chance to put that right. Everyone has their favourite series and favourite episodes, but there's always something for everyone with Blackadder; both visual humour and verbal humour too.
It's fantastic to own all the Blackadders in one set, including the extra one-offs which were made such as "Blackadder's Christmas Carol", but in some ways the DVD set is a bit disappointing. With the publishers going to the trouble of issuing this set in a new fancy box, there are no real new extras for the fans that have been there from the start. It would have been nice to have a couple of commentaries at least.
However Blackadder alone is worth 5 stars, and if you don't own any of the series on DVD(as I didn't either), this is the perfect set. The DVD set has an attractive design and takes up very little space on the shelf.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It seems amazing now that the BBC should ever have commissioned such a series (and it probably wouldn't do it now) but from a slightly dodgy premise - historical comedy through various ages - the team (Atkinson, Robinson, McInnerney, Laurie, Fry, Richardson, Elton and Curtis etc.)created a genuine classic. The first series was a bit shaky but after that it grew better and better over the years until the final series - set in the trenches of World War One - achieved not only the usual sackloads of laughs but real pathos. A great show that will continue to stand the test of time. Lead on Slack Bladder!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Blackadder is timeless
the blackadder series stars Rowan Atkinson as the cold hearted, scheming Blackadder, Tony Robinson as the very slow, "un-cunning" Baldrick and includes Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Gory man Séan
Absolutely superb;
Blackadder is MAGIC. I'm 11, and I've just started watching! My parents thought the medieval one was bad, and when I watched it, that was true. But the Tudor one... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fee
Looks good, but not yet watched
The pack arrived quickly and in good condition, and was just what I expected. As it's a batch of DVDs, it will take a while to check it through, but it looks fine so far, before... Read more
Published 3 months ago by AJV
Classic Comedy
This box set was purchased to replace numerous Blackadder series tapes and discs that have accompanied my travel's across the world these past 20 years, where invariably I have... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Zuluwarrior
A cunning plan...
Black Adder is one of those programmes. You see the odd episode, and it's reasonably humorous, but you can't help but think it would be better if you could see more. Read more
Published 8 months ago by JEMc
Black Adder
The complete Blackadder is an excellent package that brings all of the Blackadder adventures together in one package. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ms. M. Potter
Plain brilliance in its purest form...
An astounding testament to the brililance of British Acting, it doesnt need to be hollywood to be great. It is funny, yet the last episode is devastatingly sad. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Silver watch
all blackadder in one box!
the best thing Rowan Atkinson ever did, delightful collaboration with tony robinson - with wonderful actors like Steven Fry, Hugh Laurie, miranda richardson and more more!
Published 14 months ago by Cloudy
The One and Only Blackadder!
The whole collection in one packet, how can that be wrong?!
It was my Children that asked me to find then buy this. Read more
It was my Children that asked me to find then buy this. Read more
Published 15 months ago by alanm
blackadder is brilliant!!!
I love the 1st series. i think its great. I love the way he's stupid! I love all the blackadders! thats all i have to say! And im only 24!
Published 15 months ago by Cim 87
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