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Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most British farces, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes--death, psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom). Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood, mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast tray made out of," he sneers at a guest who dares request breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he regards as sub-human. Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation--who can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns he almost suffers trying to make himself understood to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments. His inevitable misery is our sheer delight.--David Stubbs
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John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Bernard Cribbins Directors: Bob Spiers, John Howard-Davies
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204 of 209 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genius, but in such a small quantity,
By
This review is from: The Complete Fawlty Towers [1975] [DVD] (DVD)
Perhaps the most striking thing about "Fawlty Towers" is that, with so few episodes, it remains irrepressibly funny. No matter how often you watch, even should you become word perfect in the scripts, the action remains hilarious, not to mention outrageous. John Cleese and Connie Booth produced a masterpiece of comedy. Packaged here in three discs, the two series are accompanied by some less than memorable extras - a couple of interviews and a commentary - but, frankly, you don't buy a package like this for the extras, you buy it for the hours and hours of rib-breaking laughter."Fawlty Towers" does more than expose the incompetent, amateurish pomposity and rigid morality which seemed to characterise so many English hotels in the 1970's … particularly those of the seaside variety - 'Kiss Me Quick' hats and saucy postcards, but be back in your room by ten, no hanky panky, and breakfast is at eight! Basil Fawlty runs his hotel the way some people run a private prison. The patrons are there to do as they are told … unless they can prove a certain social cachet. Cleese satirises the 'Englishness' of the seaside hotelier - racism in his treatment of Manuel and middle class consciousness in his treatment of the Irish labourers, the xenophobia and dreams of imperial glory in his attitude to the Germans, the prim outlook on sex, the cloying efforts to move up the ranks and mix with the upper classes while patronising American money, the horror of illness and death, the sheer terror in the face of psychiatry or even bureaucracy. The ensemble cast are outrageously funny - incisive wit parallels slapstick comedy and farce in the finest traditions of the English stage. "Fawlty Towers", although a television programme, has that sense of live performance, that aura of being performed on stage for your delectation and delight. Perhaps that's what makes it watchable again and again - even in the latest technology of DVD it still appears as a live stage act. The humour remains somehow spontaneous. But the humour isn't passive, it actively infects your consciousness. You can't pass a leylandii without wanting to uproot it and thrash a small car. You can't open a tin of biscuits without wondering if there will be a rat within. Every time I see a Waldorf salad on a menu, I snigger. Every time I reach round a corner to switch a light on … well, I live in hope. You'll find all twelve episodes here - "A Touch of Class", "The Builders", "The Wedding Party", "The Hotel Inspectors", "Gourmet Night", "The Germans", "Communication Problems", "The Psychiatrist", "Waldorf Salad", "The Kipper and the Corpse", "The Anniversary", "Basil the Rat". The very titles are cue for laughter. Sound and picture quality are excellent. The quality of the writing and performance is timeless. The only thing wrong with both series appearing in one package is that you are emphatically reminded how few episodes there were. This really is a case of leave 'em wanting more!
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best British Sitcom ever, bar none,
This review is from: The Complete Fawlty Towers [1975] [DVD] (DVD)
Simply brilliant. Only 12 episodes but like diamonds, those things which are most precious are rare but incredibly valuable. Each episode is at least brilliant (Wedding Party, Waldorf Salad, The Builders, The Anniversary) whilst others (especially The Germans, The Psychiatrist, Communication problems and Gourmet Night) are simply legendary. The word genius is used with far too much regularity but in the case of John Cleese and co-writer Connie Booth, and for the performances too, it can't be used enough. The characterisations are great and capture perfectly the mentality and social situation of 70s Britain, they are an artefact of the period neatly timecapsuled for us to enjoy. It has aged very well, look beyond the cardboard scenery, the 70s hairstyles and fashions and each episode is a joy to watch. Despite the fact that they have been shown on TV so much and the fact that just about everyone you meet knows each episode so well, they are still and remain side splittingly funny and now, neatly packaged as a complete set with a natty little extras disc all for under twenty quid, its a steal!
83 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic British Comedy,
By
This review is from: The Complete Fawlty Towers [1975] [DVD] (DVD)
Fawlty Towers is now rightly regarded as a comic masterpiece and after watching just one of these episodes you will understand why.
Considering the fact that both seasons (Season 1 - 1975 Season 2- 1979) were made well over 25 years ago, Fawlty Towers still stands very well with its fast, furious, razor sharp witty dialogue and nothing but excellent comic playing. Its an absolute gem! John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth wrote all 12 episodes in the two series' that were made in 1975 and 1979. The quality never falters through any of these episodes. John Cleese and Andrew Sachs provide most of the laughs with Cleese playing the permantley harassed and fairly raving mad, Basil Fawlty, the incompentent owner of the appropiatley named Fawlty Towers and Sachs as the Spanish cook who has many hilarious moments with his delightfully fractured English, prompting Basil to continually justify to his baffled guests "Oh don't worry, he's from Barcelona". Classic stuff! Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty and Connie Booth as the poor put upon maid have their fair share of laughs too. Its impossible to select a favourite episode so i'll let you judge for yourselves. A CLASSIC! HILARIOUS! An important contribution to British comedy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
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