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The Complete Blackadder - All Four Series [DVD]

Rowan Atkinson , Tony Robinson    Suitable for 15 years and over   DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
Price: £49.36
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The Complete Blackadder - All Four Series [DVD] + Blackadder's Christmas Carol [1988] [DVD]
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Product details

  • Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: BBC Worldwide
  • DVD Release Date: 12 Nov 2001
  • Run Time: 704 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005OCTI
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 14,223 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

Follow the progress of Rowan Atkinson's irredeemably wicked Edmund Blackadder throughout history in this complete box set of all four series--from the snivelling War of the Roses-era creep in the Shakespearean parody that was the first series, to his final and unexpectedly noble demise in the trenches of the First World War in Blackadder Goes Forth. In between, of course, we see Edmund at the court of giggly Queen Elizabeth I in Blackadder II, now transformed into the Machiavellian cad audiences came to love so well (thanks to a character overhaul from writing team Ben Elton and Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson’s note-perfect performance). Then in Blackadder III he's still scheming, but this time has moved a little down the social ladder as butler to the congenitally stupid Prince Regent on the cusp of the 18th and 19th centuries. In all four generations Blackadder is accompanied (or should that be hampered?) by his faithful yet terminally stupid servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson); and if that wasn't bad enough he also has to put up with the incompetence, pomposity and one-upmanship of a host of other contemporary hangers-on wonderfully played by regular costars Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnery, Stephen Fry, Miranda Richardson and Rik Mayall. Taken as a whole this sharp, cynical, occasionally satirical, toilet humour-obsessed and achingly funny saga deserves to stand alongside Fawlty Towers as one of the best ever British sitcoms. --Mark Walker

Product Description

All the Blackadder episodes from all four series:

  • Series 1 - Blackadder
  • Series 2 - Blackadder II
  • Series 3 - Blackadder the Third
  • Series 4 - Blackadder Goes Forth


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A very cunning dynasty 10 Jan 2006
By Kurt Messick HALL OF FAME TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
The authors Richard Curtis and Ben Elton are well known to BBC audiences for their comedic masterwork, having been severally and individually part of the Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean, The Young Ones, The Man from Auntie. Rowan Atkinson, the lead actor in this series, also collaborated as writer and actor in other features such as Mr. Bean and the Thin Blue Line. John Lloyd was the producer who helped bring this series to life.

The Blackadder series, begun in the 1980s, was a comedic masterpiece set forth by Rowan Atkinson and his comrades. From start to finish, the first series was a masterstroke of wit, irony and comedic styling that fits both the contemporary and medieval situations perfectly. The combination of slapstick and intellectual humour blended well, and the literary types will not miss the occasional credit of William Shakespeare as a collaborating writer on some episodes -- this might well be the kind of comedy Shakespeare would have produced today.

The first series was set in the pre-Tudor royal family, projecting that Richard III won at Bosworth Field, and Richard IV succeeded him, until after many adventures, the entire royal family was done in, and Henry Tudor reworte history thereafter. The first series starred Brian Blessed and Elspet Gray as the King and Queen, and Robert East as their eldest son, the Prince of Wales. Rowan Atkinson played the second son, who with companions Percy and Baldrick (Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson) create most of the comic scenes. BlackAdder variously becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury, the betrothed of the Spanish Infanta, a witch on trial, and finally, however briefly, King of England....

The second series sees Percy and Baldrick following a descendent of Blackadder in Elizabethan times; as befits the period, the characters are more vibrant and saucy, particularly Blackadder, who still seeks his fortune as one of the Queen's suitors. Here he variously becomes the royal executioner, a sea-faring discoverer, a bankrupt noble, and finally a traitor to the crown, albeit not without a sense of humour. Miranda Richardson puts in a spectacular performance as Queen Elizabeth, with Stephen Fry and Patsy Byrne in attendance. Stephen Fry will recur throughout the series.

In the third series, Blackadder is still close to the crown, as the butler of the Prince Regent, a despised position to a despised person. Baldrick is still around, and the Prince is played by Hugh Laurie, who will recur in the final series. Done almost as a period comedy, the very titles and situations pay hommage to the day of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Dr. Johnson's dictionary, and the conflict with France. Through an interesting set of circumstances, butler and prince trade places, and the Blackadder finally obtains his intended goal, albeit in the name of someone else.

In the fourth and final series, Blackadder has fallen from a great height, and is an officer in the trenches of World War I. Baldrick is still there, and Percy and the Prince have transformed into fellow field officers, with Stephen Fry playing a bellicose general here as he did Wellington in the third series. The main device of this series is the effort by Blackadder to escape the trenches, by variously becoming an artist, a theatre producer, a chef, but to no avail finally, producing a sombre end to the dynasty.

There are also various pieces of trivia, guides, and a Richard Curtis interview included among the discs. Rowan Atkinson and company are wonderful in their portrayals, perfect comedic timing and situational humour with just the right amount intelligent wit. A treat for all Anglophiles. Read more ›

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79 of 85 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
This is one of my all-time favourite comedy series and I was really looking forward to owning it on DVD, expecting good picture quality. This was not the case. Whoever has been responsible for converting these programs from tape to DVD has done a rather bad job of it, to be frank it looks like its been compressed with a hammer! It's safe to say that it is one of the worst DVD's that I have seen as regards picture quality. A terrible shame for such a great comedy.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars 12 hours of sheer hilarity 31 Mar 2005
By Stattox
Format:DVD
Yes, I have awarded it five stars but I am here to have a rant!

How can people say that the first series is not worth bothering with? It contains just as many great moments as the others, especially in The Archbishop and The Queen of Spain's Beard.

Maybe it's because the first series is different to the others. Edmund is the slimy and decidedly thick one whilst Baldrick is the intelligent one, a set up which is reversed in the later series.

So watch ALL of the series. Brian Blessed is great as the shouty Richard IV. Watch them and you shall see just how good it really is.

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395 of 446 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars NOT the Complete Box Set 5 Nov 2003
Format:DVD
The title of this item is totally misleading - it's just the four series, whereas the USA version (published quite a while ago) includes Blackadder's Christams Carol, Back and Forth and the short The Cavalier Years which really does make it complete.

The USA version also includes cast bios, historical notes, and other special features, whereas this UK version has nothing beyond the episodes themselves.

This is a very shoddy attempt at a DVD Blackadder set. Why do we (who paid for this series to be created through our licence fee) get short-changed compared to the USA?

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164 of 186 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Blackadder - brilliant 15 Dec 2001
By A Customer
Format:DVD
From the cowardly, power seeking, Edmund Duke of Edinburgh (the slimy one), to the cunning, witty, respected captain during 1st World War; this strange and complex character known as Edmund Blackadder has entertained myself and the everyone I know. A satirical lesson in British history, seen through the eyes of the ever cynical Edmund; not only is it historically accurate-ish, it truly does include clever comments on the British society's that Edmund finds himelf in. Addmittedly the first series is very different to the other, more evolved, series, but it provides 3 hours of great viewing. In hindsight the first series did lack the input of Ben Elton, who, joining Richard Curtis, took over the writing duties of Rowan Atkinson for the later series. But I always laugh whenever I watch Edmund trying to worm his way to the very top. This series, set just after the Wars of the Roses, is greatly benefited by the presence of the hilariously ludicrous King Richard the Fourth (Brian Blessed), anyone who has even glanced at a historical book could probably tell you that Henry VII became king after defeating Richard III at Bosworth Field, but that obviously does not get in Atkinson and Curtis' way when they wrote this series. See how to make money out of being Archbishop of Cantebury, and how to get rid of a troublesome Scotsman.

The second series shows a major transition from the slimy prince to the major favourite in the court of Queen Elizabeth I (Mirander Richardson). Even more cynical and witty, our hero thrives in this new environment. Forever flirting with the glorious gloriana, Edmund's pursuit for power has not been lost. Aided by his dogsbody, the increasingly dimwitted Baldrick, and the pea-brained Lord Percy, Blackadder finds love with his man servant!...

A couple of centuries down the line we find that Edmund is butler to the prince regent (Hugh Laurie). Baldrick now seems to have quite an interest in turnips and proves it by buying the biggest turnip in the land for £400,000. Edmund, no longer a prince or peer of the realm, holds more sway in the princes spending plans than ever before. After dabbling in politics, he attempts to rewrite the dictionary - one of Baldricks many cunning plans, also a night as a highway robber precedes the time he duelled with the insane Duke of Wellington, brilliantly played by Stephen Fry. Robbie Coltrane is another actor who revels in the roles that Elton and Curtis put together, playing that 'splendid brainbox Dr Johnson' in 'Ink and Incapability'.

The final and, some say greatest series sees Captain Edmund Blackadder, 'hero of Umboto Gorge', pitting his wits against the ridiculously insane generals of the time. Stephen Fry inevitably plays the role of possibly the most insane general of them all, General Sir Anthony Hogmony Melchet. The battle dodging Blackadder spends all 3 hours looking for ways of evading the threat of the order to advance on the enemy, going to such lengths as becoming a cook, a director, and medically insane to escape the inevitable order. This series is a masterful mixture of comedy and emotion, all the way through the viewer is reminded of the horrors that people fighting the war faced, the final five minutes or so are, in my humble view, some of the best writing ever. The series reflects the attitudes of the people at this time, exploiting the propaganda used to ensure that every line engraved on your mind forever. A wonderfully amusing series.

I thoroughly recommend this fantastic collection. There are four series, each with six half hour episodes that will have you laughing with the endless repetitions that never gets old ('I have a cunning plan'), and thinking about the way in which people lived during the times portrayed so brilliantly by all the actors and actresses. I guarantee that the jokes will never leave you and that during a rather strenuous day at the office, or a terribly boring car journey, you will be kept alive by thoughts of Blackadder. Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Awkward Packaging
No extras, no commentary, packaging a bit awkward, such a shame for such a classic series.. For the price of a tenner however, it will do..
Published 19 days ago by geoffreykhan
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious
This is Rowan Atkinson at his best. In his different interpretations of Blackadder throughout time, you're bound to laugh. Suitable for everyone, really.
Published 1 month ago by Master L. Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Blackadder.
Arrived quickly and in excellent condition.Bought for my husband for his birthday, he's enjoying the programmes immensley.What more can I say.
Published 1 month ago by mrs h k bloomfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Rowan Atkinson at his best
did not see them on tv the first time round, but made up for it now and will keep on watching them
Published 1 month ago by sweetpea20
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Funny even years and years later, this will never get old! Season 4 is very poignant and still great to watch.
Published 1 month ago by Megan Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars Still funny.
Very, very funny- intelligent comedy writing at its best, brilliantly directed and acted. What a pity that we don't make comedies like this any more.
Published 3 months ago by MarkP
5.0 out of 5 stars dvd
Gave this box set as a birthday gift recently and the person I gave it to absolutely loved it. Great item and gave us hours of enjoyment.
Published 6 months ago by M. J. Winiecki
5.0 out of 5 stars Black adder dvd
Timely deliver. Good product. My first second hand DVD from amazon but it was and is as new. Spot on .
Published 22 months ago by Flickers
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent value..
This is quite probably the funniest television to come out of the UK. The comic genius trio that is Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson have created a gem; this boxset... Read more
Published on 10 May 2011 by Prospero
5.0 out of 5 stars Blackadder Re-Mastered and Re-viewed
At last I can throw away all the old VHS tapes recorded from the "non digital" era.
This DVD covers the whole of this much loved and much praised series. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2011 by bogster
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