The Complete Blackadder - All Four Series [DVD]

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.... There were six episodes of this series (as would be true for each of succeeding regular series years) - they included many attempts by Blackadder to take power, including the crown itself - something that would repeat in various manner over the subsequent years save the last. Both Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson will recur as characters in later years; Baldrick is the only consistent major character besides Blackadder - in the first year, however, he is rather more clever than his future generations; indeed, in this first series, Baldrick is probably the most intelligent of the lot (a scary thing indeed!)

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 ›

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!... Finds the threat of a hot poker up the bottom to hot to handle, and finds that finding France is not as easy as it may seem.

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 ›