The Complete Fawlty Towers [1975] [DVD]

There's little one can say about 'Fawlty Towers' that hasn't been said already - 30+ years later, it is still regarded as one of the finest comedies ever produced, the envy of so many writers and performers, and beloved by millions. The care and attention lavished on the writing of the series by John Cleese and Connie Booth, as well as their fantastic performances (aided and abetted by Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs) have helped the show achieve its iconic status. The shows are endlessly repeated on TV, and released on video and DVD. So, what makes this new DVD set worth your time and money?

The original DVD release of 'Fawlty Towers' was several years ago, and whilst the overall package was good, the picture and sound quality of the episodes was not as good as it could have been, particularly when it came to the outdoor scenes shot on film. For this new release, the episodes have been given fresh transfers, with both the videotape and film elements sourced from superior materials, and restored where appropriate - all are now completely unedited, including a line (" Is it your legs?") mysteriously absent from earlier DVD releases. In short, this set is a definite improvement on earlier releases, and is probably about as good as the series will ever look on DVD.

All the extras from the previous set are retained here - including cast interviews, commentaries from Series 1 director John Howard Davies and Series 2 director Bob Spiers, out-takes and other bits and pieces - but with the addition of some very exciting new material. Firstly, there are extended versions of the interviews conducted with the cast for the 2009 retrospective documentary 'Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened' (including Connie Booth, not featured in the earlier interviews). Secondly, and most exciting, is the addition of exclusive commentaries on every episode by John Cleese. These are, for me, the set's big selling point, and happily, they don't disappoint. Solo commentaries can be awkward and even dull at times without anyone else for the commentator to discuss things with, but Cleese is on fine form here - very well-prepared and insightful, he's full of interesting anecdotes and observations, and there's never a dull moment across the 12 episodes. Additionally, he draws attention to little details, jokes and background performances that one might easily have missed, and one's enjoyment of the series is greatly enhanced as a result. I don't think it would be overstating it to say these are some of the best commentaries I've ever heard on a DVD.

Put simply, this is an essential purchase for fans of great British comedy - and even if you've already bought the series on DVD before, the improvements and additions to this set make upgrading to this remastered edition very worthwhile.

This is something 'Fawlty Towers' fans have been waiting for for a long time: ALL twelve episodes with complete audio commentaries from the genius himself 'John Cleese'
These new audio commentaries are worth the asking price alone as it is just like having John sitting next to you & watching with you. In fact even if you are not a fan of 'audio commentaries' you must make a point of watching 'Basil The Rat' with the Cleese commentary, as John says this is his favourite episode & it does show as his laughter during the episode has to be heard to be believed.
With the new 'Cleese' commentaries it almost like having twelve new episodes of 'Fawlty Towers' to watch as they are so good & as you will hear John is VERY thankful to all the cast & crew who were involved with the show especially: 'Ballard Berkeley'/'The Major' & 'Connie Booth'/'Polly'
In addition the remastered picture & sound is fantastic with some excellent sharp and bright images compared with the previous releases on DVD & videotape.
Finally the interview with Connie Booth/'Polly' is a very welcome addition simply because she has refused to talk publicly about Fawlty Towers or thirty years due to her new career as John explains on one of his audio commentaries, he also says she sends us all her love !

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!