The Complete Fawlty Towers [1975] [DVD]

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

This set includes the entire Fawlty Towers collection. The collection is broken down as follows: Basil the Rat includes "Basil the Rat", "The Anniversary" and "Communication Problems". The Germans includes "A Touch of Class", "Hotel Inspectors", and "The Germans". The Kipper and the Corpse includes "The Kipper and the Corpse", "Gourmet Night", and "Waldorf Salad". The Psychiatrist includes "The Builders", "The Wedding Party" and "The Psychiatrist".

Important note: The first series will suffer from freezing on the following DVD players only:

Sony RDR-GX120

Samsung DVD5600

Cinetec 5050

Power DVD V7 (PC DVD Player)

Panasonic DMR E55, E15

Please note this is a player-specific problem, rather than with the DVD.

Fawlty Towers remains a timeless example of comic writing, acting, and characterisation at its very best. This special edition DVD set features all 12 episodes from both seasons of this classic series. Also included are exclusive interviews with the stars, commentaries by the various directors, artist profiles, outtakes and a Torquay tourist guide. Despite there being only a dozen episodes and 30 years having passed since they were first aired this remains the definitive British sitcom, with lifetime best performances from John Cleese as hotelier Basil Fawlty and Prunella Scales as his long suffering wife.

John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Bernard Cribbins Directors: Bob Spiers, John Howard-Davies