This DVD box set is a treat. Comprising of all four series of the show (which ran from 1983-1989) Blackadder, Blackadder II, Blackadder The Third and the critically acclaimed Blackadder Goes Forth are tightly written pieces and are emaculately performed by some of Englands best - including a young House, Hugh Laurie as the bumbling George. To a lover of literature and history, Blackadder
stands as possibly the funniest sitcom of all time. As with most BBC
productions of the era, it was cheap, but quite frankly it didn't make
a lick of difference as it was simply ten times cleverer than anything
on television. And still is. The legacy of laughter begins in the Dark Ages with The Black Adder.
Centred on Edmund (Rowan Atkinson), the son of the younger of the two
princes who in history were murdered in the Tower of London, allegedly
by Richard III. This original series was penned by Love Actually creator Richard Curtis and Atkinson, and though widely regarded as the most out of place of the quadrilogy (The Young One's
creator Ben Elton replaced Atkinson as co-writer of the series that
subsequently followed) there is something quite enjoyable about this.
Blackadders' Quote of the series: "Don't
be absurd. Such activities are totally beyond my mother. My father only
got anywhere with her because he told her it was a cure for diarrhoea." Next stop is during England's Golden Age of the 1600s in Black Adder II (made
almost 3 years after the original series). The time-period moves on
approximately sixty years to Elizabethan England and follows the story
of Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) - the great-grandson of the
original slimy Blackadder. This time Edmund is not a Prince of the
realm but a Lord in the court of Good Queen Bess (the wonderful Miranda
Richardson). Baldrick (Tony Robinson) is also reprised, but instead of
the street-wise peasant with the cunning plan of series one, we get the
first incarnation of the Baldrick character we are now more familiar
with - dirty, smelly and incredibly stupid. Like the first series this
is a classic comedy and well deserves its standing as, arguably, the
most popular of Blackadder series. The first and last
instalments could not be further apart in terms of humour and subtlety
- this series seems to fuses both styles to create, perhaps, the
definitive Blackadder. Black Adder' Quote of the Series: "We
live in an age where illness and deformity are commonplace and yet,
Ploppy, you are without a doubt the most repulsive individual I have
ever met. I would shake your hand but I fear it would come off."
Hysteria reigns in 18th century England in BlackAdder The Third. This was one of the most eagerly awaited television series in British TV history. After the success of the excellent Blackadder II the British public waited with baited breath for the next installment in the Blackadder dynasty much like that of Little Britain or The Office.
And as has happened with those two programs, critisism ran rife. The
series moves the time on to the Regency period with the Blackadder
family having fallen on bad times, moving out of the aristocracy and
into the lower-classes where Blackadder now serves as a butler to the
prince (Hugh Laurie). Many thought this series lacked the subtlety and clever
scripting of the first series and the superb characters of the second.
The sarcastic humour presented here is developed and honed moreso in
the final series – and therefore Balckadder III seems
lost in the middle. It is at times pantomime-esque, but at the end of
the day, funnier than most shows of the last two decades. Quote of the Series: "Ha! I laugh at danger and drop ice cubes down the vest of fear." Finally, the family lineage is called to the front in World War I in the magnificent Black Adder Goes Forth.
The scathing wit by Rowan Atkinson is at it's peak while everyone else
is in top form - Hugh Laurie as the dimwitted George, Stephen Fry as
the insane Melchert and Tony Robinson as the repulsive, but loveable
Baldrick. It successfully ridicules the pointlessness of war with a
poignant series finale that is remarkably somber and very stirring. Quote of the Series: "We're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the Stick Insect got stuck on a sticky bun." This is a
remarkable box set that is a must have for all dry-comedy lovers. Join
the misadventures of the nefarious and hilarious Edmund Blackadder on
his riotous romp through history. Informative - yet entertaining. DVD Extras Nothing of great imprtance here, however, the series alone is more than
enough to wet your appetite. If you're still after more, try
BlackAdder: Back and Fourth - a TV Movie made in 1999 to celebrate the
shows 20th Aniversary. Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: N/A 
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