Your Long Wait for Certain Death is Nearly at an End (Blackadder - Complete Series 4 (Blackadder Goes Forth) (DVD))

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Blackadder - Complete Series 4 (Blackadder Goes Forth) (DVD)
Date:	28/04/04 (362 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny and intelligent, Characters and writers at their best, Great sets and costumes, as ever.

Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste, Not uplifting in places

Recently hailed as Britain?s second favourite sitcom, the Blackadder series provides high quality humour and likeable characters for all generations, despite the fact that the majority of it is set centuries before they were even conceived. Most people have their particular favourite series, but the fourth and final series made in 1989 is often the most memorable; the jokes and characters were at an all-time high, while its portrayal of life in the trenches of World War I managed to be satirically biting, hilarious and moving.


DRAMATIS PERSONAE


?Blackadder Goes Forth? appeared on British television screens on 28th September 1989 and had the usual six-week run of a comedy series. Long-time viewers were already well accustomed to the characters established in the previous years, and in some cases there was the return of old favourites.

ROWAN ATKINSON stars as the eponymous CAPTAIN EDMUND BLACKADDER , the sarcastic and world-weary captain of the featured trench. The character of Edmund Blackadder was firmly established in 1985?s ?Blackadder II,? and Rowan Atkinson?s portrayal of the only sane character out of the bunch is what kept this series popular. Without the advantage of high political status or camaraderie with royalty, the Blackadder of this series loses an amount of smugness, and he is unable to seek quick escapes so easily.

TONY ROBINSON is his usual excellent self playing the filthy and incredibly stupid PRIVATE S. BALDRICK. The classic oppressed mass of the series, it is impossible not to feel sympath
y for Baldrick whilst also revelling when he is treated like the piece of filth that he is. The major change in the character from the previous series is that he is now far stupider, from actions such as carving his name into a bullet to literally failing to tell his arse from his elbows.

HUGH LAURIE regresses from his role as the idiotic Prince George in ?Blackadder the Third? to play the equally stupid, but far less important, LIEUTENANT GEORGE here. Laurie once again excels at bringing the loud imbecile to life, and this offers plenty of material for the writing team to discuss the benefits, and lack of, of public school education. Fans of the Fry and Laurie double-act will doubtless have been delighted by the numerous interactions between the two actors in this series.

GENERAL MELCHETT, played by STEPHEN FRY, is another very memorable and popular character, and is a perfectly exaggerated example of the foolish and ignorant Generals responsible for actions in the First World War. The previous Melchett character in ?Blackadder II? was far different and not as funny, but Stephen Fry manages to steal every scene he is in with the braying moustachioed fool.

TIM McINNERNY plays CAPTAIN KEVIN DARLING, the final regular character in the series, the pen-pushing assistant to Melchett who would be a valuable asset to the war if not for his abject cowardice and offensive personality. Tim McInnerny previously played the foolish character of Percy in the first two series, the equivalent of Lieutenant George here, but t
urned down a regular role in series 3 for fear of being typecast. The character here is so different that it took me a long time to even realise it was the same actor. There are also many jokes made regarding his nickname which are certainly cheap shots, but which the viewer cannot help but find very funny. It?s all in the timing.

Being a popular series, Blackadder had its share of talented comedy actors in cameo roles and this final series is no different. Miranda Richardson, famous as Queen Elizabeth in Blackadder II, returns as a nurse in one episode, but the most impressive cameo is by Rik Mayall?s Squadron Commander Flashheart in episode four; the self-obsessed ladies? man once again completely steals the show, and it makes for a great episode.


EPISODES


A brief look at the plots of the episodes does not really do them justice, but it is fair to say that they are all classics in their own right, with the finale being the most recognised and perhaps the best of the lot. Still being a comedy series, there is no real plot, other than the situation and the interaction of the characters, that links the episodes together, and so missing an episode would not dampen the enjoyment of the others. Brief synopses are taken from the book ?Blackadder: the Whole Damn Dynasty,? with my opinions to follow, along with a suitable quote to describe the state of the war.

?CAPTAIN COOK? ? When General Haig unveils his new strategy to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin, Blackadder volunteers to be Official War Artist.

A very funny episode to start the series, each character is given time to shine. Blackadder comes across as scheming and very cunning, while the ever-present danger of the trenches is hi
ghlighted towards the end, almost to foreshadow the series? end.

Blackadder: ?Would this brilliant plan involve us climbing over the top of our trenches and walking slowly towards the enemy??
Melchett: ?How do you know that, Blackadder? It?s classified information.?
Blackadder: ?It?s the same plan that we used last time, sir. And the seventeen times before that.?

?CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ? ? Order for Operation Insanity arrive and Blackadder breaches regulations by eating the messenger. Can the Flanders Pigeon Murderer avoid the Firing Squad?

Much more focus on Blackadder in this episode, the notion of disobeying foolish orders is important for the series. Needless to say, the characters are all quick to forget about this incident afterwards, but it is a comedy show first and a drama fifth.

Blackadder: ?Oh, come on. With 50,000 men getting killed each week, who?s going to miss a pigeon??

?MAJOR STAR? ? The Russian Revolution produces two more appalling results: an offensive by Germany and a really offensive Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.

Some light relief from the trench life, this is an opportunity for the characters to at least enjoy themselves a little, with the incentive always being that their new careers may take them away from the front lines. Melchett is particularly good in this one, as he falls in love with George?s drag act and asks him to marry him.

Blackadder: ?A war hasn?t been fought this badly since Olaf the Hairy, High Chief of all the Vikings, accidentally ordered 80,000 battle helmets with the horns on the inside.?

?PRIVATE PLANE? ? G
;erman machine-guns in front. British firing squads behind- the only way out is up tiddly up-up.

Perhaps my favourite episode, the focus on the Blackadder/Baldrick relationship is a highlight here, along with Rik Mayall as Flashheart and Adrian Edmondson as the mad German Baron von Richthofen. There is also a feeling of excitement, despite the fact that it is clearly not Baldrick flying the plane on film!

Flashheart: ?Just because I can give multiple orgasms to the furniture just by sitting on it doesn?t mean I?m not sick of this damn war. The blood, the noise, the endless poetry.?

?GENERAL HOSPITAL? ? The secret of the Great Plan is out. Ordered to find a spy in the hospital, Blackadder spots a man with a strong German accent, a beautiful nurse and a chance for three weeks in bed.

Another chance for Rowan Atkinson to show his acting skills, this is another great episode that brings the focus back to the grittier aspects of warfare.

Blackadder: ?Oh I see. And that would be the plan to continue with total slaughter until everybody?s dead except Field Marshall Haig and Lady Haig and their tortoise Alan.?
Melchett: ?Great Scott! Even you know it!? This security leak is far worse than I?d imagined.?

?GOODBYEEE ? ? Millions have died but the troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping. Now, at last, the big push looms?

Blackadder series always end with at least some of the main characters dying, and this is no exception. The dismal and inescapable life in the trenches is captured perfectly during this episode, and even Baldrick and George manage to seem saddened.


George: ?I don?t want to die? I?m really not over keen on dying at all, sir.?


STYLE & TONE


This series? success is partly due to its originality, and a lot of careful thought clearly went into its preparation. As usual the sets and costumes are very believable and historically accurate, and the setting of the Great War makes for a more emotional and hard-hitting show due to its harsh and violent nature, as well as the fact that it is much nearer to the present day than the previous series have been, making it less detached. There have been many parodies and satires of the nature of World War I fighting, notably the famous play ?O What a Lovely War,? and especially the idea of ?lions led by donkeys.?

For me, the factor that elevates ?Blackadder Goes Forth? from a very funny show to a classic piece of television history is the fact that it is very relevant and truthful in its opinion of the First World War, and this has even led to quotes being included in History exams. My brother?s GCSE paper utilised a piece of source material based on Blackadder?s quote:

?We?ve been sitting here since Christmas 1914, during which time millions of men have died and we?ve moved no further than an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping.?

It?s true, History really can be fun. Although my experience of learning far more than strictly necessary about Louis XIV did cause me to drop A-level History after a year due to sheer boredom. If anyone can recall seeing an episode of Blackadder, there is a good chance it would be the final episode, which seems to have become a staple of every Remembrance Day and comedy celebration.

Twenty five minutes of some of the funniest and well-researched jokes and several minutes at
the end where the tone changes to one of sadness and regret, with the lead characters all leaping over the top of the trench and falling one by one, the image dissolving into that of a peaceful field of poppies to end the series. I cannot see how Ben Elton and Richard Curtis could have ended a series any more perfectly, as it sums up their respect for the courage of the fallen soldiers and the futility of such a war. The final line is:

?Whatever it was, I?m sure it was better than my plan to get out of this by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman round here? Good luck everyone.?

Even the most hardened comedy viewer may have shed a tear for those men.



~~~~PERSONAL NOTE~~~~

The humour aside, Blackadder Goes Forth is a much more interesting take on the First World War than most of the other resources available. I speak from experience, having read novels and poetry (?The endless poetry?) and although they are very insightful and emotional, I much prefer being shown these messages through a medium that I enjoy. My three-hour English Literature exam on World War I literature will undoubtedly include my appreciation for this comedic masterpiece alongside more traditional sources.

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