| Product: |
The Black Adder Series 1 (DVD) |
| Date: |
26/04/07 (196 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: inovative humour.
Disadvantages: none!
Originally written as a pilot episode the first and without doubt the least known of the blackadder episodes is entitled The foretelling this is where the first ever series of blackadder kicks off. Starring Rowan Atkinson as The Blackadder, (duke of Edinburgh) Tony Robinson as Baldrick and Brian Blessed as Richard IV this series attempts to rewrite history in the most humorous manor. Set in England shortly after the war of the roses we find out that the battle of Bosworth Field was not won by Henry VII but in fact lost and though Richard III died in the battle, his nephew King Richard IV reigned on for some years.
The foretelling begins with the narrator telling us that what we are about to watch will explain the first chapter of history never before told, the history of The Blackadder. This episode kicks off on the eve of the battle of Bosworth Field 21st of august 1485. The first words uttered by Rowan Atkinson as The Blackadder are “yes exactly hooray” just shortly after the rest of the royalty and noble men he is dining with have finished their cheering, straight away bringing attention to the fact that Blackadder is not the brightest star in the sky. The rest of the episode is the story of Blackadder arriving late for the battle of Bosworth Field and killing King Richard the third because he thinks he is stealing a horse. He then goes on to secure the crown for his own father. As this is the first episode it takes a while to get attuned to the type of humour but as a pilot episode it is crammed with laughs.
As the series goes on the writers seem to get more idea of where they are going with the programme and for me it improves episode by episode.
The second episode in this series is “Born to be king”. This episode sees Blackadder instructed to organise an evening of entertainment for the return of the king. The supreme commander of the King's army, Lord Dougal McAngus, arrives home early and is awarded Blackadder's Scottish lands as a reward for his bravery in battle. Clearly not amused by this Blackadder hatches a cunning plot to have McAngus stabbed on stage during the entertainment. Blackadder who became famous throughout these episodes and indeed all the episodes made of this brilliant show for uttering funny but quite ridiculous quotes started the ball rolling in this episode with the following quote. “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”.
The archbishop is the title of episode three. In this episode the king has had the three previous archbishops executed so when Blackadder hears he is to be the next appointed archbishop he is more than a little worried. Blackadder persuades a local rich nobleman to give all his land to the king rather than the church in a bid to save himself from being next to be executed but the king accidentally orders the death of Blackadder any way. Blackadder somehow escapes death and is glad to hear that the three popes have seen him as unfit to be archbishop and stripped him of the post. My favourite quote from this episode is when Baldrick tells Blackadder he will surely go to heaven to which Blackadder replies “well Baldrick You see, the thing about heaven is that heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in heaven. Like, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants, not my cup of tea”.
I personally feel by this point in the series the writers have a clear and concise view on the humour they intend the show to continue with. The one liners and ritual abuse of Baldrick and the afore mentioned stupid but very witty quotes made by the lead role.
The next episode in the series is entitled “The Queen of Spain’s beard” The king intends to have Blackadder marry the Spanish infanta in order to build an alliance between England and Spain. Blackadder is at first keen on the idea that is until he sees the Spanish infanta, a short, fat, hideous woman with a very bad facial hair problem. No amount of scheming can get Blackadder out of this one, that is until news comes through of an alternate alliance between England and France. Now Blackadder must be paired with a French Hungarian princess. This time the princess is a charming and very pretty girl but there is one problem for Blackadder, she’s only eight years old. Top quote from this episode. “As my tutor, old bubble face, used to say: make love and be merry, for tomorrow you may catch some disgusting skin disease”.
Episode five is called “witchsmeller pursuivant”. The country is having a terrible time of thing not least so due to the plague which is sweeping through it. The Witchsmeller Pursuivant is called to court, to sniff out the chief witch in an attempt to end the country’s run of unbelievably bad luck. Witchsmeller decides that Edmund is the Chief Witch, and that Baldrick has something very witchy about him too. Just as the pair are about to be burned at the stake Witchsmeller spontaneously combusts, perhaps there is witchery between the pair after all. A funny quote from this episode comes during a discussion between Blackadder and one of the king’s sidekicks Percy. Percy: “Only this morning in the courtyard I saw a horse with two heads and two bodies”. Blackadder: “could it be two horses standing together perhaps”?
The last episode in the series and one of my favourites is “The black seal” Blackadder can wait no longer to reach his destiny so he embarks upon finding the six most dangerous men in the kingdom known as “The black seal” to help him take over the country. Things do not go to plan however as the arrival of Blackadders oldest enemy The Hawk threatens to ruin everything for him. The Hawk throws Blackadder into a dungeon. He escapes and once again enlists the help of The black seal but they double cross him believing The Hawk has a better chance of achieving his goal. Percy and Baldrick attempt to come to the rescue by killing The black seal and The Hawk with poisoned wine they however as usual make a right mess of things and as well as killing their intended victims they also kill the entire royal family, Blackadder included. My favourite quote from this episode is an insult flung at Percy from Blackadder. “You ride a horse rather less well than another horse would. Your brain would make a grain of sand look large and ungainly and the part of you that can't be mentioned, I am reliably informed by women around the Court, wouldn't be worth mentioning even if it could be”.
Known as the historic first series this led to three further series and a good many Christmas specials all of which in my view were brilliant. As the show grew new writers were involved and the quotes and the insults thrown at the long suffering Baldrick became better and funnier with every episode. However there is rawness about the first series which makes it very hard to beat and is certainly the one I am most attached to. Having watched this series countless numbers of times I can honestly say I never tire of it and even now as I write about it I can’t wait to watch it again.
Simply putting the quotes and the funny one liners from this show in writing could never give the true feel of there comedy value, you need to see the facial expressions of both Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Baldrick as these lines are being delivered. No matter how many times I’ve watched them and even though I know which line is coming and when I still laugh sometimes uncontrollably at their antics.
Many people rate this show as just plain stupid, my own fiancée included. Although she shares my passion for only fools and horses she despises this show. So I guess it must be a love it or hate it type thing, for me it’s definitely a love it thing. I do not disagree that a lot of the story lines and the comments made are somewhat stupid but its comedy for goodness sake and it works.
First released way back in 1983 this great comedy has since been repeated on various tv channels over the years and has passed the test of time well. This particular series was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson but the later series were written mainly by Ben Elton.
CAST LIST.
******^******
Rowan Atkinson ... The Blackadder - Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh
Elspeth Gray ... The Queen
Tim McInnerny ... Percy
Patrick Allen ... Narrator
Brian Blessed ... King Richard IV of England
Robert East ... Harry, Prince of Wales
Tony Robinson ... Baldrick
Perry Benson ... Daft Red
Roy Evans ... Abel
David Nunn ... Messenger
Bert Parnaby ... Cain
On to the DVD itself, it is I believe available in two different BBC releases. The one I have is the original and comes with a grey cover with Blackadder and Baldrick on the front and contains two discs each with three episodes on. The series is rated 15 and is not on this edition anyway filmed in widescreen. The total runtime is approximately 190 minutes. It does have Dolby sound and also subtitles. There are no extras on this edition but then none are needed as this fabulous series is more than enough to keep you entertained.
I purchased this along with the other three series for a bargain £23.99, I have seen it cost as much as fifty pound elsewhere. The 1st series on its own is available from various places online ranging from £10.99 to £19.99 so shop carefully when buying
I would recommend anyone give this a try but especially those who have a somewhat wide range of humour and can laugh at another’s misfortune because a lot of the main laughs in this show come from the abuse of poor Baldrick.
For those of you out there who haven’t seen black adder or who have seen the later series but not this one then I suggest you head out and get yourself a copy of this as soon as possible. For those of you who have seen blackadder and enjoyed it then get this and add it to your DVD collection so you can enjoy it again and again. For those of you who have watched blackadder and not enjoyed it then go and get a copy and watch it again and open up to the type of humour and learn to enjoy it!!
MORE CLASSIC BLACKADDER QUOTES!
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“Morris dancing is the most fatuous, tenth-rate entertainment ever devised by man. Forty effeminate blacksmiths waving bits of cloth they've just wiped their noses on. How it's still going on in this day and age I'll never know”
“I've just been hearing about your work in Taunton. Imagine that - every single person in the village having an affair with the same duck”
“I have erred and strayed like a lost ox... I have coveted my father's adultery... I have not always honoured my neighbours ass”
“The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the devil's own satanic herd”
Although this review has been a long read I hope you have been spurred on to either trying this show for the first time or giving it another go, either way I hope you have enjoyed my review and thanks for reading.
Summary: A true classic begining to a classic series. a fantastic watch over and over again!
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