History is all about pants... (Blackadder Back and Forth (1999))

Member Name: MI9to5

Product:	Blackadder Back and Forth (1999)
Date:	26/09/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Return of the characters we love

Disadvantages: Could have been much funnier

...Baldrick's pants!

Blackadder is the generic name of a historical sitcom by the BBC that ran for four series. Each series is set in a completely different era from the Tudors to World War One, yet each follow the fortunes and misfortunes of Edmond Blackadder, played by Rowan Atkinson and his sidekick though more often dogsbody Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson. The sitcom lasted for four series as well as quite a few specials of which two are contained on this DVD.

Since the last series Blackadder's social standing seems to have increased, which is odd because the common pattern for the series' was for Blackadder's social standing to reduce but his intellect and wit increase. Whatever the social standing Blackadder and Baldrick, still his sidekick, are in full form for the specials, 'Back and Forth' and 'The Cavalier Years'.

The humour within both specials is a good mix of slapstick, word-puns and more subtle lines that make the show a real pleasure to watch. The word puns themselves are in my opinion some of the best that appear in any sitcom and are all cleverly constructed to make brilliant viewing. It must be noted however that a quantity of the humour within Blackadder does often come from moderate references to sex and nudity as well as occasional bad language. I personally however do not think that this is excessive within either of the specials and feel that it should cause no objections from the audience as long as the 15 certificate is adhered too.

The cast of the series all put in performances in the specials with the exception of Brian Blessed who appeared in Series 1. The quality of the acting on the whole is fantastic and all the cast seem to be extremely relaxed in their roles and really excel in them. Rowan Atkinson is truly tremendous as the cunning Blackadder and his dry wit, frequent ironic and satirical statements and general appearance makes him really endearing. Tony Robinson as Baldrick also plays an amazing part and is probably my favourite character in the series. He plays the daft servant down to a tee every single time and is just brilliant to watch on screen. The rest of the cast change roles frequently throughout the specials, especially in Back and Forth, were each one plays numerous different characters. Miranda Richardson every resurrects her Queen Elizabeth I.

Now I suppose it's high time I told you what each of the specials was about and gave you a short opinion of them individually. Therefore that is exactly what you shall find below.

~~Back and Forth~~
Back and Forth is set on New Years Eve 1999 and sees Lord Edmund and his friends gathered to celebrate the coming of the Millennium. Still as cunning as ever Blackadder has constructed a plan to fool all his friends and decided to trick them into believing that he has travelled into the future. He also says he can prove it and wagers £10,000 to anyone who wishes to name an object from history for him to bring back. His plan however is simply to have Baldrick collect the items from a large prop storage he has made. Little to his knowledge however Baldrick has actually managed to build a working time machine and it is touch and go as to whether he and Blackadder will actually return to see in the 2000 and if they do the world they find might not be what they expect.

This special is fantastic in so many ways and really highlights everything that we love about Blackadder. The constantly changing era and the famous faces popping up at every opportunity make the whole thing a delight to watch. The jokes are also thick and fast although at the same time well thought out and cleverly placed to achieve maximum effect. Better still the content of the special isn't always what you expect and the ending just as clever as any you've seen before.

~~The Cavalier Years~~
It is 1649 and King Charles is fleeing the wrath of Oliver Cromwell. In the whole of England there are only two men that have remained faithful. One a descendent of a great historical family - Sir Edmund Blackadder and the second a man whose name history has quite rightly forgotten. The events that occur when he in his hour of need turns to them are quite frankly somewhat absurd, but that is in reality what we love about Blackadder.

I must admit that this special didn't entertain me as much as 'Back and Forth' but it was still an enjoyable watch and to see Blackadder in yet another historical period was, as it should be, a real treat. The jokes in this special are as cunning and intriguing as in any of the series' and the ultimate outcome of events neither predictable nor completely off the wall.

Now on top of these two specials the DVD also contains a small documentary on the making of Blackadder. The extra is entitled 'Baldrick's Video Diary' and is therefore as you might imagine told through Baldrick's eyes. This adds a bit of comedy to the proceedings but to be completely honest doesn't really make the thing very memorable or even that interesting. Ultimately however the specials contained on the disc are enough to keep us for sparing at the lack of decent DVD extras.

All in all I can't really complain about this disc although it would have been nice to have some good special features to watch too. The specials themselves are however brilliant on all fronts and really worth watching. Back and Forth is certainly one that remains quite memorable yet always refreshing no matter how many times you watch it.

Summary: A decent couple of specials