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Complete Black Adder (8pc)
List Price: $99.98Price: $14.49 You Save: $85.49 (86%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786303631998
Format: Box set, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6303631991
Label: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Languages: English (Original Language), Analog
Manufacturer: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Number Of Items: 8
Publisher: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Release Date: October 17, 1995
Studio: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
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Editorial Review:
One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund--as with his ancestor--can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Classic Brit Humour at its best
For anyone who knows anything about Rowan Atkinson and his cronies in comedy, Black Adder is a must have for your collection. By far, the best of the series is Hugh Laurie playing the idiotic Prince George and RA as his conniving butler. My husband loves that his favourite character in the series, Baldrick, appears in all episodes as Blackadder's hapless sidekick.
Rating:  - An adder can really sink its fangs into this bloody brilliant BritCom!
With the help of writers like Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, comic genius Rowan Atkinson pokes irreverent fun at the human frailties that made British history such a bloody mess. Of course, I realize that our short USA history is just as full of human frailty and bloody messes, but the British seem to have a greater sense of humor about themselves than we do, and they are certainly more open about accepting and poking fun at the role of politics and even religion in the mishaps and mayhem in their ... Read More
Rating: - Must have for Rowan Atkinson fans
Great series, the first 3 episodes are a little so so compared to his other works but, from episode 4 he hits stride and it is the Black Adder we love, sharp, witty and cynical.
Rating: - The Whole Bloody Dynasty
Black Adder stands out as one of the most brilliant, and hilarious, British comedy series of all time. I grew up watching this show, in fact, so was quite pleased to finally have the whole set available on DVD (with some added goodies to boot). Words cannot describe how great this series is... well written, well acted. And, you'll probably learn more about British history than you would in most high schools (at least, here in America anyway).
So the premise? Rowan Atkinson plays Edmund ... Read More
Rating: - Incredibly fantastic!
I was already a fan of Black Adder before I bought this set because it was a good price on Amazon. Unfortunately that case was a little broken when it finally arrived, but that does not at all diminish my love of this particular set. I've only had it for less than a month, and I've watched it enough to pretty much memorize every line of every episode: all the sarcasm, cutting quips, and historical allusions. I'm pretty well versed in European history (for an American), but I certainly learned a few ... Read More
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