French & Saunders - The Ingenue Years

Rating:
Summary: My personal favorite of the F & S DVDs
Review: ....I think the first two DVD compilations are a bit better. The first 15 minutes or so are amazingly unfunny. However, once you hit the "It's Great!" sketch, things improve dramatically. Also, some of the dialogue is difficult to catch, as these ladies tend to speak quickly, and with a British accent. I would recommend the earlier releases over this one or "Living In a Material World" which was released at the same time as this one.

Rating:
Summary: VERY hit and miss....
Review: ....I think the first two DVD compilations are a bit better. The first 15 minutes or so are amazingly unfunny. However, once you hit the "It's Great!" sketch, things improve dramatically. Also, some of the dialogue is difficult to catch, as these ladies tend to speak quickly, and with a British accent. I would recommend the earlier releases over this one or "Living In a Material World" which was released at the same time as this one.

Rating:
Summary: My personal favorite of the F & S DVDs
Review: This collection has what is some of the earliest material from any of the French & Saunders DVD collections and some of the best. Whereas the other DVDs rely more of parodies of well-known films, this DVD features some of the ladies' best repeated characters and aggressively bizarre but hilarious scenes (like a profile of two strange performance artists). The scenes, as a result, succeed more as the comedy is not limited to the confines of movie plots or characters that must be lampooned. There are many classics bits here which the girls have kept around for years in live appearances (i.e., a discussion between two schoolgirls - "worldly" Dawn & naive Jennifer - about contraceptive devices). And, as a bonus, the DVD features their early '90s Christmas special which includes guests shots by Adrian Edmondson (Vyvyan of "The Young Ones," Eddie of "Bottom," and Jennifer Saunder's husband) and Christopher Ryan (Mike of "The Young Ones," Dave Hedgehog of "Bottom," and Marshall of "Absolutely Fabulous"). Also, look for Dawn French's husband, comedian Lenny Henry, in a fine Dinner Party sketch. Other highlights: a history of dance crazes and the absurd conversations which take place in Jennifer's sparse flat. Great stuff!