Rating: 
Summary: I have a cunning plan
Review: First off, I've been a huge fan of BBC comedy since babyhood, being raised on a steady diet of public television. One of the BBC comedies that seared itself into my brain was the excellent "Blackadder" series. "Blackadder: The Complete Collector's Set" combines the four series of Blackadder along with a Cavelier Years, Christmas special and the recent "Blackadder: Back and Forth".Each of the five DVDs in the set is crammed with goodies. The first four discs include a complete series (medieval Blackadder I, Elizabethian Blackadder II, Regency Blackadder III and World War I Blackadder IV), historical notes on the series, cast listing. The fifth disc contains the "Back and Forth" special along with special features. Enough about the discs. For those unaware of Blackadder, the series follows Edmund Blackadder and his man servant, the dense Baldrick through different eras of history. Confused? Just remember, whatever point in time the series lands, there's always a Blackadder and a Baldrick. Blackadder, whose family fortunes sink with each new era, will always get in a pickle and Baldrick will always come up with a cunning plan and at the end of Blackadder's fist. Other recurring characters through the years are the Melchetts, the Elizabeths and the Percy/Kevins. Anyone who is fan of British comedy has to include "Blackadder: The Complete Collector's Set" in their DVD library.
Rating:
Summary: Black Adder: The Complete Review
Review: Along with all the regular Black Adder episodes and the special Christmas special this collection also has a new feature/movie "Black Adder: Back and Fourth" unlike a lot of reunion movies this is very good, as good as vintage Black Adder. Along with the episodes there are lots of other nuggets like actor bios and brief descriptions of the actual historcial events parodied in Black Adder, unlike a lot of DVD special features these are extremly good and are narrated by Baldrick.
Rating:
Summary: Black Adder No cunning plan needed to buy this
Review: Black Adder is quite simply one of the funniest and certainly the most intelligent TV commedy series ever. The cast is superb and the writing razor sharp. The final scene in Blackadder goes forth is also one of the most moving TV moments ever created. Acid Sarcasm (with the exception of the first series) has always appealed to me; and watching the series of historical events on the DVD is also a good little introduction to British History. I cannot sing the praises of this show enough and life shines that little bit brighter for its existence (and being British you can imagine I don't say that about much!).
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic product
Review: BBC video has went above and beyond with this fantastic DVD collection of all the Black Adder episodes. Five disc featuring all the episodes of this hilarious show. The box set is a mutiple gatefold when you open it all the disc are in front of you with there own slot. On the non-disc side of the set there is a written preview of each episode . The disc contain not only the shows but a host of extra's. A who's who in blackadder,interactive guide to historical figures and events etc. Plus another bonus of the collection is Black Adder "A Christmas Carol" which is a whole show in itself. Altogether you get 860 minutes!! Of non-stop laughter.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say?
Review: Black Adder pure and simple! All episodes in order plus some specials to round out the collection. The only drawback I found was some audio narratives in the "special features" sections of the discs were cut off in mid-word.
However, since these narratives are merely background material and do not trouble the actual series episodes themselves,
these problems are minor. As a Black Adder/Rowan Atkinson fan you NEED this brilliant collection! Now if we could get "Mr. Bean" and "Thin Blue Line"
collected the same way, bliss would be complete... :-)
Rating:
Summary: Amusing as a rudely-shaped turnip
Review: First off, let me say that there ARE subtitles available in the edition I purchased, in contrast to the reviewer from Denmark. They're in the form of closed-captioning which is easily turned on via most modern television sets. If you have the slightest interest in Rowan Atkinson or the Blackadder series, purchase this dvd set immediately. It's worth purchasing a dvd player just to view this set. Pure genius. I've had my cable turned off, and do nothing but watch these dvds over and over again. The amazing thing is, I keep forgetting to watch the extras! After watching the series through about four or five times, I started grousing that the Christmas Carol special was not on the dvd. Lo and behold, I soon discover that it IS on one of the discs, as one of the extras. Soon I'm chortling along to the Scroogelike antics of Blackadder. Now I jsut need to figure out what disc the Cavalier Years is on. The extras are all great. Very helpful to have the historical bits on here, explaining things like the origin of Wellingtons and other jokes that we Americans may be too slow-witted to pick up on. Nice mini-documentary of how the final special was made. Buy it now. Watch it over and over. Then go buy The Young Ones dvd set and the Bertie and Wooster dvd set, and you will never have to watch modern television again. Hurrah!
Rating:
Summary: ..as clever as a stick in a bucket of pig swill!
Review: I happened upon this in the store not long and had to buy it, then and there. Some people have told me they don't like Blackadder because it's "boring." Too many words and historical references they're unfamiliar with, apparently. Too bad for them, because they're missing out on the funniest television series, from England or anywhere else, ever. This collection is essential for any intelligent anglophile with a cynical sense of humor. Of the four series, _Blackadder the Third_ is my favorite, because of Hugh Laurie's Prince George, followed closely by _Blackadder II_. (_Back and Forth_ is disappointing, but forgiveable, given everything else here.)
Rating:
Summary: THE(!) Black Adder DVD!
Review: OH YEAH! That's basically how I felt after going through all five DVD's in this absolutely brilliant collection! I was ecstatic(!) in the end! Let's face facts: you're looking at this product because you are searching for the COMPLETE(!) collection (with a capital C!). You want ALL that has been made in the Black Adder saga! Well, don't worry! With this DVD box set, you DO get it all and a lot more! As soon as I browsed through this brilliant box set, it became the most treasured item in my DVD collection. Obviously, all four six-episode series are in here, there's the 1999 comeback episode: "Back and Forth", the little 15-minute episode "The Cavalier Years" and arguably the best episode of all time: "Black Adder's Christmas Carol". It is all there, spread out over the five DVDs! What's more, the extra material is BRILLIANT! There's a "Who's Who" on all the actors for EACH of the series(!) and also for the "Back and Forth". The best thing, however: there's a "Historical footnotes" feature for each of these five DVDs as well, explaining everything relevant about England's history, from Queen Elizabeth I to The Naughty Hellfire Club. All of it is BEAUTIFUL speeched by Tony Robinson (who plays Baldrick), the only actor to appear in each and every episode of Black Adder apart from Rowan Atkinson himself. Other features include an interview with writer Richard Curtis, a sing along feature and a "Making of Back and Forth" documentary, with many hilarious bits in it. The only minus: no subtitles. Since BBC put so much effort into this brilliant box, they could've gone all the way. Be that as it may, it hardly matters, since the dialogue in Black Adder is always well spoken and clear, and this still does in no way deter me from giving this product the five stars. Black Adder fans, who now want to have him on DVD: this is the one to get!
Rating:
Summary: Britons pay attention!
Review: This is a complete box set of everything to do with Blackadder that remains in the archives, with the exception of a couple of dubious live sketches, a radio special and a making-of Blackadder Goes Forth programme, none of which are particularly exciting. The British version of this set features only the four series. A Back and Forth / Cavalier Years DVD is available (seperately), and an ultra rip-off Christmas Carol DVD is scheduled. Don't be a fool. Brits buy this, and not the official British version.
Rating:
Summary: I have a cunning plan....
Review: Those words should be familiar to anyone who has watched the Blackadder series on PBS. Produced in Britain (where else?) and starring the very versatile Rowan Atkinson, this TV series is perhaps an acquired taste. But,once acquired, it's hard to get enough of Blackadder's antics throughout the ages. This has to be one of the most creative series since Red Dwarf, the late-lamented Brass, which nobody seems to have seen but me, and dare I breathe it, Dr. Who. Blackadder is a nobleman of doubtful nobility who appears in various guises, from Elizabethan England, as the favorite to Queen Elizabeth I, to an officer in World War One. Throughout the series, the characters stay the same; Tony Robinson plays the hapless sidekick Baldrick--he of the cunning plan. Tim McInnerny is fabulous as the pansified Lord Percy Percy in series I and II, and comes back as Captain Darling in Series IV. (And the inevitable gag "Yes, Darling" , "Not tonight, Darling" never, ever palls.) Miranda Richardson is unbelievably ditzy as Queen Elizabeth. Her quixotic moods and sudden reversions to "Well, I am the Queen and off with your head" are some of my favorite bits. Rowan Atkinson (who created Mr. Bean) is really amazingly funny and sardonic. The entire cast is, as usual on British TV series, a wonderful repertoire company. We were glad to find the CD set because our PAL tapes from Europe won't run on the US VCR's. So now we can enjoy all the cunning plans we want. This is a series that just gets better every time you replay it.
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