Rating: 
Summary: One of the best shows I've ever seen...
Review: I'm a huge fan of British sitcoms.. this is probably tied with Father Ted as my fave. I received this set for Christmas - and I've watched it countless times already... I just wish there were more than twelve episodes. No show has ever made me laugh this hard.. especially the final episode. I was in stitches the entire time... Definitely don't miss this set - this show is a classic!
Rating:
Summary: The All-Time Funniest Comedy -- Ever!
Review: There are not many videos to which I would give a blanket recommendation regardless of one's tastes, but this is one of them. No matter what type of humour you like, you will thoroughly enjoy this series. Indeed, for the person who has yet to experience the sheer enjoyment and utter satisfaction that only well-crafted British comedies can provide, this is the place to start. It was, in fact, the series that provided my introduction to British comedy just over 10 years ago. My only regret was not discovering this series (and this genre) sooner!The boxed set contains all twelve 30-minute episodes. As a point of interest, it took John Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth six weeks on average to write a single episode--a fact which should come as no suprise given the quality of the episodes, for there is not one that is anything less than a masterpiece. Indeed, with skilfully interwoven subplots that progress with mounting speed towards an uproarious climax, this is without a doubt the most masterfully written (and certainly one of the most consumately acted) comedy series the world has ever seen. John Cleese stars as the highly-strung, incompetent, socially-inept (not forgetting hen-pecked) innkeeper, Basil Fawlty, relegated to a life of penance in the form of marriage to the capable but overbearing, domineering, and brassy Sybil (Prunella Scales). Throughout the series, the Fawltys are assisted (or hampered!) in running the hotel by their employees. Firstly, there is the calm, intelligent, and extremely competent Polly (Connie Booth), a combination waitress, chambermaid, desk clerk, and general saviour without whom the hotel would surely collapse into evern greater chaos. Then there is Manuel (Andrew Sachs), a Spanish immigrant whose unfamiliarity with the English language and customs results in some of the most hilarious interchanges of dialogue. In addition to witty and comical dialogue, the series is loaded with the most side-splitting slapstick I've ever seen. Manuel, for all his blunders, is usually the "butt" of numerous very realistic-looking kicks, whacks, and general manhandling by Basil. In conclusion, there are plenty of other well-written, hilarious British comedies around, but Fawlty Towers stands at the pinnacle. It is the yardstick against which all the others are inevitably measured. It is, in short, representative of the very best comedy (British or otherwise) ever to be seen. Extremely highly recommended! (By the way, for those interested, October 2001 saw the UK release of a very good, beautiful quality tribute book entitled Fawlty Towers Fully Booked by Morris Bright and Robert Ross.)
Rating:
Summary: Fatty Owls
Review: British television is an aquired taste. From Mr.Bean to Monty Pythin, many americans simply don't get british humor. If you are one of those americans, click the back button and never gaze upon this page again. Fawlty Towers is full of sarcastic Wit, stinging putdowns, and great physical comedy. THe cast is comprised of a spanish speaking bellboy, a stubborn and quick witted serving girl/maid, a talkative, gruff hotel owner, and her hsuband the ssharp tongued master of improvisation. The whole cast plays their parts perfectly and delivers fntastic dialogue. Similar to the monty python dead parrot sketch, the pace is frantic and actions are spastic. All the while with dialogue whirling by at amazing speeds. However teh episodes do take a while to get to the is point. Most of them move pretty slowly unti lteh story gets set up and things start going wrong. For a big british comedy fan this is fine as the first part of the episodes are still very funny. However for the casual enjoyer, ie Mr. Bean lovers only, then try and catch the show on pbs or rent it before you buy it. If you like "are you being served", or really like the old "monty Python" series, then go steal this, or buy it, NOW!.
Rating:
Summary: Basil Is The Man!
Review: Basil Fawlty says things to customers that I wish I had the nerve to say when someone at my job gets on my last nerve. I actually find myself cheering him on esp. when he encounters a really difficult hotel guest. For example, I was dying laughing when he yelled into the hearing aid of that one woman who kept snapping at him and the staff. When he socked it to that guy (comic Bernard Cribbins) whom he thought was a hotel inspector, I was clapping in approval. Nothing beats watching Basil handle folks after coming home from a hard day at work!
Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: Fawlty Towers is about 25 years old and is still one of the best comedy series around. Great acting (of course especially by John Cleese). The humor is just more subtle than in comparable series...
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant British Comedy
Review: Comedy has always been a strange facet of human entertainment: a method in which the flaws of one's self - or the follies of mankind in general - are exposed and subsequently reduced by a knowing chuckle; the pain and suffering of miscommunication transformed into a cathartic moment of release. Just as laughter is essential to the health and constitution, comedy can be an essential vehicle to gain insight into misfortune, to understand and perhaps overcome those same redundancies/patterns which plague the waking life. Turn on the boob-tube on any given "prime-time" night and the options for said release are near limitless: a thousand and one situational comedies vying for your attention (and commercial dollar, of course). But are any really worth the time spent? Given the plethora of recycled motifs - unresolved sexual tension, slapstick excess, emotional estrangement, miscommunication in extremity - do any of these time-worn human-flaw laugh-triggers produce more than a hollow snicker? It really depends on the quality of the script and the dedication of the actors, the competency of the men behind the camera and the synergy of the crew as a whole to produce something fresh and uniquely expressive from human angst. Few comedies, in my opinion, succeed in this regard: year after year, the bulk of Hollywood output is a case of diminishing returns. But then again, Los Angeles is not quite the cultural center is pretends to be, now is it? In the late 1970's, John Cleese of Monty Python fame assembled a crack team of artists for an interesting variation on the situational comedy theme. Based around the neurotic, perpetually grumpy hotel owner Basil Fawlty (played by Cleese), _Fawlty Towers_ is a heady blend of slapstick, misinterpretation and emotional overload, with impeccable timing and flat-out brilliant dialogue. Comedy rarely gets better than this. The episodes: The Builders - Basil's "need for the cheap" comes on strong when the hotel needs repairs. Naturally he goes for the lowest bidder for the job, behind his wife Sybil's back no less, with disastrous hijinks as a result. The Wedding Party - The Heat is in the air one summer night, and Basil, guardian of British upper-crust morals, seeks to put a lid on the brimming sexual tension run rampant in the hotel...only to get caught in several compromising positions himself. The Psychiatrist - When a psychiatrist comes to stay at Fawlty Towers, Basil goes out of his way to avoid the good doctor, subconsciously aware of his own unsteady sanity... all the while exposing his deepest anxieties and inconsistencies as he seeks to evict a (hilariously portrayed) debonair guest for "loose conduct." Hotel Inspectors - Basil Fawlty has a low tolerance for tourists of any kind. After an extreme bout of rudeness to a pretentious guest, Basil bends over backwards trying to make amends with what he thinks is a hotel inspector...and, upon discovering his error, will do anything to enact revenge upon the poor individual. The Germans - After a slight concussion, Basil acts crazier than ever, and his unfortunate German guests must bear the brunt for some deep-seated post-war resentments. A Touch of Class - One of my favorites. Basil Fawlty is the consummate snob, spitting poison at the 'lower class' guests while fawning all over those with the slightest title and/or bearing. But what happens when his snobbery is taken for a ride by a confidence trickster? Many laughs, I assure you... Gourmet Night - Fawlty Towers' first Gourmet Night seems to have everything going for it: a professional chef, the cream of Torque society, an eager Basil to genuflect and bootlick...yet events to not proceed as planned... Waldorf Salad - An obnoxious American guest stops by Fawlty Towers, receives an eyeful of Basil's inconsistent managing style, and proceeds to "lay it on the line" with the gangly Brit. The Kipper and the Corpse - a guest dies in his sleep and Basil runs himself (and the rest of the staff) ragged trying to conceal it from the other guests. Probably the best tension-building episode of them all. Communication Problems - Mrs. Hinderson is deaf and doesn't use her hearing aide because 'it runs the batteries down.' She and Basil are like oil and water, with a flame about to touch down... The Anniversary - In his typical cruel fashion, Basil pretends to forget his anniversary with Sybil, all the while planning an elaborate surprise party. But the joke is on him when Sybil stalks out and he must cater to his incoming guests... Basil the Rat - Hands down my favorite of them all. Spanish waiter Manuel has a pet 'Siberian Hamster' that sends Basil into conniption fits upon discovery. With a Hotel Inspector having already put a black mark on Fawlty Towers, this particular pet must be stashed away before the hotel is closed down for good...and when the furry little fellow disappears, all chaos breaks out in consequence. If you are a fan of British humor in general and sophisticated comedies in particular, do yourself a favor: pick up this rare pinnacle of entertainment. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare to hurt yourselves laughing
Review: There are very few comedies I would put in the gut-busting funny category, and this series is one of the few. I inadvertently caught the entire series a LONG time ago during a PBS marathon, and I was, in all honesty, in pain from laughing so hard. I'm not a big fan of Monty Python, so this type of humor appealed to me more: Not as reliant on obscure British references, but crafted in a way that can be widely appreciated by a more varied American audience. Think "Newhart" on steroids. Great, great caustic, physical/slapstick humor that's made even funnier by a fantastic cast. This stuff loses no appeal with repeated viewings; in fact, these episodes are as funny the 10th time you watch them as they are the first. I will be replacing my VHS tapes with this DVD edition REAL soon.
Rating:
Summary: Ah, Basil
Review: This ageless television show still has me in stitches each and every time I watch each and every episode! This humor is not for everyone, but it is for anyone who enjoys a healthy balance of dry English humor and all-out slapstick.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding DVD video quality: detail, sharpness, color; A+
Review: The superb quality of the writing and performances in this British comedy masterpiece is well documented in many places, so I will limit my review to the technical qualities of this DVD: Fawlty Towers - Complete Series. The content extras are great, including a few interviews, and the very entertaining short about the real Torquay and the eccentric innkeeper who inspired Cleese to develop the Fawlty Towers series (written together with Connie Booth, of course). I've had FT on video for many years. Six months ago I moved into a large loft and installed a front-projection home theater. My screen is 162" diagonal (13.5'), which is just huge. It's incredible for enjoying high quality DVDs but the much lower quality limitations of VHS (low scan lines) makes most tapes very unsatisfying to watch on such a large screen system. (I have since set about replacing most of my favorite VHS tapes with DVDs, as available. And this brings me to the much anticipated release of Fawlty Towers on DVD.) I have encountered some DVD releases of television productions (1970's to 1990's) which were very disappointing in video quality. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the superior quality of DVD over VHS, since Fawlty Towers is from 1975-1979. But apparently the great popularity of this series in Britain led to outstanding preservation of high quality tape masters. I was surprised to see such high resolution and detail, great color rendition (for a TV production), and totally stable imaging (no shifts, jumps, skips, blips, etc). Considering its 1970's origin and that FT was produced for television, I would rate the video quality of this DVD at 10/10. I am extremely pleased, it's almost as good as film, and is absolutely at the top of its class when compared to virtually any other DVD releases of television programs from 10 years ago (or older). It's even better than a lot of poorly mastered DVDs of modern theatrical releases. They did an outstanding job digitizing FT from very high quality master tapes. With the sharpness and detail, aficionados of FT will enjoy seeing subtleties in the character's clothing, the wallpaper, titles on books & magazines, times on clocks, and the intricate detail of all the sets and furnishings. And all of this detail will be new to you, since it was never possible on VHS. It's fascinating to enjoy these many nuances!! I've loved Fawlty Towers for more than 10 years. And this superb DVD couldn't be better. Now I can admire this comedic tour-de-farce for decades to come. Now if someone would just release "The Rise & Fall of Reginald Perrin" in an equally well-mastered DVD set, my dreams would be one step closer to fulfillment. (And make that all 21 episodes please, not just the first two seasons). By the way, if you haven't discovered "Reginald Perrin", starring Leonard Rossiter (also of "Rising Damp"), try to get a copy ... I think it's also a britcom masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: MAKE THAT 10 STARS ON A SCALE OF 5
Review: In the early 70s, while touring with fellow Pythons, John Cleese (and then wife Connie Booth) stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, England. After a day or so, the other Pythons checked out, but Cleese and Booth remained. The others left for a nearby hotel, disgusted with the abusive behavior of the proprietor, one Major Sinclaire. Cleese -- as one might expect -- was fascinated and entertained by the rude and boorish attitude of Sinclaire. "He was awful. And just wonderful," Cleese said in a recent interview. When Cleese had an opportunity to create a new show for the BBC, he and Booth developed "FAWLTY TOWERS" (Warner Bros, ...). When the pilot was submitted, it was met with resistance by top BBC execs, one of whom wrote a famous memo that said the concept and script was "cliched, unfunny and claustrophobic." The premise is essentially about Basil Fawlty, a tightly wound guy who runs a hotel. And all would be perfect in his world if he didn't have to put up with staff, including his shrill but competent wife Sybil (Prunella Scales) and guests. In 1975 "Fawlty Towers" slowly caught the attention of a core audience with only six episodes. Reruns in the UK and on PBS really caught on. In 1979 another six episodes aired and were a huge success. Over time, a hard core audience has steadily grown around the world. For the first time, all 12 episodes are available, digitally remastered, on a three disc set. An extended, funny and sometimes personal interview with Cleese on each disc is a wonderful primer on his take of why this series works and is more popular than ever. He reflects on the origins of the material and his memories of his stay at the Gleneagles Hotel and the late, infamous, Major Sinclaire; he talks about using taboo subjects that make an audience uneasy and thus more vulnerable to laughter; explains the meticulous attention to the writing process -- each episode on one idea with two and a half weeks on the plot and six weeks for the dialogue; he observes why it's funny when characters like Basil are forced to behave in a way the audience knows is not an honest and authentic feeling of that character at a specific moment of stress. And he talks about this being a comedy of emotions as opposed to a comedy of ideas ("Monty Python and the Holy Grail"). There are also interviews with Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs who plays the hapless Manuel ("Que?"). Sadly, cowriter and costar Connie Booth is nowhere to be found in the special features. There's a startling and strangely emotional two minute video tour, with an operatic aria on the sound track, of the burned out Wooburn Grange Country Club that served as the exterior for Fawlty Towers. But best of all are the 12 masterful episodes of outrageous faux pas, crazed desperation, manic dottiness and absurd gyrations. See again or for the first time "A Touch of Class," "The Builders," "The Wedding party," "The Germans," "The Psychiatrist," The Kipper and the Corpse" and the rest. They are the creme de la creme of sitcoms and arguably the best sustained six hours of farce in the English language. Beware of the commentary track by director John Davies on disc two. If it's not a sad accident of a swallowed mini mic, it is an hysterical put on.
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