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Post by MRHloco on Oct 12, 2008 15:04:25 GMT
I noticed that there were no threads related to this so I thought I'd give my thoughts and allow others to do the same...
The very name "Blackadder" still stands out in my mind to this day: a classic 1980s BBC historical sitcom that took the mickey out of history's "most stupid" moments.
It is also one of several comedies that feature my personal favourite comedian:
Rowan Atkinson
The first Blackadder series portrays Prince Edmund, Duke Of Edinburgh as a slimy, pudding basin-haired twit who is presumably the reason for the death of Richard III at Bosworth.
The later Edmund Blackadders set the standard - an cynical opportunist with a collection of daft henchmen for whatever cunning plan came up his sleeves.
More often than not, the cunning planner was the simple-minded but sensitive, unhygenic but hilarious and in fact downright loveable Cockney dogsbody Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson.
Other actors included:
Stephen Fry (Melchett)
Hugh Laurie (the Prince Regent and Lt. George)
Miranda Richardson (Elizabeth I)
Tim McInnery (Lord Percy)
...and Rik Mayall, whose Lord Flasheart identified hubris itself, from his telephone attitude to his shockingly suggestive talk!
The periods of history changed fludily as well: from the reign of Elizabeth I, to the pomp of the 18th Century and the infected trenches in the 1st World War.
And of course with any sitcom you simply must have a live audience that can EXPLODE with laughter with every joke - even if they hear it persistently between takes!
And it wasn't just Shakespearian performance. The lavish contrasts in Series 3, along with an outstanding bullying scene in "Duel & Duality" and the most hilarious and painful bad-luck ritual I've ever seen ("MacBeth!"), were outstanding.
As for Series 4, the final scene especially was an amazing piece of writing and terrifyingly tragic.
Anyway, after another long review (apologies for that), does anyone else like Blackadder? Any particularly hilarious moments?
And which character do you love the most?
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Post by Devious Diesel on Oct 12, 2008 17:46:43 GMT
I actually recall my High School class having to watch the 4th season of Blackadder for History lessons. It was hilarious. Baldrick was easily my favourite character.
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Post by Georgemiser on Oct 12, 2008 19:23:00 GMT
I noticed that there were no threads related to this so I thought I'd give my thoughts and allow others to do the same... The very name "Blackadder" still stands out in my mind to this day: a classic 1980s BBC historical sitcom that took the mickey out of history's "most stupid" moments. It is also one of several comedies that feature my personal favourite comedian: Rowan AtkinsonThe first Blackadder series portrays Prince Edmund, Duke Of Edinburgh as a slimy, pudding basin-haired twit who is presumably the reason for the death of Richard III at Bosworth. The later Edmund Blackadders set the standard - an cynical opportunist with a collection of daft henchmen for whatever cunning plan came up his sleeves. More often than not, the cunning planner was the simple-minded but sensitive, unhygenic but hilarious and in fact downright loveable Cockney dogsbody Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson. Other actors included: Stephen Fry (Melchett) Hugh Laurie (the Prince Regent and Lt. George) Miranda Richardson (Elizabeth I) Tim McInnery (Lord Percy) ...and Rik Mayall, whose Lord Flasheart identified hubris itself, from his telephone attitude to his shockingly suggestive talk! The periods of history changed fludily as well: from the reign of Elizabeth I, to the pomp of the 18th Century and the infected trenches in the 1st World War. And of course with any sitcom you simply must have a live audience that can EXPLODE with laughter with every joke - even if they hear it persistently between takes! And it wasn't just Shakespearian performance. The lavish contrasts in Series 3, along with an outstanding bullying scene in "Duel & Duality" and the most hilarious and painful bad-luck ritual I've ever seen ("MacBeth!"), were outstanding. As for Series 4, the final scene especially was an amazing piece of writing and terrifyingly tragic. Anyway, after another long review (apologies for that), does anyone else like Blackadder? Any particularly hilarious moments? And which character do you love the most? don't forget the Christmas special,the cavalier years and of course Black Adder Back And Forth that officially ended the series in my opinion.
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Post by melshiri on Oct 12, 2008 20:45:30 GMT
I actually recall my High School class having to watch the 4th season of Blackadder for History lessons. It was hilarious. Baldrick was easily my favourite character. Yeah, that happened in my school aswell, we got to watch ' PRIVATE PLANE' with Lord Flasheart, my most favourite character, alongside Baldrick.
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Post by Kyle on Oct 13, 2008 4:18:38 GMT
A fantastic series; one that I am more than happy to watch over and over again. I have all 4 seasons, as well as Blackadder's A Christmas Carol and the Back & Forth/Cavalier Years duo pack. Although, I must say, that I'm not that great a fan of the first season... The on-location shooting gave the images a lack of crispness that was seen in the later seasons, and the snivelling, cowardly Blackadder was nowhere near as enjoyable to watch as his clever, sly, cunning descendents.
I would love to see them do a fifth season; the idea of it being set in a WWII P.O.W. camp as Rowan Atkinson suggested once seems to be perfect in its' power-leveled structure. Oh well, one can dream...
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Post by MRHloco on Oct 13, 2008 15:03:41 GMT
I think I would agree that Baldrick is one of the better characters - considering that he's supposed to be "terminally stupid" according to Tony Robinson, he's surprisingly intelligent in his own way. So personally I'd prefer to see him as "simple-minded, almost childlike in a way we can all appreciate."
Any thoughts on the Blackadders themselves?
As for the World War I episodes, I saw the first three of those quite of few years ago now and I must say I found them hilarious. They still bring a smile to my face even now. Incidentally, the episode we saw in our history class was the final one - and what a touchingly tragic and strangely sentimental one it was too...
I would agree that Series 1 wasn't exactly the most popular - a good experiment by all means and a nice appearance by Alex Norton as Dougal McAngus - excellent Glaswegian accent! Not too much wrong with the pudding-basin hair either, controversially - it actually makes Rowan Atkinson strangely handsome, considering he's playing a complete twit!
Not a hairstyle I'd want every day though...
Any favourite episodes or quotes?
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Oct 14, 2008 20:28:24 GMT
The reason for the huge difference between Series 1 and all the others was basically a case of "evolve or die". The first series was created as a vehicle for Rowan Atkinson, who had just hit the big time thanks to Not the Nine O'Clock News. So the BBC and the Australian Network 7, thinking any series with Rowan Atkinson as the star would be a guaranteed ratings smash, poured a huge amount of money into an epic historical sitcom. Unfortunately, while the sitcom resulting was by no means bad, it wasn't the smash they'd hoped for. It was going to be cancelled, but Ben Elton and Richard Curtis got together and made a Plan. They approached the BBC with a request for a second series, but with a few changes. They cut back on the number of characters and locations, slashing the budget right down, and the result was one of the best sitcoms the BBC ever produced.
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Post by Knuckles on Oct 14, 2008 21:04:37 GMT
And instead of Edmund being thick and Baldrick clever, it was swapped around. What an awesome series! Big fan, anyone recognise this from season 2?
Apow-low-geez!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2008 21:07:37 GMT
I love this show, it's one of my fav...NO! IT'S MY FAVOURITE SITCOM EVER!!! Wasn't there walk of there being a fifth series or something a little while back? Hope not!
I have a confession to make: I actually enjoyed the First Series, but I agree that having Atkinson as the clever one and Robinson as the daft one from the Second Series onwards is a wise move if the show was to survive.
My favourite series, however, is the Third. This is probably down to it being more brighter and happier than the other series, with there being more of a focus on three characters rather than a wider range of characters, allowing more chemistry between them.
I especially enjoyed that series' finale. One look at Stephen Fry's portrayal of the Duke Of Wellington can more than answer that question. Anyone for "TEA!"?
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Post by Kyle on Oct 15, 2008 11:55:09 GMT
I'd probably have to say that season 4 was my favourite (although 2 & 3 were both very close behind it); Blackadder was somehow able to be even more dry and acid-tongued that previously. And the way they ended S4, how perfectly fitting. I must admit that, as the Blackadder theme began to play and they went over the top in slow motion, then cut to the empty field that changed into poppies, I did shed a tear. That was how well done I thought it was...
What about everyone's favourite quotes though? One of the one's than ranked highly was:
Blackadder (responding to Baldrick): Yes, that's not the only thing around here that's small... Your brain for example: if your head were to be cracked open by a hungry cannibal, there wouldn't be enough to cover a small water biscuit...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2008 17:23:21 GMT
The original ending for Series 4 was to have them run up to the camera, walk back and fall to the ground as if they were killed by the German guns. However, the audience didn't approve of this and began to leave. So the crew decided to go and shoot some footage of Flander's Field and have the ending where the battlefield fades into Flander's Field in present day. None of the cast knew about this until they saw the first broadcast of the episode. When Tim McInnerny saw the episode, he cried. So did I, come to think of it.
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Post by MRHloco on Oct 25, 2008 19:13:54 GMT
I can see why our Mr McInnerny would have found himself awash with tears upon seeing that final episode. I can't remember being driven to tears when I first saw it but it was a stunning thing to try after all those years of high level comedy.
In fact, it seems almost similar to a Romeo & Juliet scenario since the tragedy there is supported by a fair share of comedy. And of course, unlike any tragedy Shakespeare's every written but not too dissimilar to Michael Morpurgo's novel Private Peaceful, the ending is left deliberately ambiguous. Not only do the major cast climb off the ladders into No Man's Land, amid the Blackadder theme and a healthy amount of slow-motion but we never see them fall dead.
This, in my opinion, is far more realistic for a 1st World War product, since the survival chances were always 50/50. The ones that killed just had a dose of bad luck on the day.
Anyway, to break down upon seeing it is just what I would probably have done if I'd been in Tim McInnerny's shoes, partly for the effort of those 4 seasons of sitcoms, plus the Christmas Carol, but partly as a response to characters who I continue to be utterly fascinated by.
And moved by, in a fair few scenes.
A real credit of high praise to Richard Curtis and Ben Elton.
As for Blackadder The Third, that's one of my personal favourites also. In particular, there is much high praise for Duel & Duality. The scene of Blackadder and Wellington bullying the Prince Regent continuously and eventually leaving him with shattered nerves over teacups is one that I think has most people in stitches the first time!
And it's a good episode for Rowan Atkinson too: his Scots accent for the role of MacAdder is actually an amazingly convincing portrayal of a retired Aberdonian Jacobite. It's hardly a caricature and, while it's more of a comedy voice, it can easily see it being used in some parts of Scotland to great effect. It adds many bows to the strings of Rowan Atkinson as a comedian and in fact, since I like actors who can do a lot of interesting voices, it increases my respect and admiration for him 100 fold!
Tony Robinson can do a good Glaswegian as well, though?
Any other fond memories?
Further comments upcoming.
Warm Regards To All Who Love This Sitcom, MRHloco
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Post by Georgemiser on Oct 25, 2008 20:27:10 GMT
unlike the majority of blackadder fans,i think that the 1st was the best.
why?
because up until i watched the 1st series on youtube,i had always known the blackadder character to be a sly,rotten and yet smart person,who was always disrespectful to everyone.
the 1st one was totally different.
this one was slimy,bumbling,and completely dim.and THAT is what made the 1st incarnation funny.
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Nov 3, 2008 21:22:16 GMT
I'm not a huge fan of the first series, but it still stands pretty well on its own two feet. There were one or two jokes that were a little lame, but for the most part it's still very enjoyable. The original pilot is very different. For a start, the king is played by the actor who played Fred Elliott. It's set in an alternative version of the Tudor era. Edmund is actually far closer to the mean Blackadder of season 2 and, weirdest of all, Baldrick is played by Philip Pope. And no, he's nowhere near as good as Tony Robinson.
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Post by Suzanne on Nov 6, 2008 19:17:56 GMT
Hmm, while I enjoyed all four series, I do actually love Seies 1 & 2 best of all. I know a lot of people didn't think much of the first season (or so I've heard) but I really enjoyed it...I think I laughed more at some parts of that than any other series. Series 2 was hard to beat - (Who doesn't love the episode "BEER" ) 3 & 4 were also brilliant, although during series 3 I was mourning the loss of Lord Percy (though I think perhaps 3 idiots may have been a bit much . I really enjoyed the pilot episode, I only saw it for the first time earlier this year on YouTube. There were some highly funny moments which I think should have definitely been left in the first series.
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Post by MRHloco on Nov 12, 2008 17:41:20 GMT
From personal perspective, I should imagine that the last thing Tim McInnerny wanted was to be typecast. In any case, he does actually appear in Blackadder The Third: one Lord Topper - who seems to have been the two sides of the characteristic features of McInnerny's roles, if you know what I mean.
From a frill-cladded fop to someone who is clearly much more of a cad than Blackadder himself by a long way! Imagine turning Blackadder in for deception when the only real result is Topper claiming the 1000 guineas for himself, with Smedley deceased!
I must admit Beer is very much in my good books as well: a healthy supply of the usual innuendo jokes (won't go into details here) as well as two hilariously exaggerated Puritans. Whoever would have thought it? Miriam Margolyes playing a character who has the indecency to use corporal punishment on her own relatives - at the very least excuse I might add - and has very stuffy views over such things as "mashing?" Anyone remember those lines?
By the way, about Blackadder II in general, does anyone remember Prince Ludwig The "Indestructible?" Waging war on Europe purely for the heck of wearing shorts, greasy hair and a mass of pockmarks (to judge by how much emphasis is placed on the "spot-spot" line) as a schoolboy.
And for the first time, a bit of teamwork between Blackadder and Melchett to make a plan of escape work. Not exactly your average Chicken Run escape though...
Anyone else remember that?
Warm Regards, MRHloco
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2008 22:36:01 GMT
I certainly do!
Edmund: Trust me to get the hard one! ;D
I also liked the third series because it was unique in the fact that Blackadder didn't die at the end of that series like he did with the other three.
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Post by MRHloco on Nov 12, 2008 22:41:45 GMT
Well, fair play. It has to be said, as I've mentioned before on this thread, that we can't be too sure if he did get killed off in "Goes Forth." Personally, I like to believe that he and Baldrick at least would probably have survived - mainly because of what an upset it would be. In any case, your chances of survival in No Man's Land was very a 50/50 balance, even if there were missions along the lines of "Operation Certain Death." Anyway, I'll let you all judge for yourselves! Warm Regards, MRHloco
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2008 20:34:15 GMT
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Post by Kyle on Nov 26, 2008 22:06:36 GMT
Seriously?!?! That is incredibly awsome! There have been rumblings about either a 5th series of another special for quite some time now; hopefully this is true and not just some tabloid rubbish! Fingers crossed ;D EDIT: Well, apparently it is true! The 90 minute special, entitled Blackadder Rides Again will "include the first-ever in-depth interview with Edmund Blackadder himself, Rowan Atkinson, about his personal experience of being involved in the sitcom and its phenomenal success." according to the BBC website. And now we play the waiting game! www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/bbc_one.shtml#bbcone_blackadder
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