The Black Adder

Rowan Atkinson stars as the comic villain, Edmund Blackadder, in the premiere series of Britain's enormously popular comedy series, set during the really dark part of the Dark Ages.

DVD Features:
Biographies
Other:Black Adder Sing Along Footnotes to History
Theatrical Trailer

Hilariously Funny if you Get the Jokes

Rowan Atkinson began the Black Adder series set in medieval days, with Edmund Blackadder being a man of few morals and high ambitions. He's heir to the Duke of York and has to deal with a bumbling servant Baldrick as well as the less-than-helpful Percy. Both of these characters follow him through pretty much the entire series.

I find the series to be *incredibly* funny, but there is definitely a difference between what many Americans find to be funny and what British find to be funny. I love British humor. It is often very dry and cynical, and also a lot of times you have to have some education / background to understand it. That is, if you actually know something about British history you'll pick up on a ton of superbly funny in-jokes that might otherwise pass you by.

For example, in one of the episodes a general comment is made about a person being better off dead, and two Knights Templar decide that they should race right off and kill the person. This is based on an actual situation in English history. There are witches cackling around cauldrons giving out messages, another staple in English drama.

Yes, a few of the jokes go towards the slapstick kind of silly versus the more erudite kind. There is something for everyone.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves British comedy!
December 28, 2008

Horrible Video Quality, No Subtitles

We all know how funny Black Adder is; we've usually seen them countless times before deciding to own the set, but I was stunned by the shoddy video quality BBC Video came out with, and only the cheapest of DVDs these days are produced with no subtitle function at all. Very disappointing; I will probably return II and III, which haven't been opened. I regretted that their enclosed feedback card was only a viewing survey and had no entry for feedback. September 10, 2008

Digging for the comedy gold may tire some

I'll make it brief: Rowan Atkinson fans will want to see this, in particular the fans of the other seasons of Blackadder. Those not accustomed to British comedy will be better suited avoiding it. There are some instances of truly witty dialogue and classic situations, but they are beset by a mire of disconnected jokes that feel more like "in" jokes that you weren't supposed to get.
This is easily the oiliest of the Edmunds...and the smartest of Baldricks. (It's all downhill from here for the Baldrick family.) British icons Brian Blessed and Peter Cooke are as wonderful as ever. September 10, 2008

Black Adder I & V

I thought this was the only one of the set I was missing. I also ordered Black Adder V. I love this series and was really pleased to be able to complete my set. Black Adder V was a nice surprise.
Rowan Atkinson, and company, are as much fun as the Pythons. August 28, 2008

Trash the Trash

I watched about fifteen minutes of this slapstick travesty and threw it in the trash. Really enjoyed Black Adder II. Having seen other episodes from other seasons that I liked, this was a surprise. Viewer, pay attention to other reviews. I didn't. I was warned. Do not rent or buy. August 23, 2008

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