Black Adder III

England 1768-1815. The golden age of wealth, power and discovery, though not for Edmund Blackadder Esq. Edmund is now butler and gentleman's gentleman to the "mini-brained" Prince Regent.

DVD Features:
Biographies
Featurette:Black Adder's Christmas Carol
Other:Footnotes to History
Theatrical Trailer

Supremely Funny

Black Adder has now moved into one of the eras I love the most - the early 1800s, the days of Jane Austen and Pride & Prejudice. Edmund Blackadder is now a helper of the Prince Regent, played hilariously by Hugh Laurie of House fame. Watching Rowan Atkinson interact with Hugh Laurie is just priceless, never mind having Baldrick in the mix too adding his own commentary.

Sense & Senility is probably my favorite of this mix, with the overly self-loving pair of actors who come into the world. Rowan torments them incessantly by saying "MacBeth" which is a superstitious jinx to actors. The others are great as well, from the Scarlet Pimpernel style activities to the dueling at dawn.

There are just so many tiny moments in these show that make them special. The way Rowan rolls his eyes at Hugh, the way Baldrick is blissfully unaware of how he has just destroyed Rowan's life (yet again).

Highly recommended!
December 28, 2008

As funny and refined as ... a highly amusing powdery thing

In the late '80s I happened upon a copy of 3 episodes of Blackadder III in a public library and took a chance. Fate was smiling on me that day as I was introduced to a new world of comedy. While many of these actors seemed familiar to me, I had not known their genius until that day.

Now Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson are household names, but then, they were a British sensation that hadn't quite yet hit our shores. The supporting cast was no less amazing.

Edmund Blackadder of the 18th century is the best realized incarnation of our antihero. He schemes for power not just for the usual banal selfishness, but because fate has reversed roles in a most cruel way: from son of Richard the Lionheart, his dynasty has been reduced to manservant for the foppish, idiotic, ineffective prince regent George (while his father is off to marry a rose bush). He is the only intelligent being surrounded by a maddening bevy of squirrel-brained turnip fetishists. While he is characteristically self-serving, he is positively humble compared to Lord Wellington, Dr. Johnson, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and other delightful caricatures from British history. Viewers end up rooting for him despite themselves.

If you want to introduce yourself to the world of Blackadder, this is my recommendation for where to start. September 9, 2008

Best of British (Comedy)

Black Adder is a must for anyone who enjoys British comedy. Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie, UK comedy elites, are absolutely brilliant in the Black Adder series. A classic that will not dissappoint. June 4, 2008

Fallen even further...

In the third Blackadder series, Rowan Atkinson's character has slid even further down the social ladder and is now butler to Prince George, played with comic brilliance by TV series House's Hugh Laurie. With him as always is perma-sidekick Baldrick. May 30, 2008

Blackadder III - amazing.

This was definitley worth my money.

This season, based on the time period of the French Revolution, is hilarious and informative.

You can pick from any episode, and there are also scenes within the episodes.
Loads of special features: Review of each character and the actor playing them (done with great eloquence by Baldrick), Blackadder's Christmas Carol (full episode of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, slightly altered. ;]) and more.

Really, this was a bargain. I LOVED it. April 26, 2008

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