|
|
Fawlty Towers - The Complete Series 
Actors : John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers
Studio : BBC Warner
by BBC Warner
Release Date : 2001-10-16
Publisher : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 3
EAN : 9780790760414
UPC : 794051157522
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 363 reviews)
List Price : $59.98
Our Price : $39.49
|
|
| |
|
Americancivilwar.com essential video |
|
Basil Fawlty, as created and performed by John Cleese, is the rudest, most boorish, most hilariously obnoxious man on the face of the planet. What a natural for a TV sitcom! His screen wife, Sybil (Prunella Scales), put it best in the episode "The Psychiatrist": "You're either crawling all over them, licking their boots, or spitting poison at them like some Benzedrine puff adder." He mockingly replies, "Just trying to enjoy myself, dear." With his gangly frame and contortionist abilities, Cleese brilliantly punctuates Basil's outrageous faux pas with absurd gymnastics and turns Three Stooges-style pokes and kicks into a slapstick ballet. Scales's Sybil is the genial but obliviously chatty voice of reason and Andrew Sachs mangles the English language as the Spanish bellhop Manuel, whose struggles with simple directions results in comic lunacy reminiscent of Robert Benigni. After a six-episode run in 1975, Cleese and cowriter and costar Connie Booth (who plays Polly, the maid all too often pulled into Basil's ridiculous plans) reunited the cast in 1979 for another six episodes without missing a punch line. The four-volume collection contains all 12 shows, interspersed with interview segments featuring Cleese discussing the genesis of the series and anecdotes about the individual episodes. Remember to watch the opening credits of each show to spot the creative misspellings on the hotel sign (my favorite: "Fatty Owls"). --Sean Axmaker |
| |
|
Description |
|
Inspired by a hotel John Cleese once stayed in when he was filming "Monty Python." This complete set of Fawlty Towers episodes includes special new commentary by John Cleese. Please see individual volumes for episode descriptions. |
| |
|
| |
|
just great service |
I was very pleased with the whole process. I received the product ordered
very quickly and it met all my expectations. I definitely would use this
process again. |
| |
|
The worst hotelier you can't stop watching |
Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) is far from a perfect man. In fact he's a terrible terrible person. But you end up overlooking that fact for the simple reason that he makes you laugh. Most of the scrapes he gets himself into would be easily taken care of if he could simply tell the truth. But that concept is foreign to him.
This series ran the perfect amount of time, ending while it was still hilarious. Each episode is a unique story, never retreading old ground. If you are a fan of the British use of both irony and farce, this is a virtual treasure trove of humor. |
| |
|
MUST see TV |
|
This show was and remains lightyears ahead of anything on American TV. From start to finsih, it is sheer brilliance. The ebtire case is hysterical and the chemistry between the characters is just obvious. Who doesn't remember the Rat inspector episode? How can one forget Mrs. Richards???? Is that a piece of your brain???? This is the best comedy ever produced; Cleese is a genius!! |
| |
|
Fawlty Towers the Complete Series |
|
One of the funniest British Comedies of all times. Delightful to watch. Written with intelligence, this is a must have in any video collection. I am always seeing something new and laughing out loud every time I put this DVD in the player to watch. |
| |
|
Great Comedy |
|
There are full descriptions of the episodes in other reviews. Fawlty Towers is one of the best comedy series ever produced. Every episode is composed of a number of story lines; each wrapping around the others. John Cleese said that he and Connie Booth would lay out a long roll of paper and write ideas across the length of it interweaving the ideas so that they all came together at the end into a very funny episode. The various characters are well crafted and each is at least a little insane. Cleese is a great physical actor (watch "The Germans" and "The Kipper and the Corpse"). I love David Kelley (Mr. O'Riley, the builder). He is a great character (you saw him in "Waking Ned Devine"). If you like great comedy, British or not, get this collection. I'll bet you'll love it. |
| |
