Search - French & Saunders: At the Movies on DVD

Movie Release: 1994 DVD Release: 02/05/2002 Format: DVD - Closed Captioned Edition: Television Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 50 mins Studio: BBC Warner Total Copies: 1 Genres: Comedy, Variety Show [TV], Sketch Comedy

This collection of skits from the fourth series of French & Saunders lives up to its title. Although the comedic duo takes aim at British culture, BBC TV, pop stars, and the Middle Ages, most of the material focuses on Hollywood parody. Dawn French takes on a pair of box-office villains as she pokes fun at Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs and Kathy Bates in Misery; partner Jennifer Saunders, meanwhile, essays the Jodie Foster and James Caan roles, respectively. French experiences the familiar progression from face-hugger to stomach-exploder in a send-up of Aliens that also features Kathy Burke standing in for Jenette Goldstein as Pvt. Vasquez. Thelma and Louise also gets the patented F&S treatment. Other sketches include faux music videos for the Mamas and the Papas, Guns N' Roses, and Shakespear's Sister; "Lucky Bitches," a parody of celebrity sisters Joan and Jackie Collins; and an elaborate re-creation of the historical soap House of Eliott, in which the show's original stars, Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard, appear. The DVD edition of French & Saunders: At the Movies also includes the duo's 1999 Christmas special French & Saunders: The Phantom Millennium, an elaborate parody of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Dawn French
Jennifer Saunders

Bob Spiers directed this television special starring Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. The show comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original BBC broadcast aspect ratio. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Stereo. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. Although there are no supplemental materials of any consequence, fans of the duo should greatly enjoy the various movie parodies that comprise the bulk of this special. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide