Search - Black Adder III on DVD

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Deborah MacGillivray | US & UK | 01/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I watch BlackAdder I, I say this is the Best of the BA series. Then I watch BlackAdder II, and I say this is the Best of the BA series!So I once again say, this is the best of the BA series! And I REALLY mean that! I think III is just a cut above the rest, because not only is Rowan Atkinson at his best, Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent is an equal match so you have the two of them pushing each other.In Dish and Dishonesty - Edmund see his chance to make the move from Prince's Butler to a MP by staging the elections. The episode is sidesplitting.Ink and Incapability - Edmund wants to become a writer, but runs afoul of the first English dictionaryNob and Nobility - The French are revolting - no they ARE really revolting and it sets the Stage for of lot of master of disguisesSense and Senility - The Prince regent becomes enthralled of acting and pulls the whole household into it, having Edmund to recruit two actors to be the Prince's coach.Aim and Amiability - the Prince Regent has over spent again, so Edmund must play matchmaker to find the prince a rich bride, only both sides are hiding thingsDuel and Duality - The Price makes a mistake of romancing the Duke of Wellington's daughter and now it's 20 paces at dawn...unless Edmund can think of something to stop it.Baldrick is back and Edmund's dogsbody and manage to steal the scenes! Look out for the Turnip!"

Blackadder The Third....

Photoscribe | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA | 12/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is EASILY the funniest run of the BA series! Atkinson's handling of the role as a resentful, scheming butler serving an idiotic Prince regent and dealing with all the vain, odd characters of 18th century England is a wonder to behold! The episodes come off like well done period comedy plays, perhaps written by the likes of Jonathan Swift or Washington Irving. There is definitely a very theatrical look and "feel" to the episodes, and I am put in mind of the field trips to Princeton's McCarter Theatre back in the 60s, where we saw "Faust", "Uncle Vanya" and "Candida". B-II had some of this feel as well, but in B-III, for some reason, it is more pronounced.

"Sense & Senility" is probably the funniest ep. here, with Edmund hiring two actors that have caught the fancy of the dim Prince, played by Hugh Laurie. The actors are the very soul and image of foolish, rococo vanity and pomposity, with over-rouged cheeks and reddened lips, ridiculous powdered wigs and the manners of rich old dowagers. Edmund teases them by endelssly repeating the name of the play "Macbeth", which is anathema to the superstitious, foppish men. A series of events seals their doom as they lead Baldrick to believe that they are plotting to kill him and the Prince. Edmund, who hates them, has them wrapped up as traitors.

Another great ep. is "Amy & Amiability", in which a financially overextended Prince has to marry wealth to be solvent again. Miranda Richardson joins the cast again for this episode as the apparently sweet and innocent intended young lady, who holds an incredible secret. A few scenes involving squirrels and the girl's overprotective father will have you on the floor laughing.

"Nob & Nobility" is probably the weakest ep. here as Edmund and Baldrick get involved with the French Revolution and the Scarlet Pimpernel. "Red Dwarf's" Chris Barrie and B-II and IV's Tim McInnerny make guest appearances in this one, but it doesn't help a fairly gagless story that has a lot of people faking VERY bad French accents.

The rest of the episodes are excellent and make this arc stand out as the high watermark for the series, edging out B-II only by a HAIR...

Buy this and B-II and prepare to laugh yourself silly!"

"Sod off."

B from America | USA | 07/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have only seen episodes from this and the first Black Adder series. I must say that I think this is much funnier and more light-hearted than the first series. The first series (1983) does have it's moments but suffers from unfunny serious moments and an ultimately unlikeable and annoyingly voiced Black Adder (Rowan Atkinson). It does grow on you though, especially if you love British humor. You may want to own the entire series; if not for the consistent laughs, then for the originality. Anyway, this, the third series (1987), set in England (1768-1815) finds Edmund Black Adder as the butler of George, the Prince Regent. Baldrick again plays servant to Black Adder. This series, like the other three, consists of 6 episodes. The episodes you get here are "Dish & Dishonesty", "Ink and Incapability", "Nob & Nobility", "Sense & Senility", "Amy & Amiability", and "Duel & Duality". DVD is the best way to own this collection (but you already knew that, right?). The set of 4 DVDs can be bought individually or as part of a 5 DVD set including a special, "Black Adder: Back & Forth" (aired in 2000), interviews, and other goodies. I am not sure if "Black Adder's Christmas Carol" (1987) is included on this DVD, but it is in the boxed set. One of my favorite episodes in this volume is "Ink & Incapability" where the Prince decides to "partonize" Dr. Johnson's dictionary, which took him 10 years to complete. Baldrick accidentally uses it as kindling and Black Adder feels he must try to rewrite it all in one night. One of the best aspects of this series is the witty dialogue. This is from the aforementioned episode:Black Adder: "Baldrick, believe me, eternity in the company of Beezlebub and all his instruments of death will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me - and this pencil...""

Rowan Atkinson is positively brilliant!

Paul Dsouza | Seattle, WA | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I positively LOVE British comedy... Benny Hill, Fawlty Towers, `Allo `Allo, Mr. Bean, Monty Python, Mind Your Language etc. The best of these is Black Adder.

Black Adder turns history upside down on its head. Forget whatever you learnt of the Tudors because you will have to re-learn it when you watch the "real history" of Black Adder.

For those who are unfamiliar with this series, it may take you a while to understand the nuances and "read between the lines". But this ability to understand the humor will increase as you watch the series. A general underlying truth is that each episode gets funnier as you move forward in this series.

Rowan Atkinson is positively brilliant! Honestly speaking, I think that his performance in this series is just head and shoulders above his comedy in Mr. Bean."