Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered |  | Actors: John Cleese, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Prunella Scales
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
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Rating:  28 reviews
Format: Box set, DVD, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 374 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 1
MPN: 1000114209
UPC: 883929094615
EAN: 0883929094615
Release Date: October 20, 2009
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| Features:
| • | Coming to Special Edition DVD for the first time, it s the complete Fawlty Towers collection with all-new commentary from John Cleese! Hot off the runaway success of Monty Python s Flying Circus, John Cleese embarked on his now-legendary sitcom, Fawlty Towers, creating one of the most memorable and best loved characters in all of British comedy, Basil Fawlty. Basil Fawlty is a much put-upon, hard- |
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/20/2009 Run time: 360 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
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 (our favorite: "Fatty Owls"). --Sean AxmakerAlso on the discs
While enjoying your Fawlty Towers holiday, be sure to extend your stay by visiting the deluxe extra features. New to this set are entertaining commentaries by John Cleese, who provides illuminating insights into how these "lovely little farces" were constructed. He expresses genuine affection for the cast and guest stars, is quick to praise exquisite bits of comic business ("This is funnier than I remember"), and is not shy about criticizing his own performance ("I don't think I acted this right"). Also new to this set are newly filmed interviews with Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, and Connie Booth, who offers some great anecdotes about collaborating with her then-husband Cleese and how some memorable gags were created. Donald Sinclair, the real-life rude hotelier who inspired the character of Basil Fawlty, is given his due, but be forewarned you will hear several versions of the Eric Idle ticking suitcase story. Also appearing are notable guest stars, including Bernard Cribbins ("The Hotel Inspectors"), Geoffrey Palmer ("The Kipper and the Corpse"), and David Kelly ("The Builders"), who talk of their experiences on one of television's towering sitcoms. There is also an odd "Cheap Tatty Review." Holdover features from the previously released boxed set include episode commentaries by directors John Howard Davies and Bob Spiers; archival interviews with Cleese, Scales, and Sachs; a short film about Torquay; disappointingly paltry outtakes; and a helpful Who's Who guide to the series' cast and guest stars. --Donald Liebenson
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
A Mere Dozen...But All of Them Pure Comedy Gold March 9, 2010
Mr. Mambo (Burnsville, MN USA)
They only made twelve episodes....and then they stopped.
They could have gone further, but maybe Cleese was doing other things, maybe the money wasn't there, I'm not sure, it's not important. Bottom line is that, in my opinion, this ranks up there with the funniest TV shows of all-time.
Here's an example: in the crabby deaf old lady (Mrs. Richards) episode, Basil has been betting on the horses, just to try and win some of his own money, and to try to squeeze out from under the iron thumb of wife Sibyl. Of course, the domineering Sibyl vehemently disapproves of Basil doing just about anything on his own. She has suspicions, and cooly says, "Basil, you know what I'm going to do if I find out you've been betting on the horses, don't you?" Basil shakes his head and does his best to appear studious, then mutters under his breath, out of her earshot, "You'll have to sew 'em back on first!"
That is, his testicles! No American show would have been witty or daring enough to get that line in, forty years ago.
Same episode: Mrs. Richards and Basil in her hotel room, and she's complaining about the view. Basil sarcastically replies, "And just what did you expect to see out of a Torquay hotel room window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeests sweeping majestically across the plains?"
The writing, the characters, the situations, the dialogue, it's all perfect.
I've seen some of these episodes a dozen times, and I've never gotten tired of them. This latest remastering is beautiful, particularly because of the improved picture quality and the inclusion of Cleese's commentary.
Here is a listing in no order of the TV shows I think are particularly funny, definitely a cut above your ordinary sitcom: Larry Sanders (may be the funniest show ever on TV, this side of pond or not); Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, SCTV, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Keeping Up Appearances, The League of Gentlemen, Little Britain, and Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Fawlty Towers-Funniest Comedy EVER! March 9, 2010
J. Alessi (Chicago, Il)
The funniest comedy series EVER! Great writing with great performances! Farce at its finest. DVDs include interviews, outtakes, and commentary by John Cleese. There were some less than stellar things about these DVDs: The commentaries by the directors were deadly dull and the outtakes were too few and not that good. The worst thing was that there were only 12 episodes. If you are "down in the dumps", those 12 episodes will have you crying with laughter and rewinding to hear parts you were laughing too loudly to hear.
Fawlty Fan! February 25, 2010
Jacquelino (Illinois)
I am thrilled to have this fabulous series at my fingertips. Excellent! I wish there were more...
Great commentary! February 10, 2010
Anne R. Crotty (Virginia)
We love Fawlty Towers, and we already had the video collection from several years ago, but this new DVD set is well worth the price to get the new John Cleese commentary for each episode. Since we know the series so well that we can practically quote the dialogue as we view it, we have been watching the episodes with the Cleese commentary running. He shares some fascinating bits of information about the actors, the sets, the direction, and the background. Every time I hear him admire the young Connie Booth (his first wife, I guess!) I get the giggles!
Basil Fawlty is Hilarious February 8, 2010
Virginia Lyster (Camano Island, WA United States)
John Cleese is one of the funniest men to walk this earth and it shows in this series. I've watched it since I was a little girl and it has became a holiday favorite. "Basil the Rat" is my Favorite.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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