Customer Reviews

Black Adder - Christmas Carol [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this touching tale inspired by Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," Blackadder is the kindest and most generous man in all of England...until he realizes that bad guys have all the fun.

Perhaps Ebeneezer Blackadder would have been successful as one of the series, since his character shines with the aura of comedy possessed by his ancestors. Baldrick is still with him and as dumb as ever.

Also returning is the brain-the-size-of-a-walnut Prince of Wales, Queenie, Percy, Lord Melchett, and a very revealing Baldrick of the future (Along with a neo-nursie and some others).

Co-starring Robbie Coltrane as the very funny ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, Rowan Atkinson's Ebeneezer is right up there with Simms, Scott, and Stewart...that is, if he can survive the kraut-prince and Queen piglet.

If you are even looking at this info about this videotape, my guess is that you fall into one of three categories:

First, you may be looking for versions of a Christmas Carol. If you are one of these people, and don't know doodly squat about Black Adder, I'd recommend hitting the "Back" button right now and clicking on something else that stars Alastair Sim or (my preference) George C. Scott. This is NOT what you want.

Second, you are a Blackadder fan and either are looking around for Blackadder stuff, or looking specifically for this tape. If so, just buy the damn thing. It's funny as heck (although I didnt like the future bit too much, but that's okay) and it's typical, classic Blackadder. You are probably just reading these reviews to make sure it's consistent with the others- it is. Hit One-click.

Third- perhaps this tape was recc'd to you by Amazon because you bought something else that suggests you'll like this. IF you like the smart, sarcastic, sharp (and sometimes mean) British sense of humor (Maybe some Red Dwarf or Fawlty Towers), again I say- just buy the damn thing. But get all the other Blackadders while you are at it.

To be honest with you, this tape is actually really refreshing at Christmas time- all that cheer and goodwill towards men- it cleanses the palate to have one hour of Blackadder.

What can I say, this is a completely brilliant lampoon of the classic Christmas story. The only ones who will not like it are those lacking in a sense of humor. If you have a sense of humor, please go and watch this immediately:) You will love it.

Great Christmas Carol Parody, but you probably should watch Black Adder first. The knowing the characters makes it much better!

A must for the holiday!

I'm of two minds about this tape.

On the one hand, it's devilishly clever. Writer Ben Elton has taken the standard CHRISTMAS CAROL holiday episode, turned it inside out, and flipped it back on itself again. In the process, though, he's done the same to the Black Adder character, and careful observers of that series may not like what he's done.

This hour-long episode is a very hip thing to watch during the holidays, especially with friends you suspect can handle something different. Often hilarious, BLACK ADDER'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL will certainly amuse people who embrace their inner "Bah! Humbug". It's definitely worth buying.

But I'm not sure it's much of a Christmas present for those of us who already know and like the series. The thing about Blackadder, as a character, is that he's not unpleasant just to be so. He's one of those guys stuck in the middle of life, who is better than his current position, but unable to find a way to the top. Surrounded by people less capable than himself, but cowardly, his only recourse is his wit. And so everyone suffers his tongue. The series, as a whole, derives its humor from the fact that Edmund Blackadder (or, if you will, The Black Adder) is an Everyman who has existed In every generation, and can comment wryly about them all.

Ebenezer Blackadder, by contrast, is shackled to the simplicity of Ebenezer Scrooge. As a character, there's nothing to Scrooge, really. He's mean, he sees ghosts, and then suddenly he's nice. By extension, Ebenezer Blackadder is similarly thin. He starts out a philanthropist, sees ghosts, and becomes horrible. Yes, he's still trying to find a way to the top, and yes, it's still funny watching him try. But because of the necessity to follow the basic outline of Scrooge's script, Blackadder crosses that very fine line between frustration and intention. Now he's being terrible to everyone expressly because he thinks it will benefit him. This shift in motivation is made all the more unfortunate by the fact that this is the only BLACK ADDER not based on a historical period, but a literary one. As such, it's completely gutted of all the smart historical references which are so much a part of the BLACK ADDER experience.

Some viewers will no doubt say that the ending equivocates the victory through-beastliness message a bit, making it more of a traditional BLACK ADDER. And they'll point out that this story HAD to be written because it's so obviously perfect for the very British time line of the series as a whole. But I'm not so quick to let Ben Elton off the hook. Though it's very funny, and a clever way to revisit different eras in the series, it's not quite BLACK ADDER. Britain has seen too many actual Chrismases to have hogtied Edmund Blackadder to a figment of Charles Dickens' imagination.

This is a totally hilarious twist on the Dicken's classic. A must own for any British comedy or Blackadder fans.
"Blackadder's Christmas Carol" should be a Christmas classic.
Especially interesting to watch if you are a fan of the TV show, "House".
Highly recommended!

A parody of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' in which Edineezer Blackadder is a kind and lovely man who 'never laughs at toilet humour' and hasn't a harsh word to say about anybody. But after a visit from a ghost who shows him some of the things his ancestors got up to, and how they benefitted from it, he becomes more akin to his predecessors.

Hilarious and charming at the same time, this is one of the Blackadder series' strongest moments and even shows what Blackadder might be like in the distant future.

Atkinson is again fabulous as the least (most?) likeable cynical misanthrope in history. Wonderful flashback sequences sum up the past Black Adder incarnations perfectly. The feudalistic-future scene is blazingly funny! One thing to note: this is BLACK ADDER'S Christmas Carol, not a Christmas Carol with Black Adder in it. I'm sure Dickens understands this perfectly well.

Rowan Atkinson has had several incarnations of Blackadder (each one a different century) and entitled BlackAdder I,II, III and (IV - which took place during World War I - 20th century). Therefore I was curious if there should be another (the Vth) would it take place in the 21st century? This tale of the Christmas Carol does look into an "outerspace Intergalactic" future scene (which takes place in another century beyond ours). Rowan Atkinson also cleverly recycles many of his old familiar cast to play traditional roles in this retelling of Dickens' classic holiday story. Of course his "twist" is that initially his "Scrooge" is so kind and nice to everyone that he paupers himself by giving everything away and suffers a brutally lonely and penniless Christmas holiday. After experiencing this, he realizes his miserable existence and instead of becoming good and kind, as Dickens intended his old miser's transformation, "HE" changes for the worst. But, it is still clever and charming, especially for Black Adder fans, and Rowan Atkinson fans as well.

The Blackadder spirit comes to Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol. In fact, I didn't see the twist coming until several minutes into the show. Mr. Atkinson's versatility really shows in this Blackadder show and I recommend it.