Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Cunning as a fox that is Professor of Cunning at Oxford., September 5, 2000
Keywords: English, Bloody Funny!!!'Blackadder' was a BBC English television series staring Rowan Atkinson. It ran for four series (and at least one special). The four series ran through 450 years of English History, with the same characters reincarnating /reappearing over that time. It is bloody funny. Series One has Blackadder as Prince Edmund, the Black Adder under his father (who hated him) Richard IV set in the late 1400's. Series Two has Lord Edmund Blackadder, a favorite of Elizabeth I. Series Three has Edmund Blackadder, Butler to the Prince Regent, Prince George (the son of Mad George III). Series Four has Captain Edmund Blackadder in the trenches of World War One France in 1917. Always with his dogsbody Baldrick and always descending the social ladder, Blackadder is a revisit on history that is well worth a visit. The scripts, the primary content of this book, are extremely well written. The authors are Atkinson himself, Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. Other fillers in the book are original and funny. If you've seen the programs, you will buy the book anyway. If you don't know Blackadder, get the videos from Amazon.com and then buy the book. It is excellent. To the Creators of Blackadder, thank you and isn't it time for another series?
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A giant rollercoaster of a novel in 400 sizzling chapters., July 27, 2002
Well maybe not, but it is over 450 pages of Blackadder! "This book, sir, contains every word in our beloved language." Just kidding, I just had to say that. What this book does contain is the complete scripts for all 24 episodes of the entire Blackadder series written by Richard Curtis & Ben Elton, who are both "as clever as a stick in a bucket of pig swill." and starring the "quite brilliant" comedic talents of Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, and Stephen Fry, among others. If you have not seen Blackadder, you have no idea what you're missing. However, if you have seen it and don't like it, then I hope you get an extremely itchy rash on "the soft dangly collection of objects in your trousers." There are plenty of other things besides the scripts but I'll leave it as a surprise (or you can just read one of the other reviews). Keep in mind that these are the original scripts, not word for word what you hear on the show. For the most part it is exactly the same, but every once and a while there are different words used in the book. Don't worry, it doesent take away from any humor and the only person that will notice it will be someone, like myself, who has watched Blackadder over and over. Seriously, I put Blackadder III in my DVD player before I go to sleep and sometimes the last thing I hear is "Once upon a time there was a lovely sausage called Baldrick and it lived happily ever after." Anyway the book is essential for the Blackadder fan who can't get enough of the hilarious and original writing. Here are some lines you can read continuously for the rest of your life once you buy this book:"Population: three rather mangy cows, a dachshund named Colin, and a small hen, in its late forties." "I took over for the original electorate after he very sadly accidentally brutally cut his head off while combing his hair." "I am delighted to have been instrumental in keeping your bosom free of arses." "...eternity in the company of Beelzebub and all his hellish instruments of death will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me and this pencil..." By the way, all royalties from the sale of this book go to Comic Relief UK. So you're actually doing two good things: Donating to a worthwhile charity and owning a book "so cunning, you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel."
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost all the Black Adder that you could ever want, June 21, 2001
This book contains the complete set of scripts for the Black Adder TV episodes, made by the BBC. Black Adder aired as four individual series of six episodes each: The Black Adder, Black Adder II, Black Adder the Third and Black Adder Goes Forth. It does not contain the Xmas special.The screenplays were written by Richard Curtis (Mr. Bean, Not the nine o'clock news) and Ben Elton - possibly one of the funniest modern writers. In the first series, Black Adder is a weak chinned, effeminate heir to Richard, Duke of York. Set in medieval England, we are introduced to two of the most often recurring characters in Black Adders live(s) - Percy and Baldrick. Lord Percy is an eager to please, high strung dolt. Baldrick, an filthy peasant that is under qualified to be the village idiot, acts as Black Adder's golfer. Although funny, the first series may miss an American audience with some of it's historical references. In the second series, Black Adder's next descendant is no longer heir to the throne but remains one of Queen's dearest friends. Set in Elizabethan England, we get to follow Black Adder as he plots to carouse, fornicate and steal his way to pleasure. Even funnier than the first series, Black Adder gets far more clever. We are also introduced to two additional, recurring characters - Melchett and Flash. Melchett is a pompous, over bearing palace sycophant and Flash is fast moving ladies man with more than just a sword hanging between his legs. Black Adder's fortunes have considerably fallen by the Third Series, where he is now serving a butler to the Price Regent of England, the stupidest man in the land. Again, the clever Black Adder schemes to raise himself at the expense of everyone around him. Other great English comedic actors Hue Laurie, Robbie Coltrane and Tim McInnery all make appearances. In the fourth and final series, Black Adder finds himself caught on the front lines of World War I. Trying to eke out a comfortable existence without being sent out on a suicidal charge against the Kaiser, Black Adder's fourth series is somewhat reminiscent of Mash. Without all the nice doctor's off course. This series has the "crudest" humour of all. Black Adder is undoubtedly one of the funniest English comedy series ever made and the screenplays are worth owning.
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