Customer Reviews

Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin (Collection Set 1) [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone in their forties of fifties who has ever been laid off from a white collar job and watches "Reggie," will find this a humorous but piercing satire about modern industrial life. Given the seemingly endless corporate downsizing of the 1990s, the series is more relevant today than it was in 1977. The Reginald Perrin character is the Everyman of corporate America: looking for perfect security at work and perfect happiness at home. Also interesting is that the series (particularly Part 3 which is not yet available) can be viewed as a comment on the vacuity of modern life in the absence of any spirituality, perhaps a result utterly unintended by the writer. One lasting benefit: view this a hundred times and it remains a gem of wonderful acting, intelligent humor, and characters one will never forget.

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin was the original "Falling Down." Middle age is hard enough when you're middle aged, though, even 6 years into the working world, I find myself relating so powerfully to Reggie that I'm repeatedly moved to tears of laughter, tears of frustration, and tears of compasion. However, unlike "Dilbert" to engineers, this series is funny whether you're living through it or not.
Leonard Rotisser's scalding performance of an unlikeable, useless, and yet unfinitely pitiable middle-age middle-manager is so fulfilling and applicable to almost all modern middle-class walks of life, it seems as valid now as it was when the series was first released. If you have the time, patience, and inclination, I highly recommend watching the series in it's entirety following at least the preamble to "The God's Must be Crazy." You may never work again -- abandoning the drudge of everyday life for a loincloth or a trench coat, walking forever into the sunset of possibilities.

The first (and last) time I saw this series was on South Carolina Educational Television in the late 1970's. And it's still as funny and, in a way, as sad as it was back then. As all of us middle-age folks know, life has indeed become more pressured in the last twenty or so years. So we can all feel a kinship to Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. One wishes to laugh and cry all at the same time. Perhaps this series was the subconscious inspiration to simplify my own life in recent years. Although I hardly went as far as Reggie :):)The British indeed have a a knack for being serious, silly, and sad all at the same time. The cast do an excellent job, and it really is sad that Leonard Rossiter is no longer with is.Enjoy!

I just watched this series again recently. Being in the UK, I am also lucky enough to have the 3rd series as well. Not as good as the first 2 but still better than most other series. Anyway, i digress..... This is one of my all time favourite comedies. It scores so highly, like all good comedies do, for its mixture of various types of humour tinged with sadness. I believe that the writer of this series must have had a nervous breakdown at some point in his life or he knew someone closely who had, so perfect is his scripting of Reggies decent into madness. Perfect also is Leonard Rossister's portrayal of it. But it is also the bizzare cast of characters around him that also makes Reggies breakdown so believable. The other people in Reggie's life are all stereotypes, but so well written that we can recognise them no matter what line of work we are in or what social circles we move in. There are C.J.'s and Jimmies everywhere we look. Finally, on re-watching this, I was amazed at how often the characters just repeat their stock phrases from episode to episode. Normally, I find this type of comedy tiring and think it is just laziness on the part of a writer who finds him/herself with little new material. But in this series, it is vital. The supporting cast go through their routines from episode to episode, whilst it is only Reggie who changes. They stock phrases are brilliant though. I found myself laughing more and more as they were repeated throughout the series.

This is a brilliant comedy; superbly written and acted and I am glad to see it has fans outside of the UK as a series as good as this should be seen by as wide an audience as possible.

Leonard Rossiter, one of the finest british actors ever, is well-cast in this role. We get to really see his versatilty as an actor, in this series, as he portrays Reggie, to perfection. Though he's best-known as Rigsby, from Rising Damp, the performer is in fine form as an eccentric businessman, who becomes dissatisfied with his life's direction, & ultimately, his success in his professional life. It's so exciting watching him ward off advances from his willing secretary, & eventually fake his own demise & carry on in a new identity, donning various disguises! I absolutely love it!

I cannot understand BFS video's reasoning, for not only neglecting to get themselves shifted & release Series 3, but there seems to also be no sign of a DVD release for the programme. Why put out Series 1 & 2, & not continue on with the remaining episodes, in Series 3? There certainly are enough of us willing to purchase it! I rate it 5 stars because it is an extraordinary piece of british comedy, & worth every penny. It truly deserves every bit of it's cult following, & i just hope BFS gets on the ball. I'm anxiously awaiting S3 & a DVD release.

And for those who haven't yet been given the honor of getting to see Mr. Rossiter, in Rising Damp, do yourselves a favour, & find copies of the tapes. Sadly the lot have been discontinued, but hopefully they will resurface. Anything featuring Leonard Rossiter is well worth a look.

Agree with all comments above! Wonderful series with delightful jaundiced humor! Sadly, it seems the set will remain incomplete. I recently communicated with the North American distributor, BFS Video, and they have no plans to release the final (3rd) series to video. Still, it's worth having the first two series!

It has been at least 15 years since I have seen this series but it rings true as if I watched it yesterday. This is flat out hilarious and Leonard Rossiter is the chief warden of the asylum that keeps it moving along at breakneck pace. I read one other review that complains the people talk too fast but they like "other" British comedies. Say what??? All British comedies talk fast so don't use that as an excuse. Anyway, the premise of someone being bored with their life - job, wife, very existance rings true even today. The humor is razor sharp and Leonard Rossiter would have had a boatload of Emmys if this show was produced in the U.S. Highly recommended right up there with Monty Python and Black Adder.

I didn't get where I am today by not watching this program.

Leonard Rossiter is my favorite of all the great British comedians... The fall and rise of reggie perrin was his greatest character-acting ever..
I have been waiting for about 5 years now for this series to be released on dvd in the u.s. to no avail.. I am pleading with you please release this... I can only watch Leonard Rossiter's appearances in the movies Barry Lyndon, 2001 a space odyssey, and Billy Liar so many times - I need reggie!

I used to watch The Rise And Fall of Reginald Perrin on PBS when I was a child. It was the funniest stuff I had ever seen and after watching it again as an adult, I have to declare it the best british comedy in existence after Monty Python. Give this a try and plan on hours of nonstop laughter at the constant struggles of poor Regi and his band of lunatics(family and co-workers). I still use Regi's boss's waiting thing: 1,2,3,4 Make Them Wait Outside the Door, 5,6,7,8 it Always Pays To Make Them Wait, 9,10, Come!