Customer Reviews

Rising Damp - Collection Set 1 (Rooksby/ Black Magic/ Night Out/ Gharisma/ All Our Yesterdays/ The Prowler) [VHS]

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Set in a seedy bedsit somewhere in England in the early 70's, this series together with the rest of 'Rising Damp' is pure comic genius. Leonard Rossiter as the tyrant landlord 'Rigsby' is absolutely flawless. Simple, timeless and very very funny comedy.

Rising Damp is a very funny 1970s British Comedy starring the extremely talented and comical Leonard Rossiter (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin) as Rigsby, the crotchety, self-important, and highly-strung live-in landlord of a run-down boarding-house-style apartment. Rigsby is constantly scheming to attract the attention and affection of his tenant, Ruth Jones. But Rigsby is hopelessly and hilariously inept, and although Ruth tries to be polite, it is obvious (at least to the viewer) that Rigsby doesn't stand a chance. Furthermore, Ruth has her eye on another tenant, Philip, a young black African college student. Philip, however, is about as interested in Ruth as Ruth is in Rigsby.

Philip shares a room with Alan (Richard Beckinsale of Porridge), an open-minded young medical student. Rigsby has a very low opinion of both Alan and Philip and is constantly insulting them. Rigsby takes his jabs where he can find them. With Alan, they're aimed at his long hair and tight trousers; with Philip, they're directed at his tribal African ancestry. Though hardly politically correct, Rigsby's jabs at Philip are counterbalanced by the fact that Philip is so obviously Rigsby's superior in every way, be it intellectually, socially, culturally, financially, or romantically. Actually, one cannot help feeling a little sorry for Rigsby. He's so critical of everyone else (save Ruth, who can do no wrong in his eyes), yet he is completely oblivious to his own shortcomings.

This boxed set consists of three videos, each with two 25-minute episodes for a total of six episodes, and it is a series that is very, very funny indeed. With five boxed sets in all (and a total of 26 episodes plus one special), this is one of the few British comedies to have been released on video in its entirety, and it is an absolute shame that BFS Video has discontinued it. Still, I managed to track down a copy of the entire series only recently, and I must say it is one series that is well worth ferreting out!

This classic British series from the seventies pits the curmudgeonly landlord Rigsby (Rossiter also in Barry Lyndon and 2001) against Alan (Beckingsale father of actress Kate Beckinsale) and Philip (Warrington also in Branagh's Hamlet) while continuously trying to impress Miss Jones (De La Tour).

Rossiter is an excellent actor and very very hilarious.

Compare this to America's All in the Family TV series.

The British do great TV comedy. At least, I should say I like their 1970s TV situation comedies, which though fast paced, are witty, at times tacky and crude, but always have a message and will make you laugh if you follow the story line. "Rising Damp" (1974-1978) is one of those shows which will make you laugh about every 10 seconds. In the show, the central character, Rupert Rigsby, a tight fisted, politically conservative landlord played by Leonard Rossiter, meddles often in the lives of his tenants: college employee Ruth Jones (Frances de La Tour), medical student Alan Moore (Richard Beckinsale), and graudate student Philip Smith (Don Warrington). All of the actors are excellent, their timing and comic sense immaculate. You have to watch every moment, however, or you'll miss an important part of the story.

There are humorous episodes about politics: liberal verses conservative, religion, sexual behavior, economics, and other hot button issues of the 1970s, and of the 2000s for that matter. Every attempt Rigsby makes at getting one over on one of his tenants backfires, as do his "get rich quick" schemes.

Comparing "Rising Damp" with US television, I'd say it's closest in atmosphere and overall flavor to "All in the Family" or "Sanford and Son" although the story lines are different. Rigsby, a Conservative, refers to the Labor party as "a bunch of reds" and to his tenant Alan Moore as a Communist because he likes the Labor rather than Conservative party. Archie Bunker in "All in the Family" would do this if the opportunity were there! There's a bungle in every episode, and often Rigsby ends up behind the 8 ball, or right back where he started without making any gains at all.

These are very funny TV comedy episodes. I don't own this set, but saw them on A&E TV about 1992. If they're released on DVD or in a new edition, go for them if you like British TV comedy.

You don't need the details of these episodes of constant belly-laughs

- as long as you can cope with some fairly difficult british language and accents.

If you have a Mac, you can get this much cheaper as an entire Rising Damp

series from Amazon UK on a Region 2 DVD which will play beautifully on a Mac,

along with many other UK comedy series at bargain prices.

RD is absolutely brilliant. Perhaps some of the funniest material on television. Certainly far superior to the rubbish that passes for humour these days. I am no prude but some of the foul language is not fit for a sailor. In any case, I was first introducted to it while in England, and then again on a dish station my parents got out of Canada. Actually I am looking for the whole set, used if possible, so if you folks at Amazon have access to that then let me know. Any of these tapes you can buy will be worth your money, because they will keep you in stitches.