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The Black Adder

Rowan Atkinson  |  NR |  DVD
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Actors: Rowan Atkinson
  • Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: BBC Warner
  • DVD Release Date: June 26, 2001
  • Run Time: 180 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005A1ST
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,942 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "The Black Adder" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Rowan Atkinson. This is where it all began-the darkest Dark Ages sitcom since 1380! Edmund Blackadder, the Duke of Edinburgh, goes through hilarious misadventures as he practices his patented treachery in six early episodes: The Foretelling," Born to Be King," The Archbishop," The Queen of Spain's Beard," Witchsmeller Pursuivant" and The Black Seal." 6 episodes. 1983/color/3 hrs/NR/fullscreen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Black Adder gets medieval April 24, 2001
Format:DVD
Black Adder stars Rowan Atkinson, an absolute comic genius who is also the star of Mr. Bean. 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, Rowan Atkinson plays 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.

There are six episodes in the first series:

1. The Foretelling - a lone horseman, cursed with a bad haircut and a large codpiece, races to battle after sleeping in. After three cases of mistaken identity, the wrong king is crowned, the enemy escapes and three witches fortell of Black Adder's rise to the crown.

2. Born to be a King - the cowardly Black Adder must plot against a barbaric Scottish cousin in order to keep his holdings amidst a cast of leaping rabbi's, a eunch's feast and the death of a pharaoh.

3. The Archbishop - Archbishops die fast and often in Medieval England. So it is perfect obvious to Black Adder that his pious brother, and rival to the throne, desparately needs the job

4. The Queen of Spain's Beard - international treachery gives Black Adder a chance to press his shriveled little body against some of Europe's most eligible princesses.

5. Witchmeller Pursuivant - a bit of black death is in the air, but that's not what is threatening to kill Edmund Black Adder

6. The Black Seal - thwarted for the last time, Edmund sets forth to find seven evil men and fulfill the witches prophecy

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
He has a cunning Medieval Plan December 29, 2003
Format:DVD
Rowan Atkinson is one of Britain's most beloved comedians, but it is with the tales of the BlackAdder he shines most. This is the first series of tales that start in Medieval times and correct the "mistaken point of history", such as who really killed Richard III. This is the complete Medieval arc with all 6 tales.

The Foretelling tells how Richard III did not really die on Bosworth field, and Edmund Blackadder's father rising to be King. However, three witches mistakenly tell Edmund he will one day be King, so he set off to make this happen.

In the second episode - Born to be King - he plots to expose his brother Harry as being born out of wedlock, believing his father is already dead and he will then be crowned king. Instead, of exposing his brother, he finds out there is a question about his own birth.

In Episode 3 (one of the most hilarious) - The Archbishop - the King decides he need someone as Archbishop to stop people from leaving their worldly wealth to the church. He figures Edmund is just the person to be his handpuppet. Only, two Knights Templar over hear a conversation about Becket and think the King was Edmund killed.

Episode 4 - another riot called - The Queen of Spain's Beard - The king decides Edmund, no longer of use as ex-archbishop, he can marry a foreign princess in order to strengthen England's alliance. She is far from idea in Edmunds eyes and he goes to various extremes trying to rid himself of her.

Episode 5 is called - Witchmeller Pursuivant - The plague is start to rear it's head, and with it the Burning Times. And Edmund instead of being closer to the throne is suddenly accused of witchcraft - and his horse, too.

The series closes with the last episode - The Black Seal - In a last determined effort, Edmund does what he must to be crown king....

They are so funny with a super supporting cast. They are British Comedy at it's best.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By GBS
Format:DVD
Rowan Atkinson is charmingly evil in the lead role. Somehow twisting his face to look a human rat, he plots and schemes his way to his own destruction in his quest to become the king. (Which he does, albeit for a few seconds.) Being a BBC production, it's rather like watching a goofy version of I, Claudius. It's a tribute to Atkinson's skills as a performer, that even after all his dire deeds, he is still a pathetic figure at the end. Wonderful program!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Bit Bizarre, But Very Entertaining
I had caught bits and pieces of this program on TV over the years, but never more than that. I finally got around to watching a whole section in sequence. Read more
Published 18 months ago by C. Richard
Rowan is too funny
Nothing is better than British comedy, and nobody is better suited for such, than the rubber faced comedic artist, Rowan Atkinson. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Shawna Jennings
Black Adder, Black Adder, you horrid little man
Who knew the War of the Roses was so funny?

Or at least, the first season of "Black Adder" was, as it chronicled an erased era in English history, and the life story of... Read more
Published on August 14, 2009 by E. A Solinas
Terrible image quality
I LOVE this show, but the image quality is so bad on the DVD that I can't watch it. You see even older TV shows like the original Star Trek being enhanced and fiddled with to the... Read more
Published on June 8, 2009 by J. Freeman
Hilariously Funny if you Get the Jokes
Rowan Atkinson began the Black Adder series set in medieval days, with Edmund Blackadder being a man of few morals and high ambitions. Read more
Published on December 27, 2008 by Lisa Shea
Horrible Video Quality, No Subtitles
We all know how funny Black Adder is; we've usually seen them countless times before deciding to own the set, but I was stunned by the shoddy video quality BBC Video came out with,... Read more
Published on September 9, 2008 by harrier47
Digging for the comedy gold may tire some
I'll make it brief: Rowan Atkinson fans will want to see this, in particular the fans of the other seasons of Blackadder. Read more
Published on September 9, 2008 by John Thomas-Mason
Black Adder I & V
I thought this was the only one of the set I was missing. I also ordered Black Adder V. I love this series and was really pleased to be able to complete my set. Read more
Published on August 28, 2008 by Karen L. Herget
Trash the Trash
I watched about fifteen minutes of this slapstick travesty and threw it in the trash. Really enjoyed Black Adder II. Read more
Published on August 23, 2008 by James L. Stephens
Black Adder, season 1
A hillarious show. My mom had told me about this old series long ago, and I was delighted to find it for sale on Amazon. I can't wait to buy the rest of the series!
Published on June 22, 2008 by Alex
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