Product Description
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Fawlty Towers Remastered Special Edition (DVD)
Coming to Special Edition DVD for the first time, it’s the
complete Fawlty Towers collection with all-new commentary from
John Cleese! Hot off the runaway success of Monty Python’s Flying
Circus, John Cleese embarked on his now-legendary sitcom, Fawlty
Towers, creating one of the most memorable and best loved
characters in all of British comedy, Basil Fawlty. Basil Fawlty
is a much put-upon, hard-working hotel manager whose life is
plagued by dead guests, hotel inspectors, and riff-raff. Of
course his biggest headache is his “little nest of vipers,” his
nagging wife Sibyl. Together they run their hotel, Fawlty Towers,
with a little help from the unflappable Polly and the trainee
waiter from Barcelona with marginally more intelligence than a
monkey, Manuel.
Fawlty Towers is a classic comedy which reflects the broadcast
standards, language and attitudes of its time. Some viewers may
find this content offensive.
.com
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Basil Fawlty, as created and performed by John Cleese, is the
rudest, most boorish, most hilariously obnoxious man on the face
of the planet. What a natural for a TV sitcom! His screen wife,
Sybil (Prunella Scales), put it best in the episode "The
Psychiatrist": "You're either crawling all over them, licking
their boots, or spitting poison at them like some Benzedrine puff
adder." He mockingly replies, "Just trying to enjoy myself,
dear." With his gangly frame and contortionist abilities, Cleese
brilliantly punctuates Basil's outrageous faux pas with absurd
gymnastics and turns Three Stooges-style pokes and kicks into a
slapstick ballet. Scales's Sybil is the genial but obliviously
chatty voice of reason and Andrew Sachs mangles the English
language as the Spanish bellhop Manuel, whose struggles with
simple directions results in comic lunacy reminiscent of Robert
Benigni. After a six-episode run in 1975, Cleese and cowriter and
costar Connie Booth (who plays Polly, the maid all too often
pulled into Basil's ridiculous plans) reunited the cast in 1979
for another six episodes without missing a punch line. The
four-volume collection contains all 12 shows, interspersed with
interview segments featuring Cleese discussing the genesis of the
series and anecdotes about the individual episodes. Remember to
watch the opening credits of each show to spot the creative
misspellings on the hotel sign (our favorite: "ty Owls").
--Sean Axmaker
Also on the discs
While enjoying your Fawlty Towers holiday, be sure to extend
your stay by visiting the deluxe extra features. New to this set
are entertaining commentaries by John Cleese, who provides
illuminating ins into how these "lovely little farces" were
constructed. He expresses genuine affection for the cast and
guest stars, is quick to praise exquisite bits of comic business
("This is funnier than I remember"), and is not shy about
criticizing his own performance ("I don't think I acted this
right"). Also new to this set are newly filmed interviews with
Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, and Connie Booth, who
offers some great anecdotes about collaborating with her
then-husband Cleese and how some memorable gags were created.
Donald Sinclair, the real-life rude hotelier who inspired the
character of Basil Fawlty, is given his due, but be forewarned
you will hear several versions of the Eric Idle ticking suitcase
story. Also appearing are notable guest stars, including Bernard
Cribbins ("The Hotel Inspectors"), Geoffrey Palmer ("The Kipper
and the Corpse"), and David Kelly ("The Builders"), who talk of
their experiences on one of television's towering sitcoms. There
is also an odd "Cheap Tatty Review." Holdover features from the
previously released boxed set include episode commentaries by
directors John Howard Davies and Bob Spiers; archival interviews
with Cleese, Scales, and Sachs; a short film about Torquay;
disappointingly paltry outtakes; and a helpful Who's Who guide to
the series' cast and guest stars. --Donald Liebenson