"FAWLTY TOWERS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING John Cleese as BASIL FAWLTY Prunella Scales as SYBIL FAWLTY Andrew Sachs as MANUEL Connie Booth as POLLY SHEARMAN Not Rated Own it on DVD October 20 BBCAmerica.com Studio: BBC Video Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Following his successful stint on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” John Cleese partnered with Connie Booth to create the silly British sit-com “Fawlty Towers.” Running only two seasons (one in 1975 and the second in 1979), “Fawlty Towers” told the story of struggling hotel owners Basil and Sybil Fawlty (Cleese and Prunella Scales) and the antics they had with their guests and staff. Basil was always trying to get ahead financially while Sybil tried to keep things running smoothly at the hotel. Set almost exclusively at the quaint Fawlty Towers hotel, the staff faced bizarre guests including obnoxious Americans, scam artists and the dreaded Germans.
WHAT I LIKED
Growing up watching loads of BBC content on our local PBS affiliate, I became quite familiar with John Cleese not just as a Python but as the hotel proprietor of Fawlty Towers. In America, sit-coms had changed from the squeaky clean family setting to the more edgy series like “All in the Family” and “Three’s Company,” and the British were following suit.
While there were plenty of shenanigans going on at Fawlty Towers, there was a certain purity to this series. The action almost never left the walls of the hotel, and when they did it was usually for a scene in the parking lot.
The series began in 1975 and showed that John Cleese could exist as a comedic star outside of his Python roots. The first season was clever and funny, but the full slapstick comedy was not realized until the second season in 1979. By then, the show fully utilized Cleese’s brilliant physical comedy and even gives a quick homage to the Monty Python sketch about silly walks.
Times have changed since the 70s, but there’s a timeless nature to this British sit-com that allows modern audiences to relate to the human silliness that happens in the show.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Like the “Black Adder: The Ultimate Edition” remastered DVD that came out concurrent with “Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series,” it seems a little silly to bring a pristine level of video quality to a series that was shot on cheap videotape. Still, this is as cleaned up as it’s going to get and it looks great, considering its technological source.
Sadly, “Fawlty Towers” had a rocky run, which appears shorter in retrospect. Its broadcast history may have spanned four years, but there were only two seasons with twelve episodes total. With as fondly as this show is remembered, I wish it had more content.
DVD FEATURES
The new DVD set includes commentary by John Cleese on all episodes, along with John Howard Davies commentary on the entire first season and Bob Spiers commentary on the entire second season.
The third disc includes brand new interviews with cast members and series crew, along with additional interviews with John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs. There’s profiles on the artists behind the show and a documentary film called “Torquay Tourist Office” as well as outtakes and a “Cheap Tatty Review.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
John Cleese fans and anyone wanting to live the heyday of 70s British comedy.
