Fawlty Towers
John Cleese in one of his greatest roles and a short-lived comedy masterpiece
Tags: Misc DVD 2009 Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 13th, 2009
I was introduced to Monty Python’s Flying Circus and about the same time as Fawlty Towers through the good graces of my local PBS station in the 1970s. Where Monty Python was a prime example of non-sequitors and irreverence, Fawlty Towers was a straight up farce. John Cleese (famously a cast of the earlier ensemble comedy series) stars as Basil Fawlty, the owner and operator of a hotel. Unfortunately, basil isn’t necessarily the most pleasant person and is the constant source of exasperation for his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales). Rounding out the regular cast is the porter/bellboy Manuel (Andrew Sachs), a man from Barcelona, a fact that is used against him at every turn and Polly (Connie Booth), the cleaning lady who also works as a waitress.
Partly a workplace comedy and partly an character study in an insufferable pompous buffoon, Fawlty Towers is nothing if not funny. One of the funniest exports from England, rivaling anything either side of the Atlantic produced during the era of disco. Many of the laughs come from Basil’s attempts at bringing in a better sort of customer to the hotel or the way he overreacts to the smallest of problems.
While the series falls to the traps that many situation comedies do, such as underdeveloped characters and plots that simply get wrapped up in a set time, it is all done in a way that helps to elevate everything to a new level of humor. Leading the charge is John Cleese as Basil Fawlty, who winds up being so comedic that it is almost impossible not to laugh at him. Really, anybody that enjoys the half hour comedy owes it to themselves to at least explore the series by renting it. There are 12 episodes total, so they can be seen over a weekend (or one really long night for the ambitious).
I could go on about each episode, but the simple and basic fact is that Fawlty Towers is just as funny now as it was when I first saw it 30 years ago. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long. While many sitcoms are still worth watching after 30 years, very few hold on to the laughs. Fawlty Towers does.
For this new DVD set we are getting the whole series remastered. It may be the new television, the fact that I watched the DVD through my PS3 which makes DVDs look better than earlier players, or it’s the new job the BBC did on the series, but Fawlty Towers looks great.
Previous DVD extras, including some audio commentaries are brought over to this new edition. They are alright, but not great. Much better are the new commentaries with john Cleese. Fans of the series and comedic actor will want to check them out. They appear on every episode with loads of stories and commentary that are quite enjoyable.
The old interviews with three of the main cast members from previous DVD editions are carried over, but much better is the new round of interviews that takes a much more comprehensive look at the series – and Connie Booth finally breaks her silence and participates. If there’s only one of the special features that viewers check out, this is it. A couple minutes of outtakes, a look at the actual inspiration of the series and some other bits (which are mostly filler) round out the offerings.
Any fan of comedy owes it to themselves to see this series. Those that know just how good Fawlty Towers is will gladly add this to their collection.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Great series that holds up + Decent special features carried over + New special features worth the repurchase + John Cleese is just damn funny |
9.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - Basil Fawlty is offensive | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| One of the best sitcoms finally gets the treatment it deserves. | |
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Tags: Misc DVD 2009
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Nov 13th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
