Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1702 in VHS
• Released on: 1996-09-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: HiFi Sound, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 175 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The final Blackadder series, which first appeared in 1990, was the most highly evolved of all of the Richard Curtis/Ben Elton-scripted excursions. Having contrived to attain the Crown at the end of the third series, Rowan Atkinson's Edmund Blackadder is now reduced to a mere Captaincy in the trenches during World War I, with these episodes finding him shooting messenger pigeons, grumbling about Charlie Chaplin and unscrupulously evading his patriotic duty to pile over the top and be slaughtered pointlessly. Hugh Laurie plays the upper class silly arse to the hilt while Baldrick, who has grown progressively more stupid throughout the four series, can barely muster the intelligence to move from the spot. Blackadder Goes Forth stoutly refused to the end to abandon its relish for broad, puerile scatological puns: "Captain Darling will pump you thoroughly in the debriefing room," growls Stephen Fry's General Melchett. However, Blackadder's cynicism is laced with genuine despair at the recent madness of World War I. The closing moments of the final episode, as Blackadder and co. finally receive their orders, are handled with sober poignancy and became a frequent fixture in Remembrance Day TV scheduling. --David Stubbs

Synopsis
The entire historic fourth series of the TV comedy series 'Blackadder'. Six episodes: 'Captain Cook', 'Corporal Punishment', 'Major Star', 'Private Plane', 'General Hospital' and 'Goodbyeee'.

Customer Reviews

He's right you know, Oxford's a complete dump!
For me, this is the best of all the Blackadder series. The tone of this series seems to be different to all the others and your opinions of the characters is different accordingly.

Blackadder is for the most part a snide and somewhat cruel and unpleasant character, but rather than dislike him for the way he treats his couterparts, in Goes Forth, you just feel for him, placed in this desperate situation and trying anything he can think of to get out of it. Who would not, given the circumstances.

Making a comedy out of the tragic events of WW1 shows great skill and the writers manage it tremendously. They are helped by an incredibly good cast - there really are no weak links. For me, Stephen Fry playing the dimwitted General Meltchett is the standout, though an excellent cameo in one episode by Rik Mayall as flying ace Lord Flashart runs him close.

What is truely brilliant is the end. After all his attempts to escape, Blackadder is sent over the top, we presume to his doom, though we are never shown for definate, as the screen fades to show the battlefield in modern times. This could have been handled so badly, but it was in fact, perfect.

Well, well, well! If it isn't old Captain Slack-Bladder!
This is the best series ever! It combines brilliant humour with a perfect balance of disaster, truimph and puns. Unmissable!! For £15 this is an absolute bargain!

Excellent Blackadder series possibly the best ever.
This is probably the best Blackadder series of the lot. The comedy shows the unfortunate truth of the horror of war, with razor sharp wit and brilliant one-liners. The final scene is probably one of the most emotional images of war. Blackadder is his ususal sarcastic witty self, while Baldrick seems even more stupid, "It's better than sitting around here on our elbows!" Hugh Laurie plays Lieutenant George brilliantly, and Stephen Fry makes an ideal General whose ideas on warfare are almost too close to the truth. Also an excellent cameo performance by Rik Mayall as Lord Flasheart the ace pilot in 'Private Plane'. All in all a brilliant series that should not be misssed.