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Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series (3 Discs) |  | Actors: John Cleese, Prunella Scales
Studio: BBC / Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
Buy New: CDN$ 65.83
as of 9/3/2010 00:49 MDT details
New (7) Used (2) from CDN$ 50.34
Seller: moviemars-canada
Rating:  162 reviews
Sales Rank: 3133
Format: NTSC
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Discs: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.7
MPN: WARDE1575D
ISBN: 079076041X
UPC: 794051157522
EAN: 9780790760414
ASIN: B00005LC1H
Release Date: October 16, 2001
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
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 (my favorite: "Fatty Owls"). --Sean Axmaker
Amazon.com Essential Video
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 (my favorite: "Fatty Owls"). --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 162
 Fawlty Towers January 24, 2010
Robert Paul Chown (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
I have been a big fan of John Cleese ever since this series came out some 35 years ago. There was only 12 episodes made and each one of them is hilarious.
Thank you very much Amazon, I am so glad I purchased this series from you. I will charish this for a long time.
Very good english comedy January 16, 2010
Gillian (Ontario Canada)
We bought this for over the christmas period for family entertainment. Excellent. Everyone was laughing and enjoying it I had forgotten how good it was. It was well worth every penny and shall be enjoyed for a long time to come. One of the best british comedies.
Fawlty Towers December 28, 2009
B. Appt
So great and so very funny. Actually better than watching the originals as technology has made a clearer picture and sound. If you were a Fawlty Towers fan would recommend you purchase it. Many days and nights of continuous laughs and you can watch as many or as little as you want. Arrived very quickly and great value for the money.
Don't mention the war March 31, 2009
Fred W. Armstrong (Maple Ridge, BC)
This series, written by John Cleese and, his then wife, Connie Booth is based on John's actual experiences at a hotel when he was doing some location work for Monty Python. With only 12 episodes, this series packs more comedy 'gold' than five seasons of most US sitcoms. These episodes demonstrate how great writing and a solid cast can deliver one of the best TV series ever. The shows revolve around Basil Fawlty, a hotelier who is not satisfied with the calibre of guests or staff at his establishment and who tries, unsuccessfully, to control his environment. His wife, the chamber maid, chef and the ultimate comic foil - Manuel - the waiter/bellman of hotel all manage to push Basil to the edge of a nervous breakdown over and over again, not by intentionally sabotaging Basil's plans, but trying to execute them with the perfection that Basil demands, but no one can deliver. This show demonstrates Cleese's capacity to deliver lightning fast dialogue along with his uncanny physicality, and when combined with stellar performances by the actors playing his wife and Manuel make one laugh out loud. I'd be remiss if I didn't compliment the background players, the guests and trades people that Fawlty has to deal with. They lend a certain chaos and charm to an already amazing program. If you are assembling a library of the best comedy available, this has to be in your top five or ten selections. For me, the German Tourists episode has always been a favourite. I was married to a lady of German descent, and when we visited Germany I was instructed "don't mention the war". I had to explain why this made me laugh so hard... you'll get it when you see the episode
 Fawlty Towers February 17, 2009
Kurt Schmidlin (Edmonton, Alberta Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not to bad for a light entertainment with the British sense of Humor. Comparing it to `Keeping Up Appearances' is pushing the envelope a little. The overall performance is not too bad but lacks the spark of similar British endeavours. The prize is right and for it well worth to own.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 162
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