There's Nothing Fawlty With This Set by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
10/19/2009
TV's funniest series looks and sounds better than ever! Sharp-tongued, short tempered, sycophantic and sadistic, Basil Fawlty (John Cleese, Monty Python films) is a beleaguered hotel manager whose life is plagued by dead guests, hotel inspectors and other assorted riff-raff. He possesses equally little patience for his nagging wife Sybil, unflappable maid Polly and dim waiter Manuel. You'll enjoy all 12 episodes again and again. Featuring all new commentary from John Cleese, all-new cast interviews and much more.
I'm always amazed by the sheer number of "popular" and well-known shows I'm aware of, but haven't seen before. Fawlty Towers falls into that category - I knew John Cleese was the star of it, and I knew it was highly regarded, yet I've never seen an episode. Well, I hadn't, until this set arrived, and now I've seen them all.
This 3-disc includes all 12 episodes (2 seasons worth), plus a disc of bonus material:
Disc 1 (3:00:17)
A Touch of Class (30:17)
The Builders (28:12)
The Wedding Party (33:17)
The Hotel Inspectors (28:43)
Gourmet Night (28:35)
The Germans (31:13)
Disc 2 (3:13:59)
Communication Problem (31:22)
The Psychiatrist (36:14)
Waldorf Salad (32:01)
The Kipper and the Corpse (31:33)
The Anniversary (29:07)
Basil the Rat (33:42)
Video
This set is the remastered edition, and features a new transfer of the episodes. It's a shame I don't have the original version to compare, but the quality on this release is very, very good. The colors are strong, and not washed out (I suspect this would be a major improvement over the original just judging from some of the material on the bonus disc), and I didn't notice any major issues. The video is slightly soft, but otherwise looks very nice. The show is 90% shot on video, with the other 10% being outdoor scenes shot on film. Each disc contains a "play all" feature, but there isn't a chapter set right after the opening of the episode.
Audio
Fawlty Towers features an English mono audio track, and while it's not up to today's standards, it serves the show well. Dialog can be clear (except for Manuel, *wink*), but there are subtitles available in English, French, German and Spanish if needed. I think this is the first time I've noticed subtitles in other languages being available on a BBC release.
Commentary Tracks
John Howard Davies and John Cleese provide separate commentary tracks on the first season (disc 1), while Bob Spiers and John Cleese provide separate commentary tracks for the second season (disc 2).
2009 Interviews (38:32)
John Cleese, Connie Booth, Andrew Sachs, Prunella Scales, John Howard Davies, Bernard Cribbins, Geoffrey Palmer, Sabrina Franklyn, Nicky Henson and David Kelly talk about the series.
Interviews (1:25:33)
Interviews with John Cleese (52:48), Andrew Sachs (24:56) and Prunella Scales (7:49) which were shot awhile ago, likely for the first DVD release.
Helpful Staff (6 screens)
These are bios (narrated), and filmographies, though they aren't up to date as they were done for the first DVD release. John Cleese (2 screens), Prunella Scales (1 screen), Connie Booth (1 screen), Andrew Sachs (1 screen) and Brian Hall (1 screen).
Torquay Tourist Office (11:38)
A trip to Tourquay to visit the hotel which provided the basis for the series.
Guest Registry (11 screens)
The same as "Helpful Staff," except the guest stars are featured. Joan Sanderson (1 screen), Nicky Henson (1 screen), Charles McKeown (1 screen), John Quarmby (1 screen), Geoffrey Palmer (1 screen), Una Stubbs (1 screen), Ballard Berkeley (1 screen), Bernard Cribbins (1 screen), Gilly Flower and Renee Roberts (1 screen), Michael Gwynn (1 screen), David Kelly (1 screen) and Robin Ellis (1 screen).
Cheap Tatty Review (0:57)
A piece with John Cleese on the phone.
Out Takes (1:33)
Some funny outtakes from the show. This may be some of the earliest blooper material on a DVD.
Summary
Well, that was a treat! I was laughing so hard in a few episodes, I'm a bit annoyed that I hadn't seen this show before. It's also funny knowing that the Basil Fawlty character was based on someone who ran a hotel. Listening to Cleese talk in the interviews and commentaries makes the whole situation even better.
I enjoyed my time with Fawlty Towers, and I'm pleased that I've discovered this show on DVD. The set is a very nice one, and owners of the previous release may find themselves itching to upgrade.
