Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series (3 Discs)

 

 

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I love watching Fawlty Towers and this remastered dvd set is perfect in my collection. Definitely worth the buy for any Fawlty fan and the price was perfect.

There is indeed nothing faulty with Fawlty Towers.
This Britcom which was first filmed in 1975 then added to later in 1979 is an enduring classic of its genre and is definitely one of the all time best....period.
It's star John Cleese along with then-wife and co-star(Polly)Connie Booth collaborated on the entire series together.Most of the series was filmed in studio but there were quite a few exterior shots and they used the Wooburn Grange Country Club in Torquay,England for that purpose.The club itself has since burned down and been bulldozed to make way for residential development.
However Cleeses' actual inspiration for the character of Basil Fawlty comes from one Mr.Sinclair(now deceased) the o/o of the GlenEagles Hotel in Torquay.It seems Cleese and some of the Monty Python cast and crew were staying at the GlenEagles and experienced some of Mr.Sinclair's,shall we say,"inestimable charm" first hand.Most of the group was not amused and off most trotted to a nearby and more forgiving establishment for the duration of their stay there.Cleese however was intrigued by the utter gall,bluster and plain rudeness of Mr.Sinclair and thought he would stay to observe this local phenom up close and personal.From that experience sprang forth the idea for Basil Fawlty and the rest is sitcom history.
Fawlty Towers has created a minor tourism point of call for the GlenEagles Hotel in Torquay and the surrounding area .Buses and folks from all over the world come there to have a glimpse of the famous hotel which inspried this wonderful show.Depending on who one talks to the oppinions of locals range from happy to embarassed but very rarely negative.And this is quite a testament to just a 12 episode Britcom which during its' first airing in 1975 didn't get much attention at all.It wasn't until its' re-runs the following years that the groundswell gathered steam which eventually prompted more eps to be filmed in 1979.When you look at them today it is almost nigh impossible to tell where the /75-ers start and the /79-ers end.Again another indication of the over all quality of the show from top to bottom.
Technically speaking this show has been transferred very well from tape.The contrast and colours have been cleaned up and it looks better than it ever did.
The three discs included with this set(not four as indicated above by one of the product reviewers)comes with interviews with Cleese,Sachs(Manuel) and Scales(Mrs.Fawlty),trips to Torquay,out takes,directors commentaries and more.
The reason I'm not giving this higher stars is because of the lack of any inserts with episode information.There is an extremely lean blurb for each ep on the back cover of the set but that's it.One assumes also that the eps listed are in order but it would have been nice to have at least release dates but sadly there are none.I think for the price BBC video could have plumped this set up a bit.
In conclusion except for the minor drawbacks listed this set generally is worth getting for any fan of good comedy sitcoms and /or Britcoms.It's humour and characters are universally indentifiable and work on many levels.It is still fast paced(in large part due to its' judicious editing) and plain laugh out loud funny.A real "inn-keeper"!!

My dad introduced me to this series when I was a little kid. Thanks dad! Fawlty towers is a riot and john cleese is a genius. It is so funny, and trust me ~ kids, teens, adults will love it (i have!). the dialogue, the slapstick ~ it is simply the funniest show ever on tv.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towres
One of the funniest televion series ever made. The Brits do it well, with Fawlty Towers and 'Allo! Allo!. John Cleese is the perfect foyle, his timing is exquisite. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Robert C. Mercier

5.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towers
Fawlty towers is soo funnnny, I use to watch this when I was a kid and now its great to have all of them to share with family and friends.

Published 16 months ago by Tanya

5.0 out of 5 stars We're stuck with it!
Nothing really needs to be said about this classic British sitcom, except that it contains some of the most brilliant, most hilarious, and most humiliatingly ghastly moments in... Read more

Published 21 months ago by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towers
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. Read more

Published on Jan 24 2010 by Robert Paul Chown

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good english comedy
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. Read more

Published on Jan 16 2010 by Gillian

5.0 out of 5 stars Best version yet
Is this the second or third time's it's been "remastered" for DVD? I've been buying this since VHS days and it's never looked better. Read more

Published on Jan 4 2010 by Dogen

5.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towers
So great and so very funny. Actually better than watching the originals as technology has made a clearer picture and sound. Read more

Published on Dec 28 2009 by B. Appt

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't mention the war
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. Read more

Published on Mar 31 2009 by Fred W. Armstrong

4.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towers
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. Read more

Published on Feb 16 2009 by Kurt Schmidlin

5.0 out of 5 stars Fawlty Towers the complete series
You love John Cleese, Monty Python and you keep on quoting their films. Fawlty Towers is a must to see, watch and have ! Read more

Published on Feb 11 2009 by M. Muriel

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