If you like equal elements of wit, sophistication, and silliness set in the never-neverland of upper crust Britain, then you will be all over P.G. Wodehouse. And this, I'm here to tell you, is the definitive Wodehouse on video. It's just top notch on all counts, the writing has been masterfully translated to TV, the acting -- Fry and Laurie are effortless in the titles roles and you've got generations of british stage talent from which to draw support, to the wonderful sets, costumes. Given the written material as the starting point, I'm not sure how you could make this any better. I love the language; I love the title sequence; I love the period touches - the exhiliration in all things modern.
At the tail end of the series (the very end, not the end of this box set), the quality drops off a little. It's not the production; they had essentially run out of quality source material to draw from. Luckily they quit soon thereafter.
Note:
Other than the very first episode, it's not particularly important the order in which you watch these; although some minor facts may come into play, they're easily glossed over.
My only nit with these videos are that they do *not* include the introductions from when they originally aired (in the U.S. anyway) on Masterpiece Theatre. No Alistair Cooke for you!
So unless you have a specific allergy to the described elements, these are delightful light comedies to brighten any day. |
| Date Reviewed: September 4, 2005 |
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