|
Rating:  -
Do you lke to laugh? Do you like British comedy? This is worth it if you do. A delightful ensemble cast that ranges in age from young, to middle age, to older middle age, to old, one of the best things England does with their comedies, includes everyone just like real life. All of the cast are great providing lots of laughs. Enjoy.
Rating: -
Classic Comedy with British Sense of Humor. Laughable plots and unforgetable charactors are what is in this series. I can't stop watching them.
Rating:  -
This volume is certainly not the strongest in the series. If you want to collect the whole series, then certainly you'll have to get it. If you're like me and slowly building your collection disc by disc, this one can wait.
As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, this well-loved series sometimes has bits that are outright racist and sexist, and therefore very uncomfortable to watch. I try to view these parts as a historial reminder of what life used to be like and what used to be considered acceptable. Therefore, they are actually educational (and unpleasant) cultural artifacts that testify to changing societal mores. So while we still have a long way to go, some progress has been made.
Rating: -
This DVD features the episodes "New Look", "Christmas Crackers", "No Sale", "Top Hat and Tails", "Forward Mr. Grainger" and "Fire Practice". Of these six, three of them are 5-star episodes, two are 4-star episodes and one is a 3-star episode. The best three are "Christmas Crackers", "No Sale" and "Top Hat and Tails". "Christmas Crackers" is the first Christmas special of the show and features them rehearsing a funny dance for when the customers enter. "No Sale" is the first episode of the fourth season and has Young Mr. Grace opening the store at 8:30 instead of the usual 9:00. Of course, the staff doesn't like this so they discourage a couple from buying a 1000 pound dress and a man from buying a raincoat that Mr. Humphries says "won't keep out the rain, but may strain it for you". In "Top Hat and Tails", the staff join a ballroom dancing contest and the best dancers end up being the robotic dummies. The four star episodes are "New Look" and "Fire Practice". "New Look" has the cast doing a revival of the 1920's Great Gatsby look. "Fire Practice" has the cast preparing for a fire drill. Mr. Harmon teaches the staff CPR and fire escape methods. The worst episode is "Forward Mr. Grainger". Mr. Grainger becomes the manager and acts completely out of character. He even sacks Mrs. Slocombe! If you have never seen Are You Being Served? before, I highly recommend this DVD. The extras include a Who's Who about the staff and cast and trivia about the episodes.
Rating:  -
The editorial description above is actually listing the episodes in volume 11 which can also be found in the AYBS? Seasons 6-10 boxed set. Volume 4 is also available in the Seasons 1-5 boxed set--both sets I highly recommend.
AYBS? is one of my favorite sitcoms, but this particular volume does not showcase the best this long-running series had to offer. Of the six episodes in volume 4, the best, by far, is Forward Mr. Grainger where Mr. Grainger takes over for Mr. Rumbold and all the power goes to his head to the point where he fires his long-time nemesis Mrs. Slocombe. Rarely has the Grace Brothers staff seemed so happy to see Mr. Rumbold than when he returned to relieve them of Grainger's reign of terror. The rest of the episodes are mediocre at best.
We never see the "Great Gatsby" promotion in New Look. It ends with just a silly dance routine. There are more dance routines in Christmas Crackers and Top Hat and Tails, the latter of which seems a pointless show where the staff learns to ballroom dance for a company competition. The scene where the staff suffers through the customary company Christmas lunch and the funny costumes they wear makes Christmas Crackers worth the time. No Sale is one of the better episodes in this set. Here, Mr. Rumbold has the staff opening earlier (8:30 am, which doesn't seem THAT early) to improve sales. Seeing that the strategy is working, the staff sabotage their sales techniques so the early opening will not continue. The worst of this set, though, is Fire Practice. The first part of this episode has the staff trying to accommodate a group of Arabs. I find this scene to be in very poor taste for its racist undertones. AYBS? was an excellent series, but this batch of episodes makes for a poor sampling. If, by rare chance, you have not seen this British comedy before and want to give it a try, opt for volume 1 or 2.
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Nielsen//NetRatings Research Panel and you could win a new car, a dream vacation, a dream home makeover or $50,000 Cash!
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Original Superhero & other designs for t-shirts, bumper
stickers, prints, mugs, and other cool merchandise. |
|
