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Dom Robinson reviews

Black Adder: Back and Forth

Distributed by
VCI

Cert:
Cat.no: SKY D05
Running time: 33 minutes
Year: 1999
Pressing: 2000
Region(s): 2, PAL
Chapters: 12 plus extras
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
Widescreen: 1.77:1
16:9-enhanced: Yes
Macrovision: Yes
Disc Format: DVD 9
Price: £19.99
Extras: The Cavalier Years, Baldrick's Video Diary

Director:

Paul Weiland

Producer:

Sophie Clarke-Jervoise

Screenplay:

Richard Curtis and Ben Elton

Music:

Howard Goodall

Cast:

Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson
Baldrick: Tony Robinson
Melchett/Wellington: Stephen Fry
George: Hugh Laurie
Darling: Tim McInnery
Elizabeth: Miranda Richardson
Dinosaur: Tyrannosaurus Rex
Nursie: Patsy Byrne
William Shakespeare: Colin Firth
Robin Hood: Rik Mayall
Maid Marian: Kate Moss
Royal Reporter: Jennie Bond

The Millennium Dome was a big mistake, but the only semi-good thing to come out of it was Blackadder: Back And Forth, a spin-off from the Blackadder series bringing things up to date setting it on New Year's Eve 1999, the supposed dawn of the new millennium, but sadly it didn't live up to the promise as it just wasn't funny enough, although for any fan it's definitely worth a look and there's a nice moment when Blackadder thumps Shakespeare on the nose and says it's for every schoolboy and girl for the next 400 years.

I mentioned the doomed Dome because it was the only place to see this one-off special until October 1st last year when it was screened on Sky One (albeit cropped to 4:3) and the plot, such as it is, finds Edmund betting Melchett (Stephen Fry), George (Hugh Laurie), Darling (Tim McInnery), Elizabeth (Miranda Richardson) and Nursie (Patsy Byrne) £10,000 that he can go back in time to get any item from any timezone. Whilst out and about he comes across Wellington (Stephen Fry, in an extra role, like many of the cast), William Shakespeare (Colin Firth), Robin Hood (Rik Mayall) and his Maid Marian (Kate Moss) - oh and not to mention the Dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus Rex)

This DVD also features Blackadder: The Cavalier Years - a 15-minute Comic Relief special set in 1648 - and Baldrick's Diary (30 mins), the latter also in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen like the main feature, a making-of featuring clips from "Back and Forth" and chat from the cast and crew as well as deleted scenes.

Note that both Back and Forth and Cavalier Years are rated PG, but Baldrick's Diary is the reason for the 15-cert.

Blackadder and Baldrick ponder where to go next.

I have one serious issue with the picture. While it's fine in terms of zero artifacts and being an anamorphic 16:9 widescreen transfer, someone's made a cock-up by giving everyone slightly-fat faces, like a 14:9-crop being stretched sideways to fill the 16:9 ratio. Adjusting the TV to "Just" resolves things to a slight degree. The extras show that the version used on the big screen was matted to a 2.35:1 ratio.

Whereas on TV this was shown only in Dolby Surround, the Region 2 DVD exclusively has both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtrack. The latter is better, of course, with sound effects used well in battle scenes, a space scene and when the dinosaur appears.

The only extras, are the aforementioned Cavalier Years and Baldrick's Diary, which are definitely worthy but I count the running time quoted atop this review as that of the main feature and not the extras.

There are 12 chapters through the 33-minute Back and Forth programme, the menus are nicely animated but only contain a sample of the main theme, but sadly there are no subtitles whatsoever.

The uninvited guest.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001

The following is a list of all the Black Adder DVDs reviewed online to date :

1999	The Black Adder
2001	Black Adder II
2001	Black Adder The Third
2001	Black Adder Goes Forth
2001	Black Adder: Back And Forth
2002	Blackadder's Christmas Carol

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