Black Adder: Back and Forth

• 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
  

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  Director:

  Paul Weiland

Producer:

Screenplay:

Richard Curtis and Ben Elton

Music:

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 iton New Year’s Eve 1999, the supposed dawn of the new millennium, but sadlyit didn’t live up to the promise as it just wasn’t funny enough, although forany fan it’s definitely worth a look and there’s a nice moment when Blackadderthumps Shakespeare on the nose and says it’s for every schoolboy and girl forthe next 400 years.

I mentioned the doomed Dome because it was the only place to see this one-offspecial until October 1st last year when it was screened on Sky One (albeitcropped to 4:3) and the plot, such as it is, finds Edmund bettingMelchett (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 anextra role, like many of the cast), William Shakespeare (Colin Firth),Robin Hood (Rik Mayall) and his Maid Marian (Kate Moss) – ohand not to mention the Dinosaur (Tyrannosaurus Rex)

This DVD also features Blackadder: The Cavalier Years – a 15-minuteComic Relief special set in 1648 – and Baldrick’s Diary (30 mins), thelatter also in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen like the main feature, a making-offeaturing clips from “Back and Forth” and chat from the cast and crew as wellas 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.

I have one serious issue with the picture. While it’s fine in terms ofzero artifacts and being an anamorphic 16:9 widescreen transfer, someone’smade a cock-up by giving everyone slightly-fat faces, like a 14:9-crop beingstretched sideways to fill the 16:9 ratio. Adjusting the TV to “Just” resolvesthings to a slight degree. The extras show that the version used on the bigscreen was matted to a 2.35:1 ratio.

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

The only extras, are the aforementioned Cavalier Years and Baldrick’sDiary, which are definitely worthy but I count the running time quotedatop 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.

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