Review of Mr Bean: Live - Volume 4

Introduction

I remember Captain Edmund Blackadder`s opinion on the pinnacle of early twentieth century entertainment, the silent movie star Charlie Chaplin. He described him as a `slug balancer`. Blackadder brought wit, sarcasm and intelligence to the humble sitcom, and is as important a humour landmark as Fawlty Towers. Then Rowan Atkinson jumps ship, switches to the other side, and tries his hand at silent comedy, the provenance of that very same `slug balancer`. Ditching niche brilliance for broad audience acclaim, he had dozens of Guardian readers weeping into their weekend supplements. I must admit that I was unimpressed by the move, as I by far prefer intelligence and verbosity to moronic clowning around. Then again, it was Bean that made Rowan Atkinson a comic megastar, as it has a universal humour that translates worldwide. It`s spun off a move and an animated series, and is by a long way Atkinson`s most recognisable character. Now that the series is being re-released on DVD, I took the opportunity to give Bean another try.

The Live appellation on this DVD is a little misleading. This isn`t actually a stage show; rather it differentiates it from the animated series discs that are being released at the same time. Mr Bean is a rather unique individual, with a childlike view of the world, and an unorthodox approach to life. He`s noted for driving a green mini, with an understandable vendetta with Robin Reliants, he has a particularly close relationship with his teddy bear, and he invariably leaves chaos and mayhem in his wake. This single layer disc has three episodes on it.

1. Do It Yourself, Mr Bean
Mr Bean has a rather eventful New Years party, with his friends Hubert and Rupert, but he`s up bright and early for the January sales, in time to get some redecorating done.

2. Back To School, Mr Bean
It`s an open day at the Adult Education College, and Mr Bean decides to take advantage of some of the courses they offer. After having his muse inspired in art class, he tries his hand at judo.

3. Tee Off, Mr Bean
After a stressful time at the laundrette, Mr Bean learns that persistence pays, even in mini-golf.

Video

Blimey! Mr Bean is fifteen years old. He`s almost old enough to vote. He`s also old enough to show some signs of age in this 4:3 regular transfer. Recorded as it was on good old videotape, the show has signs of age, with a flicker early on, the occasional tape artefact and the usual softness associated with old British television. It`s really just a cursory transfer, and nothing has been done to spruce up the image for modern HD televisions.

Audio

A DD 2.0 English track is clear enough, and given that Mr Bean is hardly the chattiest of protagonists, the absence of subtitles isn`t such a crime on this disc. I`ve always thought that Bean sounds like an alcoholic and incoherent John Major. The depressing thing is that a fair number of people reading this review will be asking their parents who John Major was.

Features

There is an 11-minute bonus episode of the animated series on this disc. Called Treasure, it sees Mr Bean on the trail of hidden booty after rummaging through his attic trying to repair a water tank.

This is presented in widescreen by the way.

Conclusion

It didn`t start off well. Mr Bean appeared to hoots of laughter. He pulled a face and more mirth ensued. He then looked at something on the wall. Oh the audience were having trouble controlling their bladders. Stupid canned laughter. For canned laughter, ITV is the worst culprit. They stick in laughs at every possible moment, as if trying to con their audiences into believing their drivel is actually funny. When, once in a blue moon they actually have a hit on their hands, they still can`t control themselves. Since sitcoms on ITV these days are as common as weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, I haven`t had to adjust my thinking in quite a while. It took me the best part of the first episode to train my brain into ignoring the witless morons on the laugh track.

It`s then I realised that silent comedy is alive and well, and in the capable hands of Rowan Atkinson. A remarkably physical comedian, with an exceptionally expressive face, he doesn`t need words to get the humour across, and in the form of Bean he has the perfect character to do this with. My early snobbery aside, I haven`t laughed so much at a television programme in ages. Yet last night, watching this gormless character grate a bar of soap into a washing machine, I was in pain from laughing so hard. It`s been a while since I`ve seen a Bean, so I had forgotten what a wonderful character he is. He isn`t actually stupid. Everything he does has a certain logic to it, if not a lot of common sense, so that everything he does works for him in its own way. His unique approach to D.I.Y is a case in point. What I had forgotten was how much of a mischief-maker he is. He`s like a gleeful imp in Back To School, needling those he meets in bizarre ways, and causing mayhem when his curiosity gets the better of him.

These three episodes are delightful comedy gems. I get the feeling that the adventures of one man and his teddy will be just as eternal as the slug balancer. This disc isn`t the ideal way to see them. The AV quality is passable, and according to IMDB, Do It Yourself is an edited version. And frankly, those ITV laugh track controllers need to be whipped into moderation. Otherwise, hilarious fun.