'Allo 'Allo! The Complete Collection

'Allo 'Allo was ranked #13 in the list of best Britcoms. I think it should be number one. The humor is anarchic and surreal, with jokes building on jokes, gags building gags; the verbal pyrotechnics in the episodes sometimes require two of three viewings to catch all the jokes. There are references to pop culture that range from the subtle to the subtle as a pile-driver. Sometimes the writers will take an entire episode to set up a single joke (see Klinkerhoffen in Control for one example). Other times, they rely on cheap gags - absurd costumes, silly accents, funny walks (almost every episode). The cast is clearly in on the jokes and having the time of their lives.So what's the deal?'Allo 'Allo is one of the very few successful sitcoms to use a serialized format. Episode one sets up the basic plot which subsequent episodes follow. We're in war torn France in about 1940 or 1941. We're in the town of Nouvion, the Cafe Rene, owned by Rene Artois and his wife Edith. They are roped into helping the French Resistance as well as the occupying Germans. The Germans are trying to steal and hide valuable paintings for after the war, the resistance are trying to help English airmen who are shot down return to England. Rene is having affairs with is waitresses. A frequent gag is that the various parties (German army, Gestapo, Resistance, Rene and co.) come up with elaborate schemes which end up cancelling each other out.The characters are broadly drawn stereotypes the French are amorous, the Germans kinky, the Italians cowardly and egotistical, the English are loud and bumbling. Everyone is greedy. No one believes much in anything other than helping themselves.Starting with episode one, we get a series of interconnected plots the unfold over the course of 9 seasons and 85 episodes.Season one has 9 episodes including the pilot. It's funny but the ball doesn't really get rolling till season two, which has six episodes and a special Christmas episode for a total of seven episodes. In season two, both the creative team and the actors have gotten their groove. The Christmas episode, Klinkerhoffen in Control, is flat out one of the funniest episodes of TV ever. A series of chaotic gags unravel as all the characters end up in the cafe with exotic poisons, drugs, bombs and a chicken on the general's helmet.Season three has six episodes and is the season in which the show reaches its peak, a peak it would retain throughout seasons four and five. Season four has six episodes and sets up a series of elaborate situations including spy cameras, the introduction of Mimi LaBonq and some of the funniest visual gags in the series.Season five consists of 26 episodes. The show had apparently been optioned for American television so the producers creates a then standard American season of 26 episodes. Season five is without doubt the best season of 'Allo 'Allo. With the introduction of some new characters and some escape plans for the British airmen that are surreal and absurd, season five fires on all cylinders. The plots get wildly complex and somehow the whole thing manages to hold together.Seasons six, seven and eight are a mixed bag. The magic that made the earlier seasons funny is starting to fade. Many previously funny gags have lost their edge. Between seasons six and seven there was a long delay while actor Gorden Kaye (Rene) recovered from a serious injury. The episodes stray a little from the serialized form of earlier seasons with more one-off stand alone episodes in which a plot is conceived and fails and the broader storyline is barely mentioned. There are still good laughs but it feels as if the show is running out of gas.The final season, season 9, has a sentimental quality for me and I still watch it, but the laughs are fewer and further between and the jokes aren't carefully constructed. There are still silly accents and funny costumes and the situations are still as outrageous but the spark isn't there anymore. However, I dare anyone to watch the final episode without a feeling of gentle comradeship with the characters and a sense that something wonderful has ended.My summary is simple. 'Allo 'Allo is a personal favorite Britcom. I've seen some of these episodes so many times I can recite the dialogue and I can still watch them. The earlier seasons are manic, madcap no holds barred television. The later episodes have a wonderfully surreal British sense of humor. The whole series is a laugh out loud classic. Buy The Complete Collection. You'll have hours of entertainment.

From the creators of the venerable British sitcom "Are You Being Served?" comes this 85-episode collection: the continuing adventures of "humble cafe owner" Rene Artois (Gorden Kaye), who is constantly dragooned into aiding the desperate efforts of Resistance fighters against the Nazis in wartime France. Like "Are You Being Served?," the scripts are full of double entendres, single entendres, farcical pursuits and intrigues, crazy comedy props, and plenty of verbal and visual jokes, delivered by a solid ensemble cast. In the many bawdy situations where a broader comedian would mug shamelessly, Gorden Kaye's sheepish subtlety scores every time.This is a serial, so the episodes must be watched in sequence to follow the insane storyline. Among the plot points running through the series are a frenzied hunt for a missing painting, the equally frenzied concealment of two clueless British airmen, pompous posturing by military officers and Gestapo spies, the tunneling INTO a prisoner-of-war camp, clandestine romances forced upon Rene by anyone in skirts (even the Resistance girls can't resist Rene, and one of the German officers has eyes for him, too), everybody adopting cross-dressing disguises at one time or another, and any number of wild schemes to harass and hinder German battle plans, involving ridiculous and ingeniously engineered props.This viewer had seen the first three dozen episodes on public television before the station discontinued the series, so it was great to see so many more episodes. This 19-disc collection presents all 85 half-hours, and there isn't a lemon in the bunch. Even when the jokes are predictable, it's the reactions of the various characters that often carry the comedy. The series survived many personnel changes on both sides of the cameras, and viewers will probably become fans who will find their own favorite characters and portrayals.There are many "Allo, Allo"-related bonus features in the DVD set, including an episode of "Blankety Blank" (the British "Match Game") and a documentary about the series as a whole (on disc 16 -- DON'T watch it until you've seen all 19 discs, because the documentary gives the series' ending away).Highly recommended for comedy fans, and delightfully habit-forming viewing: we enjoyed watching an episode almost every night for three months.

A nice quiet rainy day in Paris with a man and family forced to cooperate with the invading German hordes. Funny, light' comedy dealing with Naziism, homosexuality, perversions, and incompetence on both sides of the channel in the golden season of comedy in good clean humor.

It is now 03:40AM (SAT)/3/8/14; I have just finished watching the last of the 10-Disc Set of the wonderful BBC TV Comedy Series of "ALLO'ALLO'" and the ending was just as wonderful as the beginning!!! I am glad that I bought the entire BOX SET (Nice Box too!) as I thoroughly enjoyed every show! As usual, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft (God Bless his soul) has written & Produced another great British Comedy TV Series (along with 'Are You Being Served?) and if you want my recommendation then I say...YES!...go ahead and BUY the complete BOX SET as you will NOT be disappointed in doing so!!! I WILL be watching the complete series again starting today since it is going to the raining (and cold) all day today and tomorrow and it's the perfect time for watching this especially when there is nothing good on TV and nothing but reruns! BRAVO ZULU (WELL DONE!) AMAZON.com for providing GREAT ENTERTAINMENT!!! Who needs TV when you provide GREAT Entertainment (movies, DVD, Books, Instant Videos, etc.) are great and affordable (and cheap) prices!!!!

great quality. enjoyed it very much and it arrived on time . no problems. didnt take as long as i thought. ive been looking for this series for ages. was happy to finally get it

I remember first stumbling onto this show when it was still being broadcast (perhaps in its original run?) by a public television station (KSPS in Spokane Washington).It did not take long for me to get hooked on this kooky series of misadventures by humble cafe owner Rene Artois, who, during WWII, was trying to juggle his humble little business with : an overbearing wife, an annoying mother-in-law, two sexy waitresses (with whom he was each having secret affairs with), only to have his life made further complicated by being pulled from both ends when he is repeatedly dragged into the cockamaimey schemes of both the French Resistance and the occupying German forces who have taken up residence in Rene's little village of Nouvion, France.As if all that was not bad enough, things are made more complicated still, when paths cross with the Communist Resistance and the Nazi Gestapo, the latter of whom concoct their own plans of intrepid (or is that inept?) infiltration of intelligence all around, to get the drop on their friends & foes alike.Plots involving valuable paintings, their forgeries, knockwurst sausages, exploding Christmas puddings, a homing duck, two stranded British Airmen, and an undercover British agent posing as a French policeman (who mangles the French language with hilarious results) are all part of the hilarity and chaos which ensues each and every episode!The entire series is one continuous story arc, where each new episode picks up where the last left off, so seeing these from start to finish in proper sequence is a must, in order to keep up with all the various events and schemes, and to catch all the subtle nuances and double-entendres which the series is so famous for.As I near the end of watching this great collection, I am sorry to know it will soon all conclude with the "end of the war" (and thus the series), but therein lies the beauty of owning it on DVD - to watch it all over again! :-D

Llàstima que sols estiga en anglès, el doblatge al català era molt encertat.Un éxit a casa. Ens ha agradat a tots

Réception et emballage parfaits. État neuf sans le moindre vice de forme ou de contenu. En tout 15 DVD dont je déguste l'humour typiquement anglais avec délectation

'Allo 'Allo (1982 - 1992) is amongst my Top-10, all-time favourite TV comedy series and is, in my opinion, a step above Dad's Army which is another of my Top-10 favourites. However, each series is quite different in character. 'Allo 'Allo is probably best described as farce with strong adult themes whereas Dad's Army is more akin to family entertainment in the traditional style.'Allo 'Allo is set in Nazi-occupied France and centres upon the wartime activities of French, cafe-owning, Rene Artois; his tone deaf wife, Edith, sings in the cafe; female staff Marie, Yvette and diminutive Mimi operate a sideline business 'upstairs' for clients involving wet celery and flying helmets; Edith's feisty mother, Madame Fanny, is unable to walk and hates onion soup because it gives her severe flatulence; and 'pot boy' and pianist, Roger Leclerc, who believes he is a master of disguise and the foremost safe cracker in France. Wealthy funeral director, Monsieur Alfonse, makes frequent appearances throughout the series by trying to win the affection of Edith who he plans to marry once Rene is 'out of the way'.The occupying Nazi army is represented by French-speaking: Colonel Kurt von Strohm; Captain Hans Geering who is famous for saying 'klopp' - it means 'ditto'; gay Lieutenant Hubert Gruber who fancies Rene; General Erich von Klinkerhoffen who mistrusts all his staff; Private Helga Geerhart who is coerced by the local Gestapo leader, Herr Flick, into helping him keep tabs on her Nazi officers and their moneymaking schemes. Helga is constantly under pressure from her superiors and the Gestapo and she switches her allegiance frequently. I have lost count how many times Helga and Yvette have stripped to their underwear in the series in order to please their masters.The Gestapo is represented by French-speaking: Herr Otto Flick and Herr Engelbert von Smallhausen. It seems that in order to qualify as a Gestapo officer you need a pronounced limp, a walking stick and a fascination for women's underwear. Herr Flick's godfather is Himmler which gives Flick great power and influence. Everyone hates the Gestapo. Herr Flick suspects Rene of being a member of the Resistance who was once executed by firing squad using wax bullets but returned as his own twin brother, also called Rene.The French-speaking Italian army is represented by Captain Alberto Bertorelli and his band of unruly brigands. Bertorelli's catchphrase is, 'Whata mistakeh to makeh!'The British contingent is represented by escaping POWs: Flying Officers Carstairs and Fairfax who only speak 'cultured' English, and British Secret Agent Crabtree who is disguised as a French Police Officer. Crabtree has a particularly poor grasp of the French language and he has great trouble making himself understood to everyone he meets. He is best known for his greeting, 'Good moaning!'The French Resistance is represented principally by Michelle Dubois who can speak both French and English and uses the latter skill to interpret for the escaping airmen. Her famous catchphrase is, 'Listen very carefully, I will say this only once!'.The Communist Resistance is represented by French speaking, husky-voiced Louise and Henriette who only make occasional appearances in the series and appear to dislike the French Resistance as much as the Nazis. Louise and Henriette also fancy Rene.Despite the mix of nationalities within the series the principle writers, David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, employ a particularly effective trick whereby the actors speak their lines in English but pronounce their words with the accent representative of their character they play. Only Police Officer Crabtree is allowed to take liberties by mispronouncing his French words with hilarious results. Officer Crabtree describes his nationality as 'Itoolian' (Italian) which contrives to conceal his true identity.The theme of 'Allo 'Allo is very simple but the resulting storyline is highly complex and the focus of the plot shifts as the series develops.Rene Artois is a mild-mannered cafe owner who is recruited by the French Resistance to be their leader, a role to which he is clearly unfit and very reluctant to accept. However hard Renee tries to resign as leader he is cajoled by Michelle and the corrupt Nazi officers into helping them with their schemes. He is often under threat of being shot. Michelle once said she fancied Rene when the threat of shooting failed. How could Rene possibly resist! But was Michelle lying? Rene's involvement with the Resistance, which he always denies, soon brings him, his family and his staff into conflict with the leaders of the occupying forces and with the Gestapo.Each protagonist has a hidden agenda to profit in some way from the war and to retire extremely wealthy after it ends. However, none of the protagonists appear destined to achieve their aim as the storyline unfolds. The plots and subplots intertwine in a manner that is destined never to unravel but in a way that keeps the viewer entertained.Rene would like to leave ageing Edith and run off with beautiful Yvette who frequently makes advances to him, anytime and anywhere. Edith often catches them in a loving embrace but quick-thinking Rene always has an answer, no matter how implausible, that Edith naively accepts as the truth. Marie and Mimi also have a crush on Rene as does Lieutenant Gruber which leads to some interesting encounters. This is not so much a love triangle as a love decahedron with Rene in the middle.Fallen Madonas with big boobies, stolen gold bars, exploding Christmas Puddings, long distance ducks, flying nuns and various wild schemes to repatriate the POWs make 'Allo 'Allo one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I've ever seen on TV. I never tire watching it again and again. It is a true comedy classic.