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Yes, Prime Minister: The Complete Collection (DVD)
Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
Watch Instantly with | Per Episode | Buy Season |
Genre | Classics, Comedy |
Format | Box set, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Color |
Contributor | Derek Fowlds, Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne |
Language | English |
Number Of Discs | 3 |
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Product Description
Product Description
Yes, Prime Minister: The Complete Collection (DVD) In an unlikely chain of events, Jim Hacker emerges as the most viable candidate for his party's next Prime Minister. Now that he gets his own car and driver, a nice house in London, a place in the country, endless publicity and a pension for life, what more does he want? Bernard: I think he wants to govern Britain. Sir Humphrey: Well, stop him, Bernard! Named o of the Top Ten TV programs of all time by the British Film Institute, this brilliantly observed comedy of manners pits the well-meaning Prime Minister Jim Hacker against the machinations of the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, in the ultimate political marriage of inconvenience. Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors) stars as Jim Hacker and Academy Award nominee Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George) first drew wide notice in the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby.
Amazon.com
Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's superb sitcom Yes, Prime Minister entered 10 Downing Street with Jim Hacker now Prime Minister of Britain, following a campaign to "Save the British Sausage." Whether tackling defense ("The Grand Design"), local government ("Power to the People"), or the National Education Service, all of Jim Hacker's bold plans for reform generally come to nothing, thanks to the machinations of Nigel Hawthorne's complacent Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey (Jeeves to Hacker's Wooster) who opposes any action of any sort on the part of the PM altogether. This is usually achieved by discreet horse-trading. In "One of Us," for instance, Hacker relents from implementing defense cuts when he is presented with the embarrassingly large bill he ran up in a vote-catching mission to rescue a stray dog on an army firing range. Only in "The Tangled Web," the final episode of series 2, does the PM at last turn the tables on Sir Humphrey. Paul Eddington is a joy as Hacker, whether in mock-Churchillian mode or visibly cowering whenever he is congratulated on a "courageous" idea. Jay and Lynn's script, meanwhile, is a dazzlingly Byzantine exercise in wordplay, wittily reflecting the verbiage-to-substance ratio of politics. Ironically, Yes, Prime Minister is an accurate depiction of practically all political eras except its own, the 1980s, when Thatcher successfully carried out a radical program regardless of harrumphing senior civil servants. --David Stubbs
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces
- Item model number : 2261979
- Media Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Color
- Run time : 9 hours and 3 minutes
- Release date : September 27, 2005
- Actors : Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds
- Language : Unqualified, English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Studio : BBC Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B00009XN37
- Number of discs : 3
- Best Sellers Rank: #54,294 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #6,365 in Comedy (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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"Party Games" finds Hacker, to his own surprise, in the running to become the next Prime Minister when the current one resigns and the civil service finds the leading two candidates for the job too independent-minded for their taste. Sir Humphrey is appointed Secretary to the Cabinet, replacing Sir Arnold (John Nettleton), and uses his position to maneuver the malleable Jim Hacker into Number 10. As PM, Hacker confronts issues such as Britain's nuclear deterrent, budget cuts, a complacent Foreign Office, appointing a Bishop, covering up a Soviet mole in MI5 during the Cold War, unemployment, bailing out an investment bank, making local government accountable, and coping with an potential international incident involving a puppy that France is using for leverage.
The funniest episodes are often the backroom power struggles, as when Sir Humphrey and the PM's sharp political advisor Dorothy Wainwright (Deborah Norton) fight over office space and influence, or when Sir Humphrey and Permanent Secretary of the Treasury Sir Frank (Peter Cellier) compete to be head of the civil service, or when the preceding PM makes unkind comments about Hacker in his memoirs. Writers Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn felt that the series would be too predictable if Sir Humphrey was always able to outwit Hacker, so, in "Yes, Prime Minister", Hacker sometimes uses the weight of his office to beat Humphrey at his own game. Out of 17 episodes, I observed that Sir Humphrey takes the day in 8 and the PM in 6. In the others, their interests are aligned.
This back-and-forth works well, not only because it is unpredictable, but because Jim Hacker is transformed from a hapless, well-intentioned MP to a pompous, self-important PM. The position has gone to his head. He's convinced that anything that might embarrass him will undermine the fabric of government. He is more frank, cynical, and interested in preserving the status quo than he was as an MP. In a way, this is not as funny, but, curiously, it posits that the PM may not have much power, after all, as he is more vulnerable to public opinion. For those who loved Sir Arnold in "Yes, Minister", he is back for 5 episodes. Sir Frank features in a few episodes. And Dorothy Wainwright is frequently the source of the PM's better ideas. Worth buying so you can watch it more than once.
The DVDs (BBC Warner 2003): This is a 3-disc set. My one complaint is that the volume must be turned unusually high to hear the dialogue clearly, as the laugh track is too loud in comparison. There are 7 bonus features. "Funny Turns: Paul Eddington: A Life Well-Lived" (26 min) is a BBC special about Eddington's life and career, made after his death in 1995, that interviews his wife Patricia and his closest colleagues about his long career and his final illness. "Christmas at the Ministry" (2 min) is a short sketch that aired on BBC-1 in 1982. "Cabinet Minister Sound Bytes/Jonathan Lynn Interview" (12 min) is an excerpt of a BBC program that interviewed Lynn and a number of former MPs in 1986 on the debut of the new series. "Paul Eddington Interview" (9 min) was done by his friend the actress Felicity Kendal in 1986. "No, Prime Minister" is a text review by Sir Humphrey of Hacker's diaries. There are text bios and filmographies for the writers and 16 members of the cast. No subtitles.
Each of the three main characters are played to pitch perfection by Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds. There is the Honourable James "Jim" Hacker, who finds himself suddenly elevated to the office of Prime Minister in a delightfully played out series of events in the final episode of "Yes, Minister" in "Party Games." The well-meaning, anxious-to-please, Hacker is, however, constantly thwarted in his designs by the mischievously loveable Sir Humphrey Appleby, "Humpy" to his friends, who considers it his duty not to allow politicians to interfere in anything as serious as governing a country. Finally, the long-suffering Bernard, as Principal Private Secretary to the PM, is constantly placed in the uncomfortable position of having to balance his loyalty to his Civil Service boss, Humphrey, and his obligations to his political master, the Prime Minister.
Humphrey can always be guaranteed to block Hacker by the use of his extensive verbal arsenal, interlaced with Latin, into a never-ending maze of incomprehensibility. Apart from the view of British politics, we also get an insight of the British worldview. The episode "Diplomatic Incident" for instance, is simply brilliant and hilarious in this regard. The supremacy of Oxford & Cambridge in academia & learning are constantly hammered home in the numerous instances where Hacker is reminded of the inadequacies of his own education at the LSE. The esoteric exchanges between Humphrey & Bernard regarding the finer points of Latin or Greek grammar, all in the presence of the befuddled Hacker, are annoyingly delightful but serve the same purpose.
The only times when Hacker seems to have a level-playing field with his Cabinet Secretary is when he is closely backed by his political adviser, Mrs. Dorothy Wainright, such as in the episode "The Key" or in the one instance when the adorably pompous Humphrey makes a series of indiscreet statements "off the record" which land him in hot water in the episode "Tangled Web." At the same time the series does also comment on some troubling aspects of politics, such as the symbiotic nexus between politics and media, and the manufacture of the contrived incident for political ends, as seen in "Party Games." Finally, although a minimum amount of understanding of British politics and terminology can be helpful (certainly viewing the "Yes, Minister" series will be very appropriate in this regard), but once immersed in this witty comedy even the unfamiliar viewer will be able to follow along in the corridors of power in Number 10 Downing Street, Whitehall and the Cabinet Office.
Top marks for a top program!
Which is to say, this (and its predecessor, "Yes Minister") is the best comedy show I have ever seen. Ever. Brilliantly funny, with crack performances from the entire cast, razor sharp but deliciously understated wit, and, of course, Sir Humphrey, the villain you can't help but love - whilst waiting with bated breath for his next speech.
The stories are simple enough in and of themselves - a sometimes less than efficient, but always well-meaning, Prime Minister who must always battle his underlings for each and every change he hopes to make. But don't let that fool you. This is comedy that will cause you to laugh out loud - and make you feel like your IQ went up ten points every time Humphrey opens his mouth. ;-) The only downside to this show is that the "politics" behind politics depicted herein rings so true of "politics" in general that one can only get the distinct sense...*ahem* Nevermind...you'll see what I mean when you watch it - and I strongly encourage you to do so! This really is the best of the best.
10/5 stars for this one!
Top reviews from other countries
'Yes Prime Minister' is a cerebral and somewhat sardonic comedy dealing with the eternal struggles in government between the politicians and the bureaucrats. Each group wants something different, and the fun comes from seeing how they scheme to achieve it.
Despite it having been produced more than 20 years ago, it is still fresh - the workings of government never really change.
Paul Eddington (James Hacker), Nigel Hawthorne (Sir Humphrey Appleby) and Derek Fowlds (Bernard Woolley) are great in their respective roles, and they are supported by other well cast actors.
It's so good I can watch any given episode any number of times though my favourites are the one where the prime minister comes out the winner. Viewed in sequence you can in fact watch the prime minister become more confident and more able to deal with the likes of his cabinet secretary and his bureaucratic allies.
Don't fail to check out the tribute on the last disk to Paul Eddington who tragically died in 1996. Included also in the collection in the transitional episode "Party Games" which details how the Minister became the Prime Minister.