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MR. BEAN: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Rowan Atkinson
Directors: Various
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 (Movies
1.85:1)
Studio: A&E
Features: See Review
Length: 729 Minutes
Release Date: December 16, 2008
“Ecce
homo qui est faba!” (“Behold the man who is a bean!”) – Mr.
Bean theme song
Rowan
Atkinson is a comic genius, and Mr. Bean is his masterpiece.
After
finding success on stage and television with shows like Not the Nine O’
Clock News and the legendary Black Adder, 1989 saw the completion of
a character that had been emerging in his repertoire for some time now.
Bean was a specimen of pure physical comedy, of action and reaction, and
a throwback to the great silent comedians.
He
had the innocence of Chaplin, the problem-solving mentality of Buster Keaton,
and the earnestness of Harold Lloyd. Throw
in a bit of the situational artistry of Jacques Tati, and you have almost a
complete picture…you just have to throw in a generous helping of Atkinson’s
own imagination and style. Very
little dialogue was required or used…in fact, I’d wager if you counted up
all the spoken words in all of the Mr. Bean episodes combined, you
wouldn’t have as many as in one typical modern half hour sitcom!
Bean
is a wonderful, indelible character in his own right…at once irascible and
childlike, with a Machiavellian approach to life. When Bean had a goal, he often took the most direct route to
it, no matter how much more trouble it caused along the way!
Now, all of the misadventures of Mr. Bean have been compiled into one terrific SEVEN disc collection from A&E entitled Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection. From 1989 to 1995, this set features all 14 made-for-TV episodes of Mr. Bean as they originally appeared on British television and later in America on HBO, where Atkinson and his alter ego added more enthusiasts to their fan base. And that's just to get you warmed up...the set also includes the full length feature films Bean: The Movie and Mr. Bean's Holiday, plus two animated short collections It's Not Easy Being Bean and Bean There, Done That. More than enough Bean to keep your funny bone stimulated for hours!
The
premier television episode featured three bits destined to become classics, starting with
Mr. Bean’s troubles taking a college exam and continuing with a bit where he
tries to change into swimming trunks WITHOUT removing his trousers!
It finishes with Mr. Bean in church, which is a guaranteed gut-buster.
To
watch these episodes is to laugh hard and often. Mr. Bean’s excursions result in one hilarious scenario
after another. Some of my personal
favorites include Bean and his girlfriend at a horror movie (I haven’t laughed
so hard in a LONG time!), his troubles at the dentist, when he gets mistaken for
a barber, his difficulty in playing a round of miniature golf that leads him all
over town, and his return to school, which leads to a hysterical incident in art
class, a chemistry lab foul-up, and a tear-inducing scene where he has to try
and retrieve his pants!
But
that’s barely scratching the surface. If
you love those episodes, you’ll also love watching a naked Mr. Bean trying to
get back into his hotel room after locking himself out, or his difficulties with
a very small suitcase (GREAT payoff for that skit), his Christmas episode where
a serene nativity scene becomes his plaything, or how he goes about painting his
apartment…that one has to be seen to be believed!
Mr. Bean's run on television wasn't long enough, in my opinion, but with HBO giving us Yanks a chance to experience what Europe already knew, there was no way Rowan Atkinson could keep his character retired. This led to his first big screen adventure, Bean: The Movie. It was not a great way to capitalize; a somewhat crude film in which Mr. Bean works security at an art gallery (badly, of course), and is mistaken for a noted art critic...kind of a Chauncey Gardner thing; the less Bean says, the more people assume he's intelligent. Yikes! It wasn't much of a critical or box office success, but it's been out of circulation for a long time, so fans who want it all can really thank A&E for bringing it back to us!
And at least it showed Bean could do his thing in film as well as on the telly, and many years later, Atkinson would reprise his role again in the G rated family comedy Mr. Bean's Holiday. Kind of a throwback to the great films of Jacques Tati, the story involves a hapless Bean winning a trip to the French seashore and trying to get there, but unwittingly becoming the caretaker of a lost little Russian boy separated from his father, leaving us with the question...which ONE is actually more of a lost little boy? It's a warm, gentle, funny return for the iconic character, and a movie that the first film SHOULD have tried to be. Watching him disrupt a pompous director's shoot is a scream...especially considering who the director happens to be played by!
Sadly, Atkinson has said with this last film, he has retired the Bean character for good. It's almost unthinkable...but if Charlie Chaplin could call an end to The Tramp, maybe Rowan can rise above his own creation and find new ways to give us laughter and fun. He did in part with the animated series, which he provided the voice for, and this collection contains nine episodes. Mr. Bean was always kind of animated, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to see him in cartoon form! It's not quite the Bean we know and love, but pretty close, and ink and pen Bean is better than no Bean. Or does that sound too much like a fortune cookie?
A&E has been bringing British comedy home to American fans for years now, and
they keep finding better and bigger ways to do it. If
laughter is the best medicine, Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection is close to an overdose.
Video ***
Considering the age of some of the shows and the mix of videotape and film media, there’s not much to find fault with about the television series. It looks about as good as can be expected, and merits no real complaints nor compliments…fans should be pleased enough. The animated series looks better, with more vibrant colors and sharper images. When switching to film, the quality loses some of the natural limitations, and each of the features deliver well, with only a touch of noticeable grain here and there, but more solid presentations overall.
Audio
**
Likewise
with the stereo audio, the soundtrack is perfectly adequate.
Here’s normally where I mention the quality of the spoken words, but
they come up only scarcely in Mr. Bean…just sit back and enjoy the
music, sound effects, and Atkinson’s few swallowed words here and there.
Features
***1/2
The third disc of the television compilations contains several features, and they begin with “The Story of Mr. Bean”, a 40 minute documentary that traces both the rise of the character and the man who created him. Rowan Atkinson is featured in several interview clips, as well those who have partnered with him in crime over the years…entertaining stuff! There are also 4 bonus clips featuring Mr. Bean (the Bus Stop one is hysterical), two of which came from Comedy Relief UK. There is also a bio and filmography for Atkinson, as well as some promotional trailers.
The animated discs include a 20 minute "making-of" documentary, the bio and filmography for Atkinson, and a photo gallery. Mr. Bean's Holiday includes 17 deleted scenes, plus three featurettes containing interviews with Atkinson and others. Finally, Bean: The Movie has a music video from OMC "I Love L.A.", trailers, and film and cast bios.
Summary:
