This gets my vote for the best, funniest (not much competition in that category), most heartbreaking World War I scene ever: the last 4 minutes of the British comedy Blackadder Goes Forth.
Darling really hits it on the nose:
"I made a note in my diary on the way here [to the trenches]. Simply says, 'bugger'."
Yes - I remember watching that series of Blackadder when it first came out on TV in the UK.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite an ending to the series and a little unexpected.
I was shocked at the ending--not expecting it to be serious after three previous seasons of silliness. Very, very effective.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought: "There's Hugh Laurie!" We used to watch Black Adder, years ago off and on, but I hadn't seen it since Laurie's starring role in House arrived (do you ever watch it?). This is quite the grabber, indeed.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed this weird thing? many Americans do not know that Hugh Laurie is British!
ReplyDeleteI watched one episode--this season's opener--of "House" and just didn't get into it. The writing was so... flimsy.
Of course HL's good, but I far prefer him as an upper-class twit, like Bertie Wooster.
That is still the most affecting WW1 scene I've watched. It so totally captured the senseless of the war and all it's stupid horror. Loved the bit where Blackadder reminds Hugh Laurie to get his stick...wouldn't want to face machine guns without that stick. That's how truly crazy it was. Still brought tears to my eyes at the end. The first time I watched it, after watching all those other silly deaths/episodes I felt like the ending ripped my heart out.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I can't even bring myself to re-watch that--it ripped my heart out the first time. Black humor at its finest, truly.
ReplyDeleteIt made me cry all over again too.
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