Video of "The Germans" Fawlty Towers
2006-10-16 04:50 AM | Posted by Tejvan Pettinger | Permanent Link | fawlty Towers
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2 votes)
No matter how many times you watch Fawlty Tower I never seem to tire of seeing it. This particular episode “The Germans” (also known as the Fire Drill) has repeatedly been voted the funniest comedy episode and it really deserves all the accolades it has been given. It is well known only 12 episodes of Fawlty Towers were made, the producers wanted to concentrate on quality rather than quantity. There doesn’t seem any moment wasted with a constant stream of jokes throughout each episode.
This particular episode about the Germans could be seen as Xenophobic in the way Basil treats the Germans, but to be fair it is more of a satire on clowns like Basil Fawlty. The behaviour of the German party is by contrast very dignified, especially given the circumstances. Their comment at the end “How did they ever win the war?” being quite apt.
But really it is unnecessary to judge whether this video is appropriate. The script is so good and the acting of John Cleese is as good as comic Genius. Basil is so madcap and zany he can get away with doing anything - even impersonations of the Nazi goose-step. and has understandably passed into comedy folklore.
Making fun of such nationalistic sentiments is surely the best way forward anyway.
