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 Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to
the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made
in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly
constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most
British farce, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes--death,
psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to
Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom).
Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes
little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood,
mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast
tray made out of", he sneers at a guest who dares to request
breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of
his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain
the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he
regards as sub-human.
Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation--who
can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil
gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns
he almost suffers trying to make himself understood
to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The
very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil
into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments.
His inevitable misery is our sheer delight.
Review written by David Stubbs, an
Amazon reviewer.
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