Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: March 24th, 2015.
Director: Various
Cast: Rowan Atkinson
Year: 1990 - 1995
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The Series:
Comprised of fourteen episodes that run about twenty-four minutes each, The Whole Bean is a great compilation of the misadventures of Rowan Atkinson's classic character, Mr. Bean. Originally shot and broadcast for a British audience in the early 1990s, Mr. Bean was eventually shown a few years later on HBO in the U.S.. The series immediately won over quite a popular following, eventually leading to the character getting his own feature film - but it really began here (well technically it began before then as Atkinson had been toying with the character since he was in college and he did debut the character at the 1987 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal).
The fourteen episodes included on the set are: Mr. Bean, The Return of Mr. Bean, The Curse of Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean Goes to Town, The Trouble with Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean Rides Again, Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean in Room 426, Mind the Baby Mr. Bean, Do It Yourself Mr. Bean, Back to School Mr. Bean, Tee Off Mr. Bean, Good Night Mr. Bean, and Hair by Mr. Bean of London.
Described by Atkinson as "a child in a grown man's body," the Mr. Bean character really does have a childlike innocence about him. This, of course, leads to plenty of highjinks and no small amount of trouble, be it when he's trying to show off how well he knows the hymns at church, trying to outsmart a parking garage barrier or using his new credit card for the first time. It can and should never go right for Bean, he's just such a fool about, well, everything that it doesn't really seem possible that it ever really could.
Within the fourteen episodes are too many classic moments to really mention, but let it suffice to say that there is a goldmine of great comedy contained in the sets three hundred minute running time. Atkinson perfectly brings a sense of childish and mischievous glee to his character and even when he's being an absolute bastard, you can't help but love him anyway. Recurring gags pop up throughout the show, the most obvious being Bean's never explained feud with the blue Reliant Van that starts in the first episode and continues from there, typically ending with Bean smashing the thing. Why? Why not! There's also the issue of Bean's lady friend, Irma Gobb (Matilda Ziegler), who shows up three times in the series. Bean, again showing a child like view of the world and those who share it with him, obviously has no clue how to treat her and as such, it seems she is doomed to play second fiddle to his omnipresent teddy bear. In her third appearance she leaves him, never to be seen again.
What makes Atkinson's performances even more incredible is the fact that he does them all more or less silent. Mr. Bean doesn't talk much at all, and on the rare occasion that he does, what he says is usually made up of grumbles and strange noises and expressions, rather than actual dialogue. It's because of this that the sketches and episodes rely more on Atkinson's abilities as a physical comic and his amazing facial expressions than witty dialogue or banter, making Mr. Bean an accessible form of comedy that almost extends international boundaries and age limits.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Each episode is presented fullframe, as it should be. For the most part, they all have a grainier look to them than you might first expect from a fairly recent television show, but this is common for British TV series and doesn't really take anything away from the presentation. Colors are decent; blacks look ok but not great, and there aren't really any edge enhancement or compression issues to report.
The quality of the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio offered on the set is pretty decent, though again, there's not much dialogue. The music and sound effects are decent though and the levels seem pretty balanced. There is no noticeable distortion. Audio is English only with no subtitles.
The main extra on the set is The Story of Bean, which is a forty-minute documentary that chronicles Rowan Atkinson's career and is made up of interview clips from Rowan and those who know him and have worked with him. The set also includes four Missing Scenes - Turkey Weight, Armchair Sale, Marching and Playing With Matches. These are amusing to see and run just under six minutes combined.
Next up are a series of four sketches entitled Bus Stop and Library, both quite funny, and a seventy-two minute long compilation of bits from throughout the series called, appropriately enough, The Best Bits Of Mr. Bean. There is also a "Mr. Bean: The Animated Series" trailer, menus and chapter selection. All of these extras are included on the fourth disc in the set. The DVD case also holds an insert booklet containing episode synopsis information for each episode.
The Final Word:
Mr. Bean - The Whole Bean is just good clean fun. Atkinson excels in the role, bringing his penchant for physical comedy to surreal heights and keeping us laughing throughout. Shout! Factory's set offers up most of the comedian's Bean material here in one set and in decent quality too. Good stuff.