Good Luck Everyone - Blackadder and Dad's Army

During the writing of the episodes, the writers and the producer decided that the series should end on a lugubrious note. It was agreed that the protagonists would eventually fail to escape the inevitability of marching against the enemy. It is certainly a bold move considering the primary purpose of Blackadder is to produce comedy which ranges from simple visual gags to intelligent and sarcastic commentaries on a period of history. History, however, must sometimes be treated with respect and it is certainly the case with the First World War. Such was the compromise, the duty, that befell the team.
An obvious challenge presented itself for to often in the history of art have Comedy and Tragedy failed to blend harmoniously. When the final hours of shooting neared, Rowan Atkinson said "I just remember feeling the impending doom of my character. I remember feeling this strange knot in the pit of my stomach. And it as the first time, as an actor that I had felt the predicament of my character: I was going to die at the end of the week."
At the beginning of the passage above, Captain Darling, in a rare moment of confession, candidly expresses his fear of what is to come. He had so far been work comfortably behind a desk and now he must face the harsh realities of the war. He reveals what was to be his future after the war had he not been taken up in this madness: going back to work, being with his friends, marrying the woman he loves. How deeply moving these lines are when one thinks of the multitude of letters from soldiers to their beloved in which similar longing were put into words.
Before blowing his whistle, Blackadder's last words are "I mean, who would have noticed another madman round here?". They fade away not long after going over the trenches and a beautiful field of poppies slowly appears. In these last moments, the dreadfully bleak set on which the scene was shot, the deaths of the characters, together combined with the sad music and that still with the poppies, create a bitter yet brilliant ending to a great series.
The critics were unanimous in their praises, yet some historians bestirred themselves saying that the series was generating misconceptions and reinforced myths about the war in the public consciousness.
Despite these perhaps unfair judgement the episode was received several distinctions and is still regarded as one of the best in British TV history.
There is another instance where Historical Fiction, as far as British television is concerned, breaches the boundaries of time and pays tribute to men and women of a specific epoch. I am referring to Dad's Army's last episode.

This ending resembles Blackadder's in many respects. Its intentions are, to be sure, directed to the very people the series made fun of, but they are genuine there is no doubt about it. Like Blackadder and his men, the motivations of the British Home Guard and the absurdity of the context are rather nonplussing to the audience. And the cruel words spoken by Hodges (the man with the black ARP uniform) strike the audience with the blunt truth they bear as did the last words of Blackadder.
The homage was performed once again by iconic celebrities of the time:
-The charming and irreplaceable John Le Mesurier
-The beloved 'grandad', Clive Dunn
-The unstoppable Scotsman, John Laurie.
What is, I think, also remarkable about Dad's Army, is that the characters are portrayed by men who had themselves played their parts during the Second World War. Including Arnold Ridley, a veteran of the First World War who was wounded no less than three times during the Battle of the Somme and was once more wounded during World War II. To know this and watch such heroes raise their glasses to their fellow Englishmen (and the Scots) is quite moving.
This type of Historical Fiction is perhaps a rarity that is only to be found in Great Britain, it can be silly sometimes, it is tremendously self-deprecating, but, in the end, no one can say it does not respect history or the people. Quite the contrary, it is the voice of the people.

Goodbyee

The impact of Historical Fiction on popular culture. (Introduction)

Comedy and satire have always ranked high in my estimation as a medium for learning. The Blackadder series was my first contact with the sharp and funny side of historical fiction. Since then I have encountered a few such works which corresponded to a particular vision of History.

Very few of them, however, dealt with the sordidness and ignominy of the First and Second World Wars (uppermost within human memory of war).
My curiosity was sparked as a result of watching the Blackadder series, and encouraged me to substantiate my visions of satirical Historical accounts further.
One of my English teacher in terminale L, in the course a similar exercise (which consisted in presenting a TV series), introduced me to another tremendously popular British Sitcom: Dad's Army.
In Dad's Army, we follow the adventures (or rather misadventures) of a platoon of the British Home Guards during WWII. Cost what it might, I will attempt to write a commentary on both Dad's Army's and Blackadder's finales for there is a striking and uncanny resemblance between them I would like to write about. 
Before I write a proper article on the subject aforementioned, allow me to quote a passage from a short story written by Hector Hugh Munro (best known as 'Saki').
Saki is by far one of my favorite authors (I will restrain from digressing and explaining why that is), his wit and mastery of satire are uniquely brilliant and he was sadly one of the countless a casualties of the First World War. I am convinced that, had he not been shot dead by a German soldier, he would have written fantastic novel on the war.
This is a passage from the short story "The Square Egg, (A Badger's-eye view of the war mud in the trenches)"
"Assuredly a badger is the animal that one most resembles in this trench warfare, that drab-coated creature of the twilight and darkness, digging, burrowing, listening; keeping itself as clean as possible under unfavorable circumstances, fighting tooth and nail on occasion for possession of a few yards of honeycombed earth"




Dad's Army
If you're interested in watching the series, the episodes can be found HERE on YouTube.

Social Classes

Clash of Social Classes

The diversity of the characters in the show is no coincidence; it is the means by which the writers created, through the dynamics between the protagonists, a believable atmosphere of antagonism and cruelty as far social interactions are concerned.

Three distinct social categories can be identified:

> At the top of the 'ladder', General Melchett holds all the power in his hands and his insanity allows him to use that power of life and death with no qualms.
>Captain Darling and Captain Blackadder are middle-class characters whose personalities are quite modern but also they do seem to represent the middle-class portion of the British people.
>Pvt Baldrick is by far and without a shadow doubt the epitome of the working class population. He never ceases to challenge the rules of the war and of the pyramid of classes with such candidness that the viewers are compelled to feel a deep empathy.

Baldrick
"I've been supping the milk of freedom. Already our Russian comrades are poised on the brink of revolution and here too, sir, the huddled wossnames, such as myself are ready to throw of the hated oppressors like you and the lieutenant... present company excepted, sir."
Blackadder
"Go and clean out the latrines."
Baldrick
"Yes, sir, right away, sir."




                                                         To better illustrate my point, here is a passage from the third series which I think is quite representative of the whole idea.