Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean released March 24 from Shout Factory
I remember my dad excitedly bringing home a couple of VHS rentals. Somehow he’d come across a weird UK show called Mr. Bean and couldn’t wait to share it with us. He tried in vain to describe what was so funny about a man who barely spoke, but once we hit “Play” the laughter was infectious. I’ve been a fan ever since. One of those first episodes we rented, Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean became an annual Christmas tradition in our household, and I greedily snapped up the original DVD box set when it was released in 2003.
If you’ve never watched Mr. Bean (or were introduced by one of the lackluster movies), you might wonder what the big deal is about some mumbly twit in a brown suit.
Bean is, in the purest sense, a manifestation of the id and ego. Perfectly selfish, he engages the world in a way that not only places him at the center of his universe, but assumes that others are aware of him. It’s evident in the way he shows off, takes advantage of situations, and engages in arbitrary competition — all of which he does with reckless abandon, even though everyone else is usually oblivious to his doings. Childlike and driven more by animal instinct than an actual understanding of how the civilized world works, his behavior is simultaneously both innocent and devilishly wicked.
Bean seldom speaks; his is an entirely physical persona. No doubt, this has contributed to his global appeal. At its wildest, Atkinson’s performance incorporates not only hilarious blundering, but exceptional stunt work as well. Case in point, an absurdly amazing sequence in which Bean, late for his dental appointment, changes his clothes while driving his 1976 Leyland Mini — from the back seat. The physicality of Mr. Bean is where the magic happens, which is why this live action series is so much fun while the animated spinoff (which is not part of this DVD set) was excruciatingly bad.
The series definitely has roots in sketch comedy, most evidently in the earlier episodes which are simply collections of short sketches. These earliest shows are the most enjoyable to me, as a purer distillation of the Bean formula. As the series went on, the episodes moved into full-length plots. Some, like the Christmas special, work wonderfully, while others sometimes feel a bit under-sustained. Bean is a character who lives in the moment, and more elaborate plots do more to restrict him than entertain the viewer (which also explains why the two feature-length Mr. Bean movies, despite having wildly different styles, lack the simple magic of the show). While the entire series is great fun, the latter episodes start to feel a bit tired, and it’s to the credit of the producers that they stopped while they were ahead rather than continue with diminishing returns. The result is a run of only 15 episodes shot from 1990–1995, but that small output is chock-full of wild laughs.
The Package
Mr. Bean has had a couple of prior DVD releases, first as a set of the series (“The Whole Bean”) and then in a massively expanded “Ultimate Collection” set that also included the animated series and two feature films. Both sets had their strengths, but neither included certain well-loved extra scenes which appeared on earlier VHS editions. (Apparently, whether they are considered “deleted” or “added” is a matter of perspective and debate). My family’s initial Bean exposure included two of the three affected episodes, so we were particularly disappointed when the some of the funniest moments we remembered were “missing” on the DVD set.
Shout Factory’s new 25th Anniversary set is an upgraded re-release of A&E’s “The Whole Mr. Bean” from 2003. As such it lacks the movies and animated show, but frankly that stuff is mostly terrible anyway. The original live action series is where it’s at. The three “Missing” scenes which fans demanded are finally present, albeit as standalone bonus features, not reintegrated into their respective episodes, making their presence both welcome and disappointing. Also new is the feature-length “The Best Bits Of Mr. Bean” special. Unfortunately the new set also has a notable omission, the two Comic Relief UK sketches “Blind Date” and “Torvill & Bean”.
With the overall increase in extras, the new set contains a 4th disc just for the special features. Despite the expansion, the set is compacted into a regular-sized DVD case, so it takes only a third of the shelf space of the previous edition. An 8-page episode guide is also included, but the compact case lacks the usual plastic tabs so it just sits loosely inside.
The set is advertised as “Remastered” but don’t get any weird expectations. Mr. Bean is an early 90s, cheaply shot British TV show, and that’s exactly what it looks like. In fact, I noticed a weird video artifact that shows up for a few seconds in the upper right corner of several episodes. It’s a very insignificant blemish, yet a mind-bogglingly unnecessary one — I’ve personally verified that they don’t appear in the original release.
Special Features and Extras
Missing Scenes (5:45)
Turkey Weight (1:29), Armchair Sale (2:57), Marching (0:42), Playing With Matches (0:37)
The Story Of Mr. Bean (39:59)
“Making Of” featurette with attention to Rowan Atkinson’s career.
TV Sketches (15:16)
A pair of bonus skits: Bus Stop (5:45) and Library (9:31)
The Best Bits Of Mr. Bean (71:52)
A feature-length clip episode. Bean rummages through his attic and reminisces about his adventures as he encounters different props.
Mr Bean: The Animated Series Trailer (0:49)
Meh.
Verdict:
Due to some omissions and minor faults, this third DVD release of the series still fails to be the definitive edition that fans hoped for. However, the show itself is highly recommended. This is a worthwhile release and probably the version I’ll personally stick with, thanks to the deleted scenes. It’s definitely worth picking up for anyone who doesn’t already own a prior version.
God save the Bean; Long may he reign!
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
The Whole Bean — [DVD]
