Bless Me, Father – The Complete Series
Picture: C+
Sound: C Extras: C- Episodes: C+
Trying to do television series built around religion is
always a tricky thing, but has never been wildly successful, even when they
have added mystery (The Father Dowling Mysteries) or the Spy genre,
puppets, and fantasy (Secret Service, reviewed elsewhere on this
site). The same applies to the comedy
series Bless Me, Father, which ran from 1978 – 1980. Arthur Lowe is Father Duddleswell, a pastor
at the St. Jude Church in England, circa 1951.
Creator/writer Peter de Rosa (under the penname Neil Boyd) based the
stories on his real life experience as a priest, and the resulting show is a
mixed situation comedy.
Its humor is based in religion and eventually religious
differences, but this will not be everyone’s cup of tea. The problem is that the show is too often
somewhat of a one-joke affair, yet, it is the kind of humor not heard much. Daniel Abineri is the new assistant priest,
Father Neil, who tries to fit into the old order. Writer/director David Askey helmed the entire series and deserves
credit for making things move as nicely as they do. It is just that there are too many limits and predictabilities,
but that may be just the appeal of the show to its intended audience.
The show lasted 21 episodes, but the last three never made
it to the airwaves, so the complete list over the three DVDs are as follows:
1) Baptism
Of Fire
2) The
Parish Bazaar
3) The
Bells Of St. Jude
4) The
Doomsday Chair
5) Father
& Mother
6) The Tennis
Match
7) The Seal
Of Confession
8) Blessings
From Heaven
9) Father
Neil’s First Miracle
10) Fatal Lady
11) The Heart Of A Curate
12) All At Sea
13) The Season Of Goodwill
14) A Back To Front Wedding
15) Fire & Brimstone
16) Things Are Not As They Seem
17) Women
18) Beddings & Weddings
19) A Legend Comes At Last
20) Porgy & Bess
21) A Mixed-Up Marriage
It is hard to say that this humor is overwhelmingly
British, but you can be oblivious to its ins and outs, as this show has so much
of its ideas based in daily routine and life built around religion. Brit-Com does not properly describe it,
though it is vaguely such a show. Bless
Me, Father can best be described as an acquired taste.
The full frame 1.33 x 1 image was shot in the analog PAL
format and looks good for its age, especially as the tapes have fared well
enough. The Dolby Digital 2.0 should be
a boosted stereo, but is a flat monophonic sound that is just not as loud as it
could or should be and disappoints. The
performance is adequate at best. The
only extras are text on the cast and even more on de Rosa and Lowe. There is an audience for this show, and it
is now out for them to get. Others may
want to try something else, but it is never anti-religious or crude, so it
certainly has that going for it as a plus.
- Nicholas Sheffo
