Plot: What’s it about?
Rupert Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) is a landlord, but he isn’t the kind of man you’d want to be a tenant for. He is rude, racist, and miserly, not an ideal person to share a building with. But he still manages to keep the rooms filled and in the case of Miss Jones (Frances de la Tour), one that has been around for a long while. Miss Jones loves the men that cross her path, falling for any she gets an eyeful of, except for Rupert, of course. That doesn’t dissuade him from trying to get into her good graces, but his advances have always failed. She isn’t the only unusual tenant however, as medical student Alan (Richard Beckinsale) is also there, not to mention an African price, named Philip (Don Warrington). Will Rupert’s antics ever drive his tenants to leave, or will they continue to have the last laugh on their landlord?
As I started with the fourth and final series of Rising Damp, then went back to watch the first and second, I now wrap up the series with the third series. I haven’t been let down in the least by the other three seasons and as expected, I wasn’t let down here either, as these episodes are terrific. In these episodes, the always hilarious Francis De La Tour is around full time and some new tenants arrive, but at the core, this is more of the same great material. Not much changes in Rising Damp, but that works well, as the writers are able to get so much out of these characters. I enjoyed this third series even more than the other three, as it has all pistons firing and hits all the right notes. I have to admit, I was rather sad as I watched the last of the episodes I hadn’t seen, but at least Rising Damp can boast an incredible run of great episodes. I had a fantastic time watching all four seasons and I would recommend the entire series to anyone who loves to laugh.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. This series was shot on video, like videotape, so the transfers don’t look that impressive. If you’ve watched many British shows from this era, you know to expect softness and a VHS type texture, so this isn’t the usual DVD level of crispness. Even so, this is by no means a bad presentation, as the image is clean and while soft, still displays solid detail, for the material. The colors aren’t that vivid and contrast is a touch dark, but overall, these episodes look decent and I doubt fans will be too disappointed.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is as basic as it gets, but that’s all the material needs. The show’s music and sound effects are audible, but don’t expect any kind of depth here. This is a mono soundtrack for a dialogue driven show from 1978, that should tell you all you need to know. The crucial element is the show’s vocals and since dialogue sounds clear in all six episodes, I can’t knock these audio tracks too much.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes production notes and cast filmographies.
