Monday, May 5, 2008

Dad's Army - Complete Sixth Series

I just bought Dad's Army, the complete sixth series, a British comedy series (much like Blackadder with Rowan Atkinson) and I laughed my head off. It's definitely worth a watch. 

It's about a dysfunctional army platoon led by Captain Mainwaring (oddly enough, it's apparently pronounced MAN-RING) and his men. 

They get themselves into all sorts of comic situations defending England from Hitler's armies. They're some sort of Home Guard reservist unit, and comprise a bunch of very funny soldiers.

It was so funny, comic, and humorous, and yet one of the lines in one of the episodes struck me as so true.

This episode was about the Americans coming to joint the war against Hitler.

When Captain Mainwaring and his men accidentally got into a big and funny fight with their American Allies because of cultural differences, he was ordered to apologise to the Americans.

Scene:

GHQ to Manwaring: You have to apologise - that's for Anglo-American relations.

Cap: But we haven't done anything wrong...

GHQ: Well, Mainwaring...
That's the penalty you pay to have pips on your shoulders.
Sometimes you have to take the can out, when it's not your fault.

I thought that was very meaningful and a good leadership philosophy. 

I do suppose that's why I sometimes prefer British comedy. Black comedy, sarcasm, irony... and sometimes, slapstick. While I enjoy a good American comedy every now and then, British comedy is really much deeper and has more of a plot.  

(Another funny scene, that ranks among one of my favourites in the series:

Officer conducting a test, to Captain Mainwaring: You have to choose one of your men to throw out of the hot air balloon. Which of your men will you throw out?

Captain Mainwaring: I will call for a volunteer or I will throw myself out.

Officer: You cannot do that.

Captain: Then, I'd probably throw Private Godfrey out of the balloon.

Officer (smirking, to the men): What do you say to your commander's decision?

Men (in chorus): BLOODY COMMON SENSE!

Haha!)


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