Product Description

Tireless social climber Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Bouquet," of course) returns for the final 3 seasons of this hilariously classy comedy of manners. This 4-disc set includes the complete third, fourth and fifth seasons (including 9 episodes never before released) as well as "The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket", outtakes and interviews with the cast.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15948 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-02-03
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 30 minutes

Amazon.com
American sitcoms usually have a bland, likable central character who has to cope with obnoxious acquaintances--who usually provide most of the actual comedy. The British smartly put the comic personalities front and center, and Keeping Up Appearances has one of the best: The petty, pretentious, tyrannical Hyacinth Bucket (played by the impressive Patricia Routledge), a dowdy middle-class social climber with a piercing voice and an unshakable faith in herself. Upon learning that her mailman has seven children, she declares disapprovingly, "Quite an achievement when you have to be up so early." Whether she's scheming to invite a minor local celebrity to a garden party or scowling at an enormous dog left in her driveway, Hyacinth terrorizes all around her, particularly her long-suffering husband Richard (Clive Swift), who takes a small delight in subverting her efforts from time to time; her trembling neighbors Elizabeth and Emmett (Josephine Tewson and David Griffin), who scarcely leave their house lest they be invited in to coffee; and her sexually frustrated lower-class sisters Daisy and Rose (Judy Cornwell and Mary Millar) and Daisy's layabout husband Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), who longs to be left in peace to eat chips and watch the races.

Though Americans aren't as class-conscious as the Brits, snobbery is universal, and Keeping Up Appearances has developed an appreciative cult following on this side of the Atlantic. The boxed set Hyacinth Springs Eternal contains the third, fourth, and fifth series; but Hyacinth lives in a bizarrely unchanging universe, so you can start with any episode and soon be caught up in her titanic struggle to be the envy of her peers. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

"The 'Bouquet' residence! The lady of the house speaking!"
"Keeping Up Appearances" was a 44-episode, British TV sitcom that ran for five seasons between 1990 and 1995, with several specials filmed through 1997. The show's primary character was Hyancinth Bucket (Patricia Routledge), who always pronounced her last name as 'Bouquet' to make it sound as impressive as possible. She was obsessed with making her family appear as affluent and upper class as possible, which involved keeping her home immaculately clean and bragging to everyone about any new acquisition. While Hyancinth believes that she is admired and well respected by her piers, the reality is that no one wants anything to do with her. Her husband, Richard Bucket (Clive Swift), does not share Hyacinth's obsession, but he accommodates her as best as he can. Unfortunately for Hyacinth, her various plans to improve their station in life are often sidetracked by issues from her less affluent sisters or her senile father. The people that are most intimidated by Hyacinth are her next-door neighbor Elizabeth Hawksworth Warden (Josephine Tewson) and her brother Emmet Hawksworth (David Griffin, who appeared in the second season onward). The local church vicar, Michael (Jeremy Gittins), and his wife (played by Marion Barron) also try to avoid Hyacinth as much as possible.

Hyacinth's three sisters live to varying degrees of affluence. Daisy (Judy Cornwell) and her blue-collar husband Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes) live in a row house that is in dire need of repair, with a wrecked car parked out front and an unkempt interior. Hyancinth's unmarried sister Rose (played by Shirley Stelfox in 1990 and Mary Millar between 1991 and 1995) lives with Daisy and Onslow and enjoys spending time with many men to the chagrin of Hyancinth. Hyancinth's only affluent sister, Violet (Anna Dawson), is rarely seen, but Hyacinth often speaks with her on the telephone. However, Violet's husband Bruce (John Evitts), who is also rarely seen, often has a penchant for wearing women's clothes to Hyacinth's embarrassment. Their senile father (George Webb) lives with Daisy and Onslow, and has a tendency to run away and get himself into all sorts of trouble.

This 4-DVD set includes the following:
* Volume #5, entitled "Everything's Coming Up Hyacinth", includes all seven episodes from the third season.
* Volume #6, entitled "Some Like it Hyacinth", includes all seven episodes from the fourth season.
* Volume #7, entitled "Living the Hyacinth Life", includes the first six episodes of the fifth season and interviews with Patricia Rutledge and Clive Swift.
* Volume #8, entitled "Hats Off to Hyacinth", includes the last four episodes of the fifth season and the 1997 special "The Memoirs of Hyancinth Bucket".

Though "Keeping Up Appearances" is not as well known in the U.S. as "Absolutely Fabulous" (nor is it as outrageous), it is a very good example of British comedy. Overall, I rank this 4-DVD set with a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

The Grand Dame of Self-Delusion Rides Again
"I'm Often Mistaken for Aristocracy." This episode title sums up the central problem of Hyacinth's life. Through some ironic twist of fate, she was born to the wrong set and must bend all her efforts to correcting the error.

Her ever-suffering husband Richard is cashiered into early retirement from his job as a minor local bureaucrat. But in Hyacinth's delusional world, his invitation to the Queen's annual garden party for retiring senior government officials has gone inexplicably missing, and she sets out to track it down.

She is an undiscovered chanteuse who is finally accorded her long-overdue chance when a minor local musical director moves in next door. The facts that her singing can knock cats off garbage cans and that her neighbor lives in virtual hiding to avoid her are completely lost on Hyacinth, who simply cannot abide the injustice of depriving the world -- or at least her church socials -- of the joys of her caterwauling.

She may not be able to afford the "right" trips, but she can certainly see to it that she is seen picking up the right brochures. And she was born to host elegant candlelight dinners on her Royal Doulton china with blue periwinkles. The fact that no one ever accepts the invitations is no reason to cease going on about them endlessly.

And her sisters and brother-in-law! In this assemblage of some of the screen's most loveable louts one comes face to face with the ultimate futility of Hyancinth's quest to rise above it all. It's pure physics. No one could ever escape this much gravity.

This is comedy in the disturbing vein of Carol Burnett's notoriously dysfunctional "Mama's Family". And, like the Harper family's, Hyacinth's hijinks are hilarious . . . not just because they are full of comedic pratfalls, characters you almost know in your own life, and the astonishing abandon of the actors playing the roles -- but because they take you right to the edge of an insane mind kept on kilter only by skipping from one cognitive disconnect to another, like jumping stones over a raging river. One misstep, and Hyacinth would end up in the asylum where she belongs.

Oh NICE
Well done for the great and wonderfull DVD collection. I have bought both sets namely Hyacinth in full bloom and Hyacinth springs eternal, I cherished all the films with great amusement and laugh. I suggest this series to everybody who likes British comedy at its best. However and may I be subject to correction, Where is the episode THE ROLLS ROYCE which I assumed is in series five? I don't know the answer why its lacking and I think its a great pity not having it in my set, perhaps someone could anser my question. But all in all great series great crystal clear dvd and very good sound as well. Buy all I recommend.