Post by Ladyfingers on May 31, 2020 14:16:49 GMT
I'd last seen this on TV one night as a youngster, and I recalled finding it pretty funny, so when it popped up as a Blu-ray I snagged it.
It's only mildly amusing, and this mostly when Caine and Newman are on screen, idiotically trying to overcome the absurd Victorian proprieties the film puts in their path. It's actually a charming little romance and I'd gladly watch a whole film of their desperate fumblings.
Ralph Richardson's oblivious bore is great fun. Reciting an endless stream of uninteresting facts to uninterested victims, who politely vent their anguish whenever they're finally relieved of him. John Mills is just too cartoonish as his brother, and there are only one or two scenes where he works.
Wilfrid Lawson's butler steals every scene he's in. Perpetually on the point of expiring, with age-slurred speech and a seemingly jaded, feigned response to everything his employers subject him to.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore aren't utilised very well, although Cook occasionally explodes into a sanctimonious rage that's delightful.
The farce aspect is not good, which is a problem as it's the point of the film. I may just not be a big fan of this era's comedy, with its silly wigs and clothing and fake old people moaning theatrically. The slapstick is flat and doesn't have good comic timing, and the overall pace lacks the freneticism this material demands.
Visually, it's actually rather nice. Lush English scenery and architecture (with visible TV antennas) on a nice, natural transfer.
It's only mildly amusing, and this mostly when Caine and Newman are on screen, idiotically trying to overcome the absurd Victorian proprieties the film puts in their path. It's actually a charming little romance and I'd gladly watch a whole film of their desperate fumblings.
Ralph Richardson's oblivious bore is great fun. Reciting an endless stream of uninteresting facts to uninterested victims, who politely vent their anguish whenever they're finally relieved of him. John Mills is just too cartoonish as his brother, and there are only one or two scenes where he works.
Wilfrid Lawson's butler steals every scene he's in. Perpetually on the point of expiring, with age-slurred speech and a seemingly jaded, feigned response to everything his employers subject him to.
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore aren't utilised very well, although Cook occasionally explodes into a sanctimonious rage that's delightful.
The farce aspect is not good, which is a problem as it's the point of the film. I may just not be a big fan of this era's comedy, with its silly wigs and clothing and fake old people moaning theatrically. The slapstick is flat and doesn't have good comic timing, and the overall pace lacks the freneticism this material demands.
Visually, it's actually rather nice. Lush English scenery and architecture (with visible TV antennas) on a nice, natural transfer.