Rather like the 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?' episode 'No Hiding Place', the B.B.C. Wales comedy film 'Grand Slam' is revived whenever there's a major sporting event, only here its rugby. You would think it would be easy to tire of, but no, each viewing is an absolute joy.
It traces the exploits of a group of Welshmen as they travel to Paris for the final game in the season. And what a motley lot they are; 'Caradog' the undertaker, seeking a girl he loved in the war whom he knows only as 'butterfly', 'Mog', who will hit any Frenchman who dares besmirch the name of Phil Bennett; 'Glyn' the 'Viva Zapata' mustachioed ladies' man; camp-as-a-row-of-tents boutique owner 'Maldwyn', and 'Will Posh', who hates foreign beer so much he takes along his own.
Caradog finds that the bistro in which he met his butterfly woman is now a strip-club, while she has degenerated into a seedy alcoholic. His son Glyn scores with her sexy daughter Odette ( Sharon Morgan ), who shields him from the police when they raid the place.
The humour is natural, coming out of the characters themselves. The depiction of the Welsh is certainly more believable than that of say, 'The Magnificent Evans', which could have been set on another planet. Great performances throughout, including google-eyed Hugh Griffith as 'Caradog', Sion Probert as 'Maldwyn' ( don't think they could get away with such a character now! ), and, of course, Windsor Davies as 'Mog' ( next to 'It Ain't 'Alf Hot, Mum', this is his finest performance ).
Comic highlights include Mog's horror on realising he has to share a bed with the gay Maldwyn, the latter's attempts to explain what a bidet is for, Mog's striptease, and his walking through the Parisian streets in his underwear to get to the game.
The only thing wrong with the production is that a sequel never got made. These strong characters deserved a second or even third outing.
In response to the user who said you need to be Welsh in order to enjoy the film, I say no more than you need to be Irish to appreciate 'Father Ted'.
Sixty minutes of inspired comedy. And the Gren cartoons are great too!
ADDENDA: On the very day I wrote this review, Wales won the Grand Slam!
It traces the exploits of a group of Welshmen as they travel to Paris for the final game in the season. And what a motley lot they are; 'Caradog' the undertaker, seeking a girl he loved in the war whom he knows only as 'butterfly', 'Mog', who will hit any Frenchman who dares besmirch the name of Phil Bennett; 'Glyn' the 'Viva Zapata' mustachioed ladies' man; camp-as-a-row-of-tents boutique owner 'Maldwyn', and 'Will Posh', who hates foreign beer so much he takes along his own.
Caradog finds that the bistro in which he met his butterfly woman is now a strip-club, while she has degenerated into a seedy alcoholic. His son Glyn scores with her sexy daughter Odette ( Sharon Morgan ), who shields him from the police when they raid the place.
The humour is natural, coming out of the characters themselves. The depiction of the Welsh is certainly more believable than that of say, 'The Magnificent Evans', which could have been set on another planet. Great performances throughout, including google-eyed Hugh Griffith as 'Caradog', Sion Probert as 'Maldwyn' ( don't think they could get away with such a character now! ), and, of course, Windsor Davies as 'Mog' ( next to 'It Ain't 'Alf Hot, Mum', this is his finest performance ).
Comic highlights include Mog's horror on realising he has to share a bed with the gay Maldwyn, the latter's attempts to explain what a bidet is for, Mog's striptease, and his walking through the Parisian streets in his underwear to get to the game.
The only thing wrong with the production is that a sequel never got made. These strong characters deserved a second or even third outing.
In response to the user who said you need to be Welsh in order to enjoy the film, I say no more than you need to be Irish to appreciate 'Father Ted'.
Sixty minutes of inspired comedy. And the Gren cartoons are great too!
ADDENDA: On the very day I wrote this review, Wales won the Grand Slam!