Reviews

I can't imagine what the fans of this film have managed to find to entertain them. No plot, poor acting and a transatlantic ambition which was ill-conceived, combine to make this one of the worst films I have ever seen. At a guess, I would say that those involved were looking to exploit the US popularity of the Monty Python team, yet even a mediocre film like "A Fish Called Wanda" made some effort to write a script that, whilst fairly offensive to Brits looking to see a film about themselves, didn't treat the country as a theme park. This film doesn't make you wonder how so many talented people became involved in such an awful project. It makes you wonder whether those people are very talented after all.

Set in Greenock, in Scotland, this hard hitting drama perfectly captures the hard man culture of the west of Scotland. Strong performances and a spot on script combine to give British TV one of its finest moments. The grim urban decay contrasts with the natural beauty that lies beyond.

I can still remember Paul McCartney being interviewed about this film shortly before its release. He sank a lot of his own money into the project and was bemoaning the fact that British investors didn't know a good thing when they saw one. Its runaway success would be his revenge on those who wouldn't fund the film. Anyway, it bombed and Macca waved goodbye to his money. I didn't see it in the cinema (nobody did), but saw it recently on TV. I watched because of the above tale. Was it a great work, as he had claimed? No. It is an excruciating piece of amateurish nonsense. Poorly acted and scripted, I can't think of a single redeeming feature.

The original Carry On series has a certain kitsch charm. They were smutty, low budget attempts to appeal to the masses, which broadly succeeded in putting a smile on the nation's face. Great casts of talented comic actors such as Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Barbara Windsor gave their all to leave a superb record of the humour of the time. Fourteen years after the original series drew to a close, largely because it was no longer relevant to the country, someone got the bright idea to revive the tradition. I can almost hear the smug conversations as the likes of Julian Clary and Rik Mayall decided to undertake what they thought would be a simple project. How miserably they failed. It is an execrable, ill conceived and poorly executed film, the only purpose of which is to illustrate the quality of the originals.

We often bemoan the demise of the British film industry, yet we seem to be almost incapable of turning out any decent films with the resources we have.

I saw this film in Paris, on a wet day when I'd seen almost every other film. The local listings guide described it as an English film, it is, however, a Welsh film. Not just a Welsh film, but a Welsh film in Welsh. When I realized I would be watching a film in Welsh with French sub-titles I nearly walked out. Luckily I didn't. It is a completely charming tale of a projectionist and an usherette's scheme to save a local cinema. A great little film.