A Quiet Night In
- Episode aired Feb 20, 2014
- TV-MA
- 30m
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
A couple of silent bungling burglars try to steal a painting from a luxury home at the same time as the owner and his "missus" are having a serious fight.A couple of silent bungling burglars try to steal a painting from a luxury home at the same time as the owner and his "missus" are having a serious fight.A couple of silent bungling burglars try to steal a painting from a luxury home at the same time as the owner and his "missus" are having a serious fight.
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Did you know
- TriviaThis episode is an homage to the silent era films and it contains almost no spoken words. The actress playing Sabrina the trophy wife in this episode is Oona Chaplin, granddaughter in real life of Charlie Chaplin, a pioneer and major star of the silent films of the early 20th century.
- GoofsAt the beginning when the robber dodges behind the sofa, he should have been seen when the Denis Lawson character turned his head to look at the VERY HIGHLY reflective window. You can see pretty much everything from inside reflected on that window.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The South Bank Show: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (2019)
Featured review
Despite a underwhelming twist this is a sublime silent black comedy
Ray and Eddie are two incompetent burglars who are attempting to break into the remote mansion of the reclusive millionaire; Gerald who lives with his considerably younger wife; Sabrina. Their objective is to steal a priceless painting but inevitably a series of mishaps including one of Gerald's dogs and attempting to evade being seen by his housekeeper get in their way. Meanwhile, the millionaire and his wife eventually have a domestic argument, totally oblivious to what's occurring around them.
After the previous week's premiere episode; Sardines which superbly set the dark and twisted tone for the series, as well as the bar for the standard it should set, Messrs Shearsmith and Permberton admirably, chose already take it in another novel direction with; A Quiet Night In. Its conceit is that the vast majority of the episode is dialogue-free and essentially therefore a silent comedy. Overall lighter in tone than; Sardines, a fact punctuated via our first comedic introduction to inept burglars, Ray and Eddie as a security light illuminates them as they sneak their way up to millionaire Gerald's mansion, while he sits down to a bowl of soup. It's an infectious moment that sets the scene rather nicely, and what soon follows is a sublime exercise in physical comedy and buffoonery. Forgoing the more elaborate silent slapstick humor of legendary icons of the genre; Charlie Chaplin (whose granddaughter Oona coincidentally features as Gerald's Trophy Wife; Sabrina) and Buster Keaton, they wisely keep things simple due to the constrictive structure of its minimalistic setting.
While the dialogue is practically non-existent, Shearsmith and Pemberton do afford themselves something of a cheat with the utilization of mobile phones early on in proceedings with the text dialogue appearing visibly on screen. It matters little if at all, and you're quite happy to afford them some leeway given it provides one of the neat little set pieces of simplistic humor. It does mean however that it also profits from the use of sound effects that were universally absent from the classic silent comedies of the 1920s and 30s.
Undeniably though; both actors display their proficiency for physical humor, and they spark off one another wonderfully given the self-imposed restrictions. It's a testament to their coequal talents not only as thespians but as writers that they pull off what is unreservedly a consummate half-hour of black comedy. Throwing in obstacles that include the tried and tested hindrance' of a pet dog that was used to similarly blackly comical effect with; There's Something About Mary and the more obscure; Briefest Encounter which was an episode of the 90's British TV comedy series; Rik Mayall Presents, they slyly subvert expectations by adding another unanticipated complication to the mix. And with the adage of Oriental housekeeper Kim's perpetual presence, she merely contributes to the light-hearted setbacks that befall our two anti-heroes.
For all of its lighter tone, this outing still exhibits a darker edge with a sudden reveal bringing an unforeseen perspective to Gerald and Paula's relationship which in itself takes a grim turn. But as late American comedian and actor; Jerry Lewis once shrewdly observed there's no gap between tragedy, and comedy and it's a sentiment that both Shearsmith and Pemberton adhere to as their protagonists (or should that be antagonists?) bungle their way to the stories downbeat climax that affords the only spoken line of dialogue (a likely nod to Mel Brookes's; Silent Movie and maybe; The Artist) to one of the guest cast which subsequently follows a somewhat underwhelming final twist. It's something that can be forgiven however and it is merely a minor drawback to what is an otherwise inspired half-hour of black, silent comedy.
With no shortage of kudos going to veteran Scots actor Denis Lawson (The Uncle of one Ewan McGregor) and of course Oona Chaplin in their respective supporting roles, with former Fonejacker co-creator and voice actor; Kayvan Novak providing further solid support in a brief surprise appearance; A Quiet Night In pathed the way for further forays in to innovative risk-taking that they would with future episodes like; The Devil of Christmas, Zanzibar and Once Removed. However, in terms of originality and sheer genius, I think the last which takes some beating it still doesn't take away from the brilliance of this offering.
After the previous week's premiere episode; Sardines which superbly set the dark and twisted tone for the series, as well as the bar for the standard it should set, Messrs Shearsmith and Permberton admirably, chose already take it in another novel direction with; A Quiet Night In. Its conceit is that the vast majority of the episode is dialogue-free and essentially therefore a silent comedy. Overall lighter in tone than; Sardines, a fact punctuated via our first comedic introduction to inept burglars, Ray and Eddie as a security light illuminates them as they sneak their way up to millionaire Gerald's mansion, while he sits down to a bowl of soup. It's an infectious moment that sets the scene rather nicely, and what soon follows is a sublime exercise in physical comedy and buffoonery. Forgoing the more elaborate silent slapstick humor of legendary icons of the genre; Charlie Chaplin (whose granddaughter Oona coincidentally features as Gerald's Trophy Wife; Sabrina) and Buster Keaton, they wisely keep things simple due to the constrictive structure of its minimalistic setting.
While the dialogue is practically non-existent, Shearsmith and Pemberton do afford themselves something of a cheat with the utilization of mobile phones early on in proceedings with the text dialogue appearing visibly on screen. It matters little if at all, and you're quite happy to afford them some leeway given it provides one of the neat little set pieces of simplistic humor. It does mean however that it also profits from the use of sound effects that were universally absent from the classic silent comedies of the 1920s and 30s.
Undeniably though; both actors display their proficiency for physical humor, and they spark off one another wonderfully given the self-imposed restrictions. It's a testament to their coequal talents not only as thespians but as writers that they pull off what is unreservedly a consummate half-hour of black comedy. Throwing in obstacles that include the tried and tested hindrance' of a pet dog that was used to similarly blackly comical effect with; There's Something About Mary and the more obscure; Briefest Encounter which was an episode of the 90's British TV comedy series; Rik Mayall Presents, they slyly subvert expectations by adding another unanticipated complication to the mix. And with the adage of Oriental housekeeper Kim's perpetual presence, she merely contributes to the light-hearted setbacks that befall our two anti-heroes.
For all of its lighter tone, this outing still exhibits a darker edge with a sudden reveal bringing an unforeseen perspective to Gerald and Paula's relationship which in itself takes a grim turn. But as late American comedian and actor; Jerry Lewis once shrewdly observed there's no gap between tragedy, and comedy and it's a sentiment that both Shearsmith and Pemberton adhere to as their protagonists (or should that be antagonists?) bungle their way to the stories downbeat climax that affords the only spoken line of dialogue (a likely nod to Mel Brookes's; Silent Movie and maybe; The Artist) to one of the guest cast which subsequently follows a somewhat underwhelming final twist. It's something that can be forgiven however and it is merely a minor drawback to what is an otherwise inspired half-hour of black, silent comedy.
With no shortage of kudos going to veteran Scots actor Denis Lawson (The Uncle of one Ewan McGregor) and of course Oona Chaplin in their respective supporting roles, with former Fonejacker co-creator and voice actor; Kayvan Novak providing further solid support in a brief surprise appearance; A Quiet Night In pathed the way for further forays in to innovative risk-taking that they would with future episodes like; The Devil of Christmas, Zanzibar and Once Removed. However, in terms of originality and sheer genius, I think the last which takes some beating it still doesn't take away from the brilliance of this offering.
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- The-Last-Prydonian
- Feb 2, 2018
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- Runtime30 minutes
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