Fresh and Exciting

A Masterpiece!

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

My union and my employers are currently in dispute and we older members of the workforce were talking about about this film so I thought I would watch it again and bought the remastered DVD which is marketed under the VINTAGE CLASSICS label.Watching it again for the first time in years I am not sure it is such a classic but I do feel the film is misunderstood by most reviewers (not me of course I am a genius!!).No plot spoilers of course but the film depicts union versus management rows in late 1950s Britain.I was born the year after this film was made but I think I get most of the contemporary references due to being a history nut.People go on about Sellars performance in this,and of course his performance is great but he has less screen time than I remembered but the lines he has are great.People reviewing this film often say it is anti union satire,well it is but anti a certain kind of union activist and it is also savage in its attack on employers and the class system in Britain.I like the film but it over the top and there is too much slapstick for my liking.If someone was studying the way unions are shown in British films they might like to watch this film along with FLAME IN THE STREETS and THE ANGRY SILENCE.

An intellectual from Oxford--so studious he has become a naive rube in the real world, and unable to find his niche in the working place--takes a manual labor position at his nefarious uncle's factory, where he stirs up a tempest with the labor relations team. Screenwriter Alan Hackney, co-adapting his book "Private Life" with Frank Harvey and director John Boulting, hit upon a certain observant ridiculousness in the British class system with his then-trenchant satire. While Hackney's targets are scattered (and obvious or dated by now), the supporting performances from Peter Sellers (well-disguised as the middle-aged labor leader), Terry-Thomas, Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Liz Fraser, and Margaret Rutherford are certainly worth a look. ** from ****

It's hard to believe this movie was released fifty years ago, barring its distinctly non-PC references to ethnic minorities.Prophetic in its portrayal of the trade unions versus the establishment and the exploitation of the individual in favour of political power and enrichment for those few pulling the strings (as they shake hands behind closed doors), this is a story that manages to be provocative whilst maintaining a pleasantly light-hearted air, broaching subjects that continue to be relevant in Britain today.Classic performances from Peter Sellers, Ian Carmichael, Terry Thomas and Richard Attenborough, and smaller but equally commendable appearances of Margaret Rutherford and Irene Handl.Deliciously classic British comedy that remains fresh and immensely enjoyable today.

How insane is a movie that begins and ends in a nudist colony? That just sets the stage for this brilliant British comedy/satire of labor troubles at Missiles Ltd. All is not what it appears in management as the less than honorable Director and his cronies arrange for conditions that cause the workers to strike, thereby benefiting the bosses in their nefarious plans.Ian Carmichael is the wide eyed innocent, penniless but upper class young man who is the catalyst for the madness that ensues. Carmichael is spot on in his characterization and those who only know him as Lord Peter Wimsey, will be surprised at his light comedic touch. Even his name, Stanley Windrush, is whimsical.Peter Sellers is a standout as Kite, the Union boss who has delusions of grandeur and sports an Adolph Hitler moustache. His use of the Queen's English is less than perfect and his long-winded pronouncements are priceless. The supporting cast is unparalleled........Terry-Thomas is hysterical (as always) as the head of the Works Committee and his reading of the contents from the suggestion box is a small highlight of the film..........Liz Frazer as Kite's very blonde daughter, who asks "Who do you think you are, Diana Dors?".........Dennis Price, always the sophisticate, and Richard Attenborough as his oily partner in crime, are delightfully dishonest and also sport strange moustaches....John LeMesurier as the twitchy time management expert. The list goes on and on.You don't want to miss this film. It is a showcase for some of Britain's finest film actors and is truly a delight.