Dreadfully Boring

disgusting, overrated, pointless

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

An elderly clothing store worker asks his boss if he could have a new coat to replace his old battered worn-out garment. He is denied this one wish by his cold hearted boss and so asks his tailor friend if he could make him one instead. His friend agrees to make one for cost only but, sadly, the old man is soon thereafter fired from his job and quickly dies of pneumonia. He returns as a ghost to his friend and they steal a coat from the shop, one that he considered his right given his many years of loyal service.This short was directed by Jack Clayton, who would go on to helm important films such as The Innocents (1961), another film about ghosts although coming from an entirely different place. This small-scale movie actually went on to win an Oscar for best short film. It is very well executed with very good acting by all involved. It packs an emotional punch too, with its simple story about friendship and loyalty handled in a way that never goes for over sentimentalism and achieves its objectives by more subtle means. The moment when the old man disappears into the darkness is really a very sad moment indeed and it is done so simply yet so poignantly. A very good example of what can be achieved in the short film format.

Those who have written eloquently of their love for this picture may by now have found it.If they have not, they should know that it is available as a splendid extra on the BFI DVD of Jack Clayton's The Innocents. Worth going multi-region if not in Region-2!Both films look very good and The Bespoke Overcoat seems to have gained a few minutes since its original release: it does not begin with the deathbed scene described by a previous poster but with a pre-title sequence in a graveyard.I hope this is helpful.

The one and only time I saw "The Bespoke Overcoat" (TBO) was during the summer of 1957. I had gone into the Waverly Theater in N.Y., in Greenwich Village, to catch some AC and a double feature I was told by my trendy friends "not to miss." I can't remember what the other films were, but I haven't forgotten some of the visual details of TBO in nearly 50 years.The film opened with a long, drawn-out, circular pan approach to a bed. The black and white film was grainy. A spotlight shone from above making a cone of light. Someone was singing the Aramaic chant for the dead. A man is on the bed. He is dead or dying. Another man is chanting the Kaddish over him. And this is the opening. I was riveted to my seat. My eyes were wide as if held open by some Lon Chaney contraption. My heart didn't break, yet, as it would when the story finally spun out. But, as a seventeen year old, I knew this was an artful film, that the cinematography alone was outstanding.Then the "play" began, explaining how this man lived and died. I had sometime before read, or seen on TV, a dramatization of a Sholom Alechem short story about the world's most righteous man's death. That was set in heaven and all the angels, seraphim, cherubim, arch-angels, etc. were discussing what they ought do to mark the arrival of the world's most holy man. And when he came, this small, shy man, they badgered him with questions about what he might like: a performance by the heavenly band of musicians? a banquet? what? And he answered, "All I'd like might be a hot roll and a little butter. If it's not too much trouble." So TBO was something like this other story. You couldn't say that the one influenced the other; but, they did have their similarities. Of course, being Russian in its origins, there were surreal elements to the visual setting of TBO. But these were less than I imagined when I got to read "The Overcoat" in a collection of Russian stories. In this film, "The Bespoke Overcoat," writer Wolf Mankowitz managed to incorporate elements of Gogol (its author), plus a little Sholom Alechem into the script, and director Jack Clayton put it all together in an unforgettable cinematic style that was so moving I've remembered it vividly since 1957, which makes it among the most memorable films I've ever seen. And today, 2007, I get misty remembering how little Fender endured his final agony.I have searched for a place to purchase a copy of this film to no avail. My quest did lead me to the British Film Institute, or BFI, who seem to have the only known copy of the film. But they can not issue copies because they do not hold the copyright. The copyright is held by Granada. If IMDb can be cajoled into getting the permission from Granada, they might be able to make reasonably priced DVD copies of this film, one of the best short films ever. If you're reading this, you know what to do.Max Dudious

I saw this film in 1960. I was 8 years old - and my much older sister had taken me along to see another film at the Glasgow Cosmo - the 'Art House' cinema of the time. I have no idea what the main film was - but this one was enchanting.No film has made such an impression on me - ever. It was 45 years ago - and I remember the words and scenes as if it were yesterday - despite only having seen it the one time.Spoiler*******When Morrie begins praying for Fender - it was only then I realised that Fender had been a ghost. It was so heart breaking - I couldn't stop weeping for days. My Mother was furious with my poor sister for 'upsetting' me by taking me to 'grownup' films.I have tried searching on the internet to see if a film copy (VHS or DVD ) is available. I found a copy of the play at a London bookstore - and amazingly - everything I remembered was as it was written.If anyone knows where I might find a copy - I would be most grateful.