Customer Reviews

Bonnie Scotland [VHS]

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ollie and Stan sneak aboard a ship to Scotland. Stan's grandfather leaves him a bagpipe and snuff box- (the sneezing scene is worth the cost of this film)! They accidentally join the army, and are sent to India where they once again foil the plans of an invading army. Parts of this film were rereleased in "Laurel & Hardy on Parade". Bonnie Scotland is full of laughs and well worth the cost! It has a nice plot and very few dull moments. Contains several popular scenes including Ollie's bed on fire, Ollie sneezing in a pond, a pleasant dance, and a rival with a popular character. If you enjoy bagpipes, humor and Laurel & Hardy- this is a great movie!

While BONNIE SCOTLAND doesn't qualify as a classic, it's still lots of fun for Laurel and Hardy fans. The film's main problem is it's uncomfortable grafting of the boy's comedy onto a melodramatic B-picture storyline. June Lang and William Janney are the romantic leads, but unfortunately their roles are rather shallow and unsympathetic. Thankfully, Stan and Ollie's scenes are good enough to keep the film moving and enjoyable. Highlights include the boys innocently wreaking havoc in a Scottish boarding house, their improvised dance to "One Hundred Pipers," and Stan's constant inability to keep in step with the rest of the Scottish army unit! There are also good comic moments from James Finalyson, Mary Gordon and diminutive Daphne Pollard (hilarious as a cockney chambermaid). The picture and sound on this video transfer are sharp and clear.

It's already been well-covered as to plot, deficiencies, etc. by other reviewers. So I will just say that, bogged down though it may be with a dreadful and forgettable romance that has little bearing on our boys, the merits far outweigh the slight defects. The 'Hundred Pipers' dance segment counts with their best, the bungled forced-suicide of Stanley's, ditto (Out of our sight, the gun goes off, but Stanley is revealed to be still standing; "What happened?" asks Ollie. "I missed," Stan replies tearfully.)Hard to beat that. Forget the carping criticisms of bad/non-existent Scots accents. Those of us who are fans find little to fault here. Recommended!

Despite the box-office success of "Pack Up Your Troubles" and "Sons of the Desert," producer Hal Roach believed that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy could not sustain a full-length comedy without a secondary plot. As a result, "Bonnie Scotland" (1935) squandered an opportunity to effectively lampoon "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer." Submerged in a schizophrenic storyline, Stan and Ollie manage to provide a few classic moments. The Boys' impromptu dance number remains a definite highlight. Along with "The Bohemian Girl" (1936), the weakest of the team's Roach features.

BONNIE SCOTLAND (a/k/a HEROES OF THE REGIMENT, 1935, 85 minutes) is a Laurel and Hardy adventure that I have always enjoyed, though I also understand the purist's view that it derails the comedy team with a silly tripe of a romance story.

Stanny and Ollie end up in Bonnie, Scotland, ostensibly hoping to collect on an inheritance from the MacLaurel Family. Naturally that falls through since Stan's name is Laurel, but it doesn't stop our bumbling heroes from enlisting accidentally into the British Army - a kilted Scots regiment dispatched to India. They are on duty, and hilarity ensues.

The tripe of a romance is a story of the proper MacLaurel heiress, who runs off to India followed by her crushed young paramour. What is so very odd is that L&H never meet the other principals of that storyline though they do befriend the young man. The original actor had to be replaced when he found he couldn't stop laughing at the duo's famous ad-libbing.

Aside from the acting, which is really Grade A considering the period, I think "the boys" are in mostly terrific shape here. Some critics will disagree, and they will not know what they are talking about. I readily admit, what is odd is that the film was more of a mediocre sappy romance which happened to have Laurel and Hardy in it. Had it not been for equal time for the duo, one could almost feel tempted to say theirs was a cameo appearance.

In fact their humor is as powerful as ever. What they do with their kilts will make you howl with laughter. I am especially a fan of Oliver Hardy, and here he shows not only his charming acting abilities but his completely modern sense of humor. If you are relatively young, you'll instantly see how Ollie really is the prototype for the modern comedian/comic actor.

Laurel does not seem to be in his best form, but that is only my opinion. In fact he pulls off some stunts that made me laugh out loud - unusual for Laurel. Usually he just made me angry. That is perhaps why I identify so much with Oliver Hardy.

Since I am a huge Oliver Norvell Hardy fan, I must interject some interesting factoids about Hardy relative to this film. Hardy, born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia, was half Scots and half English. A descendant of the famous British Captain Thomas Hardy, Ollie borrowed his father's name and used it as his stage name - but in this film he identifies himself as "Oliver Norvell Hardy".

Ollie was an accomplished magician and athlete - yes, athlete - and shows off his quick physical prowess with hilarious stunts. He also tried to avoid nailing the viewer with that "I'm-so-over-this" expression for which he was famous. However, he sneaks it in twice to great effect. While he is also famous for his comic tics - twiddling his tie, fiddling with his derby hat - he sneaks the mannerisms in here skillfully without showboating them.

Ollie was an impeccable clothes horse in real life, though up til the 1930s he actually wore a genuine little "Hitler" moustache. This struck me during the scene in the film when Ollie is left without trousers. The boys go to a tailor for a sales stunt offer: a tailored suit free of charge for 30 days. Stepping into the wrong office is what lands them in the Scots brigade of the British Army - they see the ad Ollie has, and tell him, "Oh, you'll get a suit of clothes all right!" Ollie is rewarded with the brigade's kilt.

It looks quite fine on him.

My review title is a line from the film, uttered with a modern precision by Ollie that will have you wondering if these guys time-traveled to our time, saw what was really funny, then went back and made movies. This may not be considered a L&H classic at all, but if you collect the films, I encourage you to add it to the collection.

This is the worst Laurel and Hardy film, for one it isnt funny, and two the supporting cast's ability to play Scottish people was awful, more than half the people in the cast have American accents. I have an example, the leading actress has the strongest American accent of them and she says: "I don't want to leave Scotland, I have lived here my whole life". Give me a break.