Customer Reviews

The Carry On Collection

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This of course--as any self-respecting Carry On fan will tell you--is Charles Hawtrey's catch-phrase. This box set is only half the story, and hopefully there will be another box coming, with more of these British comedy gems. In the mean time, we have this set of Carry On movies from the late 50s and early 60s to enjoy over and over.

Critics hated these films--the rest of us were too busy laughing at the antics, risque jokes and awful puns to care. As the films were made, various actors came and went--but the key members of the Carry On Gang were--Sidney James ( the owner of the dirtiest laugh in the history of cinema ), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques and , if this were not enough, plenty of other British comedic actors to keep the laughs coming like Bernard Bresslaw, Jim Dale, Leslie Phillips, Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth, Jack Douglas, Frankie Howerd and on and on. Beautiful women like Shirley Eaton, Liz Fraser and Amanda Barrie were major "pluses" too.

Like any series of films, some were better than others, and fans do not always agree on their favourites. In this package, "Carry On Nurse" is not only a classic, but it really put the series on track because it was a huge hit in many countries. I find "Carry On Constable" to be one of the best with Kenneth Williams and Leslie Phillips both terrific--it also introduces Sid James, who would soon become "Mr.Carry On", although he is rather subdued in this first outing. Even without Sid, "Carry On Screaming" is a winner, with Harry H. Corbett fine in the lead, and Kenneth Williams quite surreal as the "Mad Doctor". "Carry On Cleo" is good fun--by this time, Sid had his "King Leer" act down to perfection.

"That's Carry On" is a nice nostalgic visit to the whole series, hosted by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor, also giving the viewer a taste of some of the films not included in this collection.

Sadly, many members of the Carry On Gang are no longer with us--
Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims have all passed on. The delightful Barbara Windsor continues to work steadily on British television.
When we went to see the first Harry Potter movie and reached the "Sorting Hat scene"' I nudged my wife--the "voice" of the hat--I would know that voice anywhere--Leslie Phillips ! Speaking of Harry Potter, I see that the audio version of the new book--"The Order of the Phoenix"--is narrated by Jim Dale ! So, happily, some of the Carry On alumni are still "Carrying On " !

Bottom line--most people either love or hate the "Carry On Gang".
If you hate them, you are probably not even reading this ! So--if you love these films, this package is like the "Old Testament", and you should order it immediately. Let's hope that the "New Testament" is coming soon !

This is one of the most spectacular classic British comedies and a must-have for any Carry On fan. It is, however, unfortunate that all the Carry On moviess have not yet been released in the US in DVD format. I certainly hope they do bring them out soon. The rest of the Carry On collection (starting from where this box set left) is available in UK.

This box set contains the first 12 Carry Ons that were made and a 13th one made as a tribute to all the Carry Ons (That's Carry On). It is needless to say that the cast and crew in them were always spectacular and outrageously hilarious. Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor, Jim Dale, Joan Sims all gave stellar performances in each Carry On.

It is rather sad to face the fact that most of this crew is no longer with us. There are few who come close to the facial expressions of Kenneth Williams, his famous flaring nostrils, and his manner of speech, Sid James' famous yak-yak and Charles Hawtrey's "Oh-Hello's" and silly grins, not to mention their extremely natural and hilarious acting. Most of them were talented actors from a very young age. On the bright side, it is good to know that some of them like Barbara Windsor and Jim Dale are still carrying on in the entertainment world.

For all Carry On fans wanting to know more about the lives of these actors and detailed description on each film, there is www.carryonline.com and there are books on the lives of Sid James, Kenneth Williams (who was a very private and a sad man in real life) and others.

Truly, it is hard to carry on living till the rest of the Carry Ons are released in the US on DVD.

I first saw "Carry On Nurse" in 1959 and fell in love with the characters. I saw that film several times and followed up with a few other "Carry On" films. I never did get to see all of the series until this wonderful box set came out. It is not a disappointment. The films have been beautifully transferred to DVD and they are as refreshing now as they were 40+ years ago.
For anyone unfamiliar with the series, they are not high brow comedy. Sort of Benny Hill in style. However, a wonderful repertory cast gave us some hilarious and zany moments. Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims, Bob Monkhouse, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey were the principals involved. This is the sort of film that the British do so well.
I heartily recommend it for a number of laughs.

I toyed with buying this set of DVDs for months, and finally decided it wasn't going to get any cheaper, so I went for it! And now it's here I'm sorry I waited. It helps of course if you were born in the UK in the 40s or 50s, when these movies would have been a staple diet not just at the Rialto (or Savoy or whatever your local cinema was) but also endlessly replayed on TV - and avidly watched every time!

The only small disappointment is the packaging - which is quite cheap and not at all durable. The box holding the set is made of flimsy cardboard that will not wear well. And the collection would have benefited from an insert giving a history of the series, and details about those that are both in this collection, and those that are not. A set of translations for the very English idioms would also benefit American fans!

For anyone who loves classic British comedy such as "Are You Being Served" and Bennie Hill, you will certainly enjoy this collection.

If you like "Are you being served" then you will love the Carry on films, Mike Myres in his own addmittion grew up on Carry on films which is so evident in his Austin Powers movies. Basically the films are full of toilet humour, innuendo and [junk], which in the UK is described as seaside postcard humour. All I can say is Carry on's are a British institution of which the actors were and still are house hold names (even though most are dead) so politically incorrect that if they were made today would be banned, as in "Are you being served" only in the seventies could you get away with Mrs Slocombes (...). Any way my personal favourites are Carry on camping and Carry on abroad, and if you want to get in to the minds of typical English humour give them a go. In association with this it is worth buying the "Kenneth Williams diaries" available from Amazon, its his own journals steming back 40 or so years and you can read exactly what he thought of the Carry On films and his co stars, you'd be suprised.

Whenever you think of the Carry On films you immediatley think of the likes of Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jaques, Barbara Windsor etc. This British film series is now something of a much-loved institution. Always savaged by critics for its cheap puns and almost stereotypical performances, the films can be more accuratley described as cheap and cheerful. Not exactly being Shakespeare but the series did come up with some genuinley fine blends of comedy - Up The Kyber (1968), Camping (1969) and Cleo (1964) immediatley spring to mind.
Now some of these films are over 40 years old and to celebrate their timeless appeal, The Carry On Collection comprises of the first 12 entries out of the 31 Carry On films made with the bonus of Thats Carry On. Sergeant (1958) initially set the ball rolling and is entertaining at that whilst Nurse (1959) catapulted the series into blockbuster success where it topped the U.S Box office Charts and ran in some cinemas for over two and a half years! Teacher (1959) is a gentle, old-fashioned comedy that still raises a smile whilst Constable (1959) marks a turning point in the series as its the first to feature Sid James - a much valued regular in the series. Regardless (1960) is a passable comedy but lacks direction in some ways with a series of sketches loosley tied in together with the link of the Helping Hands agency, whilst Carry On Cruising (1962) saw the series transferred into colour. Carry On Cabby (1963) is amongst the finest early entries in the series with wonderful performances from Sid James and Hattie Jaques, whilst Carry On Jack (1963) is missing so many of its usual regulars such as Sid James, Joan Sims and Hattie Jaques that it doesn't even neccecarily feel like a Carry On whilst Spying (1964) sees the much welcome addition of the bubbly Barbara Windsor. Their hilarious take on the epic disaster Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor sees the series enter full swing and its best era, followed by the excellent CowBoy (1965) and the horror spoof Screaming (1966). These films all represent landmarks in British comedy so are therefore absolutley essential. Thats Carry On! (1977) fetures an affectionate look back at some of the best clips of the Carry on films through all eras that are linked by dialogue by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor.
Defintley recommended and is of fantastic value. 12 classic comic gems!

The first time I saw a Carry On Film, I was a teenager. And, the film was Carry On Teaching. It was my introduction to British humor. I laughed so hard I cried. I told all of my friends about the movie. From that point on every time I saw Carry On, I would make sure that I was home. This was before the days of VHS and DVD recorders. So if you misses it you would have to wait for the rerun. I love these movies and I recommend that anyone who enjoys laughing and the pure joy of low humor buy this set.

I'm British from England originally. I was born in 1951, I believe the very first Carry on Film was around that year. I've loved them all since viewing some of them in England. If you like British comedy you'll love this series. They're very funny and a good laugh is like a good medicine. So I'd recommend these DVDs.

This is the first half of a series of about 25 comedy movies that were very popular in Britain. The comedies lampoon various typical British social settings. To get the full entertainment of the movies you should be familiar with British culture. Those who are not will still find the series entertaining. The comedy is low key and not as strong as Monty Python or Benny Hill.

This is THE perfect collection for that lazy Saturday or Sunday 'do nothing' day. It's witty, charming and the character acting is above reproach (in my humble opinion). It's a whole bunch of nonsense that tickles the funny-bone....sit back and get ready to enjoy.