Customer Reviews

Carry on Dick

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

 

 

This should be a satisfying film for fans of the genre, especially those who enjoyed the historical Carry on's such as "Don't Lose Your Head". There is more smut than in earlier entries, but this 1974 film contains the last Carry On performances of Sid James (brilliant as "Reverend Flasher"), Hattie Jaques and Barbara Windsor and should be seen for them. There is admirable attention to creating the story's period and plenty of blue humour.

One of the last triumphs of the long running British comedy series. Many critics said that the Carry On series always scored best when re-working a piece of history into comedy. They could well be right!

The notorious highway man Dick Turpin is cleverly disguised as the Reverend of a church in a quiet village. However the Bow Street Runners led by captain Desmond Fancy (KENNETH WILLIAMS) are dertermined to bring his reign to an end.

Less action than there is normally but the scripts hold a considreable amount of laughs despite yet again being stuffed full of double entrendres. The cast are all looking a bit older now but are all as loveable than ever and all play there parts professionally with particularly good players being SID JAMES, BARBARA WINDSOR, KENNETH WILLIAMS and PETER BUTTERWORTH. JOAN SIMS is of good value too as the saucy Madame Desiree who's delightfully plummy French accent slides occasionally into a broad cockney accent. Great stuff! HATTIE JAQUES is very good too as is BERNARD BRESSLAW but JAQUES, SIMS and BRESSLAW are given very limited screen time yet their essential contibutions are effective,regardless!

This was a sad end of a golden era - many would say this was the end of the Carry On series as this was SID JAMES', BARBARA WINDSORS' and HATTIE JAQUES' final appearance in a Carry On film and the series went into rapid decline afterwards even though the series managed one more notworthy entry - CARRY ON BEHIND (1975) - even though this bombed badly at the Box Ofice charts. After that the series was nothing but a shadow of its former self and the momentum was lost and was then deemed as too old fashioned to simply carry on anymore. Sadly SID JAMES died in 1976 of a heart attack whilst on stage (just over a year of this Carry On) and then HATTIE JAQUES in 1980, thus leaving a gap in the series that could not and never will be filled! So if your looking for a good Carry On then this is defintley one of those and incidentallywas one of the most financially succesful entries in the series. Recommended!

This WHAM! USA production has the usual technical defects. The audio is at such a low level you will have to turn your TV set to full volume to get a small sound out of the speakers. The scenes vibrate vertically whenever there is a step in brightness between two parts of the scene that are vertically related with each other.

The program content is one of the least funny of the Carry On movies.

Carry On films ran for many years in Britain, and were often repeated on British television much as the James Bond films are now.

The essence of the films was based on an old tradition: the saucy postcard which families on holiday would send back to friends, relatives and neighbours back home. Often these cards would be smutty in nature and based on innuendo rather than upfront comments.

The Carry On films raised thi to an entire new level, introducing such novelties as using homosexuality and effiminity as sources of comedy and making fun of traditional working class escapades which had been mainstays after the war.

Once these were exhausted the Carry On teams turned to mine the rich history of Britain and turn out some novel ways to interpret the same.

Carry On Dick is the result of such mining, using the innuendo of bad language and the venacular of body parts and social interactions to great effect. Sid James is both saint and sinner in his roles as Vicar and Dick Turpin in this romp through the dark days when highwaymen wrought havoc on Britain's roadways.

Sadly, today, most of this humour would be frowned upon for the lack of political correctness which many would find offensive, but this would be to miss the point. The Carry On films served more to send up everyone including themselves and whilst it could not be considered good clean fun, it nevertheless sent a message that advocated more openness about sexuality and sexual preferences. Challenging prejudices was another aspect of these movies and Hattie Jaques was often the representation of middle class repressed Britain trying to safeguard the nation's morals.

Vulgar...yes, funny...yes, politically correct...no but I continue to enjoy these movies as I believe that they force the viewer to challenge their own preconceived views of the world.

In 1974, Carry On Dick was made at a time when the series was not far off a rapid decline in Box Office takings. Unhappy with the level of smut that was creeping into the series, Sid James, Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jaques refused to "carry on" anymore and this was their final apperance in the series. Things were shaky behind the scenes as well as Sid James real obsession for Barbara Windsor was increasing rapidly where as Kenneth Williams was blatantly unhappy with the series at this point and felt that the Carry On films had hindered his career in finding more serious roles.

The Bow Street Runners run by the incompetent Kenneth Williams and Jack Douglas are assigned to catch legendary highway man, Dick Turpin (Sid James) who is shrewdly disguised as the reverend of a quiet, country side, village church whose shady racket is aided by the bubbly Barabra Windsor and Peter Butterworth.

There is not as much action as there usually is put still plenty of fun and games to lap up and endure. The cast are all looking considerably older now but still inject life intothis film.

Sid James plays the role of Dick Turpin masterfully and he and Barbara Windsor share some sparkling scenes together and there is an undenable air of chemistry between the two, despite the personal problems they were enduring behind the scenes.

Kenneth Williams is his usual effeminate, over-the-top, incompetent and pompous figure who still vastly causes amusement despite seemingly being on auto-pilot. Jack Douglas is his sidekick who satisfies amicably enough though the pairing of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey (who had been fired from the series after 1972's classic, Carry On Abroad) was far more effective.

The loveable Joan Sims is yet again restricted to a supporting role though is engaging in her characterisation as the saucy Madame Desree. Her delightfully plummy French accent occasionally slides into a broad, cockney accent at stages which holds significant comic value and she indeed sparkles in every scene shes in.

Another loveable regular, Hattie Jaques gets chance to bubble, albeit in the background but her contribution in the film is essential, playing the reverends maid, Miss Hogget who is blatantly attracted to him, not knowing he is infact the notorious Dick Turpin.

Bernard Bresslaw returns to his manically aggressive figure of authority in this one and is surprisingly less amusing in doing so where as Kenneth Connor who had been with the series since the first entry in 1958, shows little enthusiasm in the role to be quite frank, most likey due to the fact that he is also restricted to a fairly minor supporting role.

Still all in all, Carry On Dick is great fun even if the ending is slightly weak and a littleon the ponderous side but even then it has its moment and ends, firmly holding on to that feel-good factor which had always been a large attraction with the series with Sid James and Barbara Windsor enjoying a spot of passion in a stage coach!

Great fun and incidentally, Carry On Dick (1974) became one of the most financially successful entries in the series and indeed the last sizeable hit at the Box Office.

Granted the sound was a bit off but then again so was the previous review. It is not the least funniest of the Carry On movies....Did you forget Carry On Emmanuelle? But most all the "carry on" movies have a good joke or two. Granted it isnt a non stop laugh feast for most Americans who just do not get British humour. But Carry on Dick is every bit as funny as Carry On Crusing, Carry On Teacher and so on. I still think one of the worst of the Carry On movies isnt Carry On Dick, but Carry On Loving.