Customer Reviews

The Wrong Box [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought this was supposed to be released on DVD, but have yet to find a copy. Own a copy on VHS, but I am sure the troop of Finsbury will be much more enjoyable on DVD!! This is one overlooked gem, with a cast that won't quit.

The Finsbury are gentle Victorian Brits down on their luck. Where to start with the Finsbury Clan...well Michael Caine plays struggling student doctor Michael Finsbury. He and his uncle, John Mills (Masterman Finsbury) live next door to Masterman's brother Joseph Finsbury (Ralph Richardson), but they don't speak because of long standing feud and the fact they are the last two survivors of a tontine - a trust where all the families of children put in a certain amount of money with the "winner" being the last kid standing. Sort of an exclusive lottery. With all their classmates dead - and both Masterman and Joseph needing the money desperately, they are eager to see the other with one foot in the grave. Since the feud has gone on, Julia Finsbury and John and Morris Finsbury (wards of Joseph) do not speak with Michael Finsbury. Though Julia pines for Michael from the mail slot in her door.

Michael and his riotous butler, Peacock (Wilfred Lawson) are reduced to selling off every piece of china and furniture they can just to make ends meet. When Masterman has a seizure a.k.a. tizzy fit from trying to kill...um, seeing Joseph, everyone presumes he is dead. John and Morris see this as their opportunity to finally gain the pounds they so richly desire. Only they believe Joseph was killing a train wreck. They have to keep Joseph "alive" to win the tontine, so they visit Dr. Pratt who loves cats (Peter Sellers) to get a forged death certificate. Meanwhile Julia and Michael have falling in love, meaning they can get married and live happily ever after with Julie being Julie Finsbury Finsbury....but wait...what happened to the Bournemouth Strangler???

Well, you will just have to watch The Wrong Box to find out!! Mad cap from beginning to end and Caine putting in a wonderful performance showing his comedic skill. Utterly Brilliant

THE WRONG BOX defines humorlous Victorian Age in a humorous way with a wit worthy of its' blue ribbon cast including Michael Caine and Peter Sellers. It was a Victorian time when cousin Caine is turned on by a turned ankle at the hem of cousin Nanette Newman's skirt during the strains of "If you were the only girl in the world." Their destiny was love and resounding relief when each learned that both were orphans in fact: "Father was a missionary, eaten by his Bible class." Peacock, the butler, is a vestigial up-and-up English retainer servant. "Beggin your pardon, Sir. I haven't been paid in seven years." His scenes put you on notice that the next thing you'll hear is yourself chuckling. Sellers is unbelievably funny as the back-alley abortionist,Dr. Pratt, hired by one of the cousins to provide a blank, signed death certificate. He practices from a cat-infested office. His bedside manner hinges on cats which he uses to wipe his hands and blot his signature [on the phony death certificate]. Hearing Sellers cough, Peter Cook asks if the doctor is okay. Sellers answers, "I'm okay. It's only a hair ball." I don't know of an equal to this British laugh convention. THE WRONG BOX proves out that greed is great breeding ground for good comedy.

In a previous review, I said that only Bedazzled captured the comic brilliance of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore on screen. I take that back. Cook and Moore have a delightful outing in The Wrong Box, which also provides delightful outings for John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Michael Caine, Peter Sellers and many other great British comic actors. Based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrong Box tells of two warring, elderly brothers who are the last surviving members of a tontine--a lottery whose proceeds go to the last surviving participant--and the machinations of their various family members to try and get their hands on the money. The family members vary between the naive (Richardson, Caine, Nanette Newman), the crooked (Mills, Cook) and those falling somewhere in-between (Moore), and there are schemes, corpses and misunderstandings galore. Add a serial killer, a train wreck, a doddering butler, two hearses chasing each other and Sellers as a drunken, cat-loving doctor, and you have a smashing entertainment which provides constant chuckles and frequent belly-laughs. The Victorian sets are opulent, the music by John Barry supremely hummable. For fans of British humor, it's a treasure.

THE WRONG BOX defines humorless Victorian Age in a humorous way with wit worthy of its' blue ribbon cast including Michael Caine and Peter Sellers. It was a Victorian time when cousin Caine is turned on by a turned ankle under the hem of cousin Nanette Newman's skirt during the musical strains of "If you were the only girl in the world." Their destiny was love and resounding relief when each learned that both were orphans in fact: "Father was a missionary, eaten by his Bible class." Peacock, the butler, is a vestigial up-and-up English retainer servant. "Beggin your pardon, Sir. I haven't been paid in seven years." His scenes put you on notice that the next thing you'll hear is yourself chuckling. Sellers is unbelievably funny as the back-alley abortionist,Dr. Pratt, hired by one of the cousins to provide a blank, signed death certificate. He practices from a cat-infested office. His bedside manner hinges on cats which he uses to wipe his hands and blot his signature [on the phony death certificate]. Hearing Sellers cough, Peter Cook asks if the doctor is okay. Sellers answers, "I'm okay. It's only a hair ball." I don't know of an equal to this British laugh convention. THE WRONG BOX proves out that greed is great breeding ground for good comedy.

One of my all-time favorite comedies. With a fabulous cast (Michael Caine, Ralph Richardson, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers), great performances and a very funny script, this movie is a delight from beginning to end. Michael Caine and Cook/Moore are cousins who will inherit from different brothers, where the brother who lives the longest will inherit a huge sum. Our hero, Caine, doesn't know that Moore/Cook are attempting to dispose of the uncle in the way. Set in Victorian/Edwardian times, this black comedy ironically sets this lethal situation in that oh-so-genteel atmosphere. The cameo performance of Peter Sellars as the cat-engulfed doctor is almost worth the price of the movie. It's a hoot!

A magnificent British comedy from 1966, starring (a young) Michael Caine, Nanette Newman, Dudley Moore, and Sir Ralph Richardson, among other luminaries. While consistently funny, this comedy also has a heart and a wonderful story. The acting, comic timing, editing, and directing are all utterly first rate. One of the best of the best. 2 thumbs up!

This is a must see. Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Ralph Richardson, John Mills. Hilarious black comedy set in Victorian London. I believe it is based (loosely) on a Robert Louis Stevenson story, "The Tantin (sp?)". The plot revolves around a tantin, a pot of money that goes to the last surviving participant . Most of the story involves the last two survivors (the movie begins with a quick review of the demise of each of the less fortunate participants) and a small group of relatives that surround them. These include greedy, creepy plotters, trying to cheat to be in line for the fortune; and innocent, sweet and frustratedly sexual near lovers who are oblivious to everything but each other. The scenes with Peter Sellers as a drunken and disoriented Doctor are priceless.

The Wrong Box is a little known gem - a film adorned with dark humour involving a cast of superb actors. The premise is that in the early 19th century the parents of a group of young boys enter into a lottery (a tontine) by each investing £1000, the total being paid to the boy who lives longest. The film takes place in the late 19th century, during the old age of the boys (most of whom have already died) and revolves around the two remaining members of the tontine, the brothers Finsbury. One of the brothers (Sir John Mills) is on his deathbed, meaning that if he dies his brother (Sir Ralph Richardson) will acquire the tontine. The film's highlights involve the two nephews of Sir Ralph Richardson's character (Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore) trying to get their grubby hands on the tontine despite thinking that their uncle has been tragically killed in an unfortunate train accident, occuring on the way to visit the dying brother. The film is a gentle victorian comedy and improves on each viewing. Highly recommended for those who like charming, subtle fare.

The cast list reads like a 'Who's who' of British comedy greats - Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, not to mention minor luminaries (!) such as John Mills, Ralph Richardson Nanette Newman and Michael Caine. Everyone who has seen it has his or her favourite moment - Nanette Newman asking Michael Caine to 'Talk a little lower' - Masterman Finsbury's (John Mills) frenzied attempts to murder his estranged brother Joseph (Ralph Richardson) and of course the incomparable Peter Sellers as Dr Pratt, the venial doctor ('I was not always as you see me now...'). Fans in the USA rejoice, you might be pining to see it on DVD but you can at least watch it, over here in the UK (where it was made, for goodness' sake) we can only wait for infrequent airings on terrestrial TV.

This is a film that NEEDS to be remastered on DVD. It's the hands-down best of the "Sixties British Comedy" genre, and you'll howl at the irony as well as the dry, ironic dialogue. The film was a huge hit at the box office, and would be a huge hit as a DVD release because there are two new generations who have never seen it. I hope someone out there notices this clamor for a DVD.