She'll Have to Go

Pleasant movie about a couple of impoverished brothers living in a mansion that get stiffed in their grandmother's will. Anna shows up as the heiress and they bounce back and forth as whether to marry or kill her to get at the money. None of the comedy works. Outcome is predictable. Karina is gorgeous.

Now I could never stand Bob Monkhouse. However I found Alfred Marks screamingly funny, especially on his chat show appearances So here we have one plus and one minus making a definite minus.

This was one of a number of films made at the time where the main plot point was murdering a relative for some good reason.

Based on a play one has to assume that audiences found it funny. If they did this film adaptation does not recreate anyof the fun times had in the theatre.

Following the international success of Brigitte Bardot, a glamorous continental star became de rigueur in many British films of the late fifties and early sixties. Here it's Anna Karina, standing in the way of two fortune-hunting brothers, played by Alfred Marks and Bob Monkhouse, living in unlikely circumstances with their butler in an old mansion on top of a cliff. Marriage or murder are the options, and the brothers decide on the latter. So you can split your sides laughing as Marks laces her cakes with rat poison and fall about as Monkhouse attempts to run her over. Rarely in his distinguished career can he have worked as hard in pursuit of so few laughs. Maybe a more accomplished director than Robert Asher could have wrung some more humour out of the various other assassination attempts that go awry, but such tired business as the revolving fireplace that plays no part in the plot, and Peter Butterworth's short-sighted doctor, look desperate. Far too little is seen of Hattie Jacques, whose eccentric journalist provides the few real moments of fun. Now out on DVD, and described as 'stylish' on the blurb, which was not the first word to occur to me.

I am adding reviews of all films I've seen that lack one at time of writing, here is the brief note I made at the time.... 'Good British comedy about a couple of poor brothers who's stately home has been left to a foreign cousin, what's the solution murder or marriage? Good.' It appears a fairly obscure title, mine is the 16th vote, though the director and many cast members will be familiar to anyone who knows British comedy of the 50's & 60's. I have no memory now of the film, but I did see it some 31 years ago in May 83, on BBC1, UK TV, check it out if you get a chance. I need to pad, the director Robert Asher is best remembered for his work on a number of Norman Wisdom films.

The comedy farce 'She'll Have To Go' about a pair of brothers who - when their indulgent lifestyle is threatened - plan murder, starts off quite brightly.

The dialogue between the brothers and their butler is fairly sharp and lively with some good chuckles to be had. Alas, director Asher doesn't seem to have confidence in the material as he inserts various 'wacky' visual tricks that are jarring and irritating.

In anycase the film gets weaker the longer it goes on. Notwithstanding Hattie Jaques' amusing performance, her journalist character could have easily been excised from the film without anything being lost. And the final 20 minutes or so are particularly tedious and dreary.

The film does gain an extra level of interest though with Anna Karina's presence and not just because she does well in her role. To see someone who is on the verge of becoming an icon of the cutting-edge French New Wave appear in an old-hat British stage farce mixed with a dollop of 'Carry On' style bawdy humour is curiously fascinating.