Montecarlo Rally

This picture is one of those fondly remembered childhood movies for me. I'd have been six when it came out and I bought a VHS copy when that was released. It was as goofy a movie as I remembered. Tony Curtis forever muttering "darn, heck and h.e. double l" when things went wrong; Terry-Thomas being his usual beastly self. The movie is full of old friends. This is one I'd like to see fully restored (it originally had a stereo soundtrack - mentioned on the credits), and released on DVD.

This is the kind of movies I wish was much much better!A sort of free remake of "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines!" But filled with loads of humour, but that feals old fashioned by now, and awful back-projection that might have been OK back then, but is certainly awful nowdays. In the same time it could be one of the most accessible movies with britt comics Moore and Cook! One of the few films with Fleur Forsythe, or dark eyed Susan Hempshire.

The song that old Jimmy Durante sings in the end (was this his last?) is better than the whole movie in itself!

Tony Curtis, Susan Hampshire, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Gert Frobe, Terry-Thomas, Eric Porter, Jack Hawkins and french comic Bourvil! What a Cast!!!! Pity the movie isn't better!

The U.S. theatrical release of this follow-up to the highly popular epic comedy THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965) was decidedly ill-timed – coming as it did just three days after that of MIDNIGHT COWBOY! – and must have made an already inferior product (in comparison to the original) seem quaint and redundant. Perhaps this even explains the film's hacking down to 93 minutes (from an original length of 125!) over there, not to mention its sheer invisibility on TV and home video (in my neck of the woods at least) until now, via Legend Films' no-frills but full-length DVD – albeit under its more recognizable alternate title rather than the original one of MONTE CARLO OR BUST!

Perhaps inevitably, several of the same cast and crew from the predecessor are involved here as well: producer-director-co-writer Annakin, screenwriter Jack Davies, composer Ron Goodwin, actors Terry-Thomas (in a way, actually reprising his signature role by playing the son of the character he had portrayed in FLYING MACHINES), Eric Sykes (again as the latter's valet) and Gert Frobe (as, obviously, the German representative), etc. Also like its prototype, several international stars were roped in to fill out the roles of the other contestants: from the USA, Tony Curtis (who, sadly, is a long way from his winsome characterization in THE GREAT RACE [1965]); from Britain, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore (amusing as, respectively, an Army Major-cum-amateur inventor and his sidekick) and, later, Susan Hampshire (who initially tries to detour Curtis but eventually joins him); from Italy, a level-headed Walter Chiari and a typically hot-blooded Lando Buzzanca; from France, a group of three girls (played by Mireille Darc, Marie Dubois and Nicoletta Macchiavelli) who, prior to the start of the race, have a run-in with their compatriot organizer of the Monte Carlo Rally, Bourvil. There are other stars or recognizable faces making guest appearances for no real reason except to add to the fun (and expense): Jack Hawkins and Derren Nesbitt (as jewel thieves that have hid their booty inside one of Frobe's spare tyres!), Hattie Jacques (as an emancipated lady journalist), Richard Wattis and, according to the IMDb, even Paul Muller (but I didn't recognize him).

In this talented company and with the lavish budget accorded, there can't fail to be enjoyable stretches (particularly with every new contraption Cook and Moore come up with after the last one had unsurprisingly failed) and other sundry compensations (not least Jimmy Durante's grizzled intonation of the title song and the accompanying animated credits sequence); however, as I said earlier, the film is not up to the levels of inspiration that permeated its memorable predecessor. Tony Curtis only had one or two major films left before slipping into TV roles and the occasional big-screen cameo, while Annakin wouldn't really be allowed to handle another such stellar cast before a decade's time had elapsed – including the umpteenth cinematic version of "The Man In The Iron Mask" in THE FIFTH MUSKETEER (1979).

As the US title would indicate this is a sort of following to ¨Those magnificent men in their flying machines¨ (1965) . In an international car rally , competitors must travel from various points in Europe to Monte Carlo, then race their cars . As daring young men in noise slow cars trek 1500 miles across nation in the 1920s race . Contestants come from all over the world from Norway , Italy , America and other countries . Things are complicated by shenanigans , hijinks , double-crosses , honor , medicine , and love at first sight ; all of them are founded along the route . A dastardly villain (Terry Thomas) and his steward , an escaped inmate (Gert Frobe), an American hero (Tony Curtis) , a downtrodden manservant (Eric Sykes) , two military gentlemen (Dudley Moore , Peter Cook) are the competitors , among others . Meanwhile , a nobleman named Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage (Terry-Thomas) has sabotaged cars that start coming apart here , there and everywhere .

Auto race in an uproarious European tour ,circa 1920 ,completed with crashes , cheating , snow-chases , smuggling , inventions , bounds and leaps . These spectacular old cars provide the most side-splitting moments in a picture whose greatest assets are the animated Ronald Searle cartoons and the beginning , middle and final . Dudley Moore and and Peter Cook have various fun moments , while Gert Frobe is great as an astute villain . There's rather too much romance between Tony Curtis-Susan Hampshire and Lando Buzzanca-Mireille Darc . Special mention to Terry Thomas again in dastardly form as a British nasty who plans to sabotage all his rivals in the Monte Carlo rally . This followup to ¨Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes¨ had the same director (Ken Annakin), writers (Jack Davies and Annakin), composer (Ron Goodwin), and five actors . Terry-Thomas played the son of his character in the earlier movie, and Eric Sykes' character was again an employee of Terry-Thomas'. Gert Fröbe, William Rushton, and Michael Trubshawe played unrelated roles. Lively and jolly musical score by Ron Goodwin and theme song was sung by Jimmy Durante , including a piece of music entitled "The Schickel Shamble" which accompanies many of Gert Fröbe's scenes . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Gabor Pogany .

¨Montecarlo or Bust¨ belongs to a trilogy in which old machines such as cars and planes participate into spectacular races across Europe : the first was ¨The great race¨ by Blake Edwards with Tony Curtis , Natalie Wood , Ross Martin , Arthur O'Connell ; the second was ¨Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes¨ (1965) in which a wealthy newspaper publisher is persuaded to sponsor an air race from London a Paris , being directed by Ken Annakin with Stuart Withman , Sarah Miles , Get Frobe , Terry Thomas , Red Skelton ,Irene Demick and the third this ¨Montecarlo or bust¨.

This inferior sequel was professionally directed by Ken Annakin , though being sporadically funny and overly long : Ken was an expert on Adventure genre as ¨The new adventures of Pippi Longstockings¨, ¨Pirate movie¨ , ¨Paper tiger¨, ¨The fifth Musketeer¨ , ¨Call of wild¨, ¨The Swiss family Robinson¨, ¨Land of fury¨, ¨The Sword and the Rose¨, ¨The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men¨, ¨Third man on the mountain¨ and Wartime genre as ¨Battle of the Bulge¨, and ¨The Longest day¨.

In the 1920's several international characters gather to compete in the gruelling Monte Carlo Rally. Some will employ fair means or foul to ensure victory.

This film was a follow up of sorts to 1965's 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines', although it also bares similarities to 'The Great Race'(in which Tony Curtis once again starred). Sadly it is not in the same class as either. It lacks the coherence, wit and spectacle of 'Flying Machines', despite Ken Annakin being at the helm once more. In fairness to him the main problem is the screenplay - its simply not that funny. This causes an over reliance on the visual gags, and here again the film falls short. The effects aren't terribly special even for 1969. Some of the characters are also downright irritating - I'm thinking particularly of the Italians - bulging eyed, flailing armed, noisy oafs.

There are some compensations however. Dear old Terry-Thomas and Eric Sykes repeat their double act from the previous film to some effect, and Susan Hampshire is every inch the English Rose. But its Peter Cook and Dudley Moore who steal the show as a British Army Officer/Inventor and his Batman respectively. They have all the best lines and manage to deliver them in a typically deadpan and upper class manner. Example:- As their car hurtles down a snowy hillside out of control, and having tried every concievable method of stopping it to no avail, Cook calmly announces "This simply won't do at all!" Priceless.

Not a total disaster then, but considering the talent involved, with better writing and more careful work all round it could have been, and indeed should have been, so much better.