Ist ja irre - Nur nicht den Kopf verlieren

The plot should have made this one of the better Carry on films, especially when you hear the premise. Unfortunately, I found a lot of the jokes to be unsatisfactory and not very memorable along with the rather one dimensional characters who all seem the same. It was fun to see Sid James along with Kenneth Williams playing the baddie but apart from that it's only a below average film.

4/10: Could have been great, but isn't and it is dull.

There is no doubt about it, Carry on don't lose your head is one of the funniest entries in the series, an utterly joyful film that is funny from start to finish. The backdrop of the French revolution is a real goody, the story line is actually really well devised also it works so well. The characters Thomas managed to create in this film are even bigger, bolder and more flamboyant then normal.

The English/French humour is always really funny and this is massively played on, there's always been a great humour between the Brits and our French cousins.

Kenneth Williams is on his absolute best form, he gets to totally camp it up and add his snideness. Sid James is great as our hero, Joan Sims is utterly delightful, what a pretty woman she was. As for Charles Hawtrey, I think after Camping it is my favourite performance from him, the best sequence has to be during Sir Rodney's ball and Camembert says to Pommfrit 'So you're the one looking for the black fingernail,' to which he produces a small hammer and hits his finger. One of many golden comedy sequences, the duel too and siege scenes are funny too. One of those films I never tire of, I love it. 9/10

Dandy fop Sir Rodney Effing has an alter ego, The Black Fingernail. A man, who along with his partner, Lord Darcy Pue, rescue French aristocrats from the clutches of the revolutionary police chief, Citizen Camembert.

Carry On producer Peter Rogers had severed his links with Anglo Amalgamated and swiftly signed up with Rank Organisation. Miffed at losing their number one cash franchise, and no doubt with a touch of petulance, Anglo's brass refused Rogers permission to using the "Carry On" prefix. Thus this picture was initially released as just "Don't Lose Your Head" in 1966. Eventually common sense prevailed, and this rightly became known as the 13th franchise entry as "Carry On Don't Lose Your Head" {tho the American release of it being called "Carry On Pimpernel" makes better sense one feels}.

Spoofing The Scarlet Pimpernel legacy with a ream of innuendo and double entendre's, the Carry On team deliver one of the better efforts from the series. This is in the main down to Talbot Rothwell's screenplay. Rothwell wrote the screenplay for 20 of the series efforts, he was someone who director and producer both trusted, and crucially that the cast also had faith in. Here his writing is excellent, if of course you be a fan of the saucy shenanigans that came with this particular part of British cinema that is? With characters called Citizen Camembert {refered to as the big cheese, get it?}, Duc de Pommfrit, Citizen Bidet and Sir Rodney Effing {yes that's two F's}, Rothwell lets loose with wave after wave of cheeky dialogue, all delivered with comic aplomb from the likes of Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and the undervalued Peter Butterworth.

There's also a real good production from Rogers. Armed with £200,000, Rogers assembled a fine wardrobe of period costumes and hired out Clandon Hall, Cliveden House and Waddesdon Manor to give the story its 18th Century feel. It's also a film that asks of its stalwarts to do a little bit more than just say risqué lines and act the goat. Oh it's all still gaudy and simple in premise, for sure, but some nice swordplay and derring-do from the boys shouldn't go unnoticed. It of course is just like most of the others they made, a cheeky romp, but to me it's proof positive that the "Carry On" series had some crackers mixed in with the dregs. Sit back and romp with the rompers I say. 7.5/10

This probably ranks as one of the better carry ons certainly in the top 10 but not quite in the top 5. Its from the period when the team were making the historical/costume carry ons that yielded so many of the classic carry on's Cleo, Cowboy and of course Up The Khyber. This time its the turn of the Black Fingernail (Sid James) to ride to the rescue of the French Aristocracy able assisted by Lord Darcy Pugh (Jim Dale) opposed by Citizens Bidet (Petter Butterworth) and Cananbert (Kenneth Williams).

James is on top form and clearly relishes the chance to play the swash buckling hero much as he did in Cowboy he steals the show in this one as Williams isn't in the fine form he was in other historical carry ons such as Cleo and Kyhber. Dale provides able support as does Butterworth who began to become a more regular cast member through this period. Jaqueline Biset looks sumptuous as the love interest but some of the best lines go to the supporting characters of Joan Simms and Charles Hawtry.

If you love Carry On's you'll adore this if not this one probably wont be the one to convert you. Overall a good carry on not up there with Cleo and Up the Khyber etc but well worthy of a 7.5 out of 10.

I always have enjoyed the Carry On movies, they are a lot of fun and there are some very talented actors in the series. There are some stinkers like England, Emmanuelle and Columbus sure, but there are gems like Screaming(my personal favourite, Cleo, Up the Khyber and Camping. Don't Lose Your Head is up there with the best entries of the series. For me it wasn't perfect, Jim Dale is wasted and Jacqueline's harp scene is cringe-worthy. However, it is tightly directed, never dull and is beautifully designed. The music is also suitably rousing, and while simple the story spoofs The Scarlet Pimpernel in a very sharp and hilarious manner. The writing and the cast though were what made Don't Lose Your Head as good as it was. Right from the names, brilliant comic incidents and entendres the gags are plentiful and the memorable quotes endless, it is really a very wittily and hilariously written film. The bloody sight exchange is a scream in particular. Sidney James is superb(even when camping it up he still manages to make for a dashing fop), of the Carry On series I think he has only been better in Khyber. Kenneth Williams steals every scene and possibly even the entire film, his comic timing is spot on and it is worth seeing him for his facial expressions alone. Charles Hawtrey has some great lines and delivers them with utter comic conviction, while Joan Sims also excels as a very aptly-named character. Overall, very good and one of the best of an entertaining series. 8/10 Bethany Cox