The Sandwich Man

If one was reviewing The Sandwich Man by the head alone and not the heart, then 5/10, possibly even 4/10 might be in order, here.

Being mid 40's, I can just recall Michael Bentine on TV when I was very young. These must have been repeats of his BBC shows 'It's a Square World' and whilst he appeared funny and weird, the material was, obviously, above me.

Now, on UK Gold, comes 1966's The Sandwich Man. As others have said, it's a time capsule of swinging London and its rainbow of colourful characters. From Dora Bryan to a real who's-who of every comic actor that even I'd heard of and have enjoyed and been brought up with. They're like an extended family!

Though many hang their heads in shame these days, the playful way that white actors played ethnics is a part of the package and it was FAR more innocent and affectionate than most folk ever realise. It's actually part of our television and film heritage, so enjoy and accept it for what it was THEN.

As my subject line says, the script definitely takes second fiddle, to the point where I wonder if there actually was one, or at least stuck to! And, the gags now have been so overdone and are so familiar through countless Carry On's and similar comic vehicles, that, really, they barely raise a titter these days. However, the idea of Bentine wearing a sandwich board and going round the locations, catching up with his friends is a good one and I have to admit, the Park scenes, toward the end, with the escaped sit-on mower was actually really funny and his final 'escape' will surprise you - it did me!

Still, I had fun watching it, looking out for the stars of yesterday and comparing a largely lost London with our society today.

This is quite a strange and eccentric movie and parts of it will look very strange to modern audiences.

In particular, the racial stereotyping which nowadays will be regarded by many as 'politically incorrect' to say the least.

The humour is rather zany but you need to remember that Michael Bentine was a member of the Goons: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298349/ which itself was rather surreal.

I think that this is a gem of English cinema.

It contains lots of old English character actors, most of whom are, sadly, no longer with us.

Most of the performances are of the 'cameo' type, lasting only a few minutes.

It is set in the Swinging Sixties and shows London at the time. Because London was like that (although not as eccentric!).

Many people nowadays will consider the movie to be 'lame' but it is enjoyable for those with an interest in social history and the actors of the time.

A bit of a strange little comedy, this. It's extremely episodic in nature, a string of slightly connected sketches centred around a sandwich man who wanders the streets of London and encounters various bizarre characters and situations along the way.

Some of it is good, but the bits that aren't funny tend to outweigh those that are. Some of the highlights include Norman Wisdom attempting to navigate his way around a gym and Bernard Cribbins appearing as an amateur photographer. There are also a LOT of familiar faces, mostly in one-scene cameos: Diana Dors, Ian Hendry, Harry H. Corbett, Ron Moody, Terry-Thomas, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Burt Kwuok, Dora Bryan. It's almost a who's who of the British comedy scene in the 1960s.

Sadly, the film's distinctive lack of plotting, Michael Bentine's rather insipid lead character and the proliferation of dated humour make THE SANDWICH MAN rather difficult to sit through these days, although nostalgia buffs might enjoy seeing the spacious and relatively traffic-free London of yesteryear.

Bentine was right when he said it suffered from poor editing.

His character was the connecting thread on which to hang various short sketches or skits, some better than others.

Bentine's character is mostly a bystander to the action, mainly cut shots showing his reaction to what's going on, which is a shame as he's not really given a chance to shine.

Worth a six just to see London how it was in the 1960's... So many National Treasures in one film... Sadly most of them are long gone... Think Bernard Cribbins is the only one left in 2022... Quirky and worth a watch on a miserable winter afternoon...