Nur über eine Leiche

If there's any movie that's disappeared, remains totally forgotten and rarely shown on TV, it's this movie. It's interesting how some movies vanish without a trace. The title implies a Carry On, Norman Wisdom, Frankie Howerd style of comedy but it's nothing of the sort.

It's a well-made, carefree caper film with a youthful and dashing David Hemming and an icy, impossibly beautiful Alexandra Stewart teamed with Richard Attenborough. Hammer Films fans will appreciate seeing Melissa Stribling, the Count's almost-bride from Horror of Dracula, and wife of Basil Dearden, director of this picture written by Len Deighton (The Ipcress File).

This is a glossy tongue-in-cheek tale of two conmen and their girlfriend accomplice constantly trying to keep one step a head of the game with mixed success.

A love-triangle develops as the young protege tries to take over from his old mentor and to steal his girlfriend to boot. Needless to say, their feuding only complicates things and leads to a good twist at the end.

The good-natured direction is upbeat and enthusiastic, the acting is accomplished right down to the supporting cast and the theme tune by Ron Grainer is catchy and interspersed by pleasant incidental scores. This movie is well worth viewing should you be lucky enough to find it on tv one afternoon.

A very slick, glossy and well-paced opening got my attention. The accompanying whistling score was unique and enjoyable, and added to the feel of a professional, military-like operation. Fifteen minutes in, I was transfixed and had high expectations. Sadly, the story quickly falls apart. The cool and efficient team, gone; in its place, incompetence and betrayal, leading to an unsatisfactory second and third act, which were mostly pointless and predictable. It was almost a film in reverse.

Great locations, well shot, good performances, very much of its time. Thematically, I couldn't help think this may have been the inspiration for the 2004-2012 BBC series, Hustle, which had a similar concept (wise veteran, cool younger man, glamorous woman, who con greedy and unpleasant marks). Overall, worth a watch. With a better script, it could have been a classic.

The earnestness of Dearden & Relph's earlier collaborations had by their glossy international entertainments of the late sixties been replaced by a cynical larkiness, abetted in this case by Whistling Jack Smith's jolly main theme.

There are darker moments such as (SLIGHT SPOILERS COMING:) the fate of Edric Connor, although the even worse fate suffered by one of the original marks in the stylish pre-credits sequence stays in the original novel; an indication of how much more light-hearted this adaptation is than Len Deighton's original book.

Melissa Stribling has probably the best of her occasional roles in her husband's films.

Just saw this on Talking Pictures TV, which shows old films and TV. And some of their content is well wort watching, albeit from yesteryear, but of course in with some good stuff are some right clunkers, and this is one. I see one reviewer calls it "well worth watching" -- Lord knows why.

The paper called it a 'comedy' in the TV listings, I presume they think Chekhov was a riot of one-liners and gags?

This is a 60s caper movie, several episodes of con-men playing tricks, and it's the most dreadful tosh -- I've no idea why anyone would care about any character, and I'd guess that any audience for it were misled by Len Deighton's name, and the lead actors. The players to be fair do their best (though Hemmings always seemed to me to play the same character), and as several have said, those off camera know their stuff.

But it's all essentially pointless, and very hard to care what happens at all. And for anyone who thinks that it might be worth a look, due to the 'comedy' description, well, don't expect Cary Grant or P G Wodehouse. I think it's probable the 'Larf' in the title was satire, it certainly wasn't accurate. Oddly enough there was a TV sitcom (UK) of the same name, set in a hospital, with Richard Wilson (later Victor Meldrew), James Bolam (Likely Lads), and Peter Bowles (lots of things). That WAS quite funny, but don't get it muddled with this twaddle!