The Fast Lady

Good, clean family fun. Some giggles towards the end. In the tradition of the Doctor and Carry on films. Worth a place in the DVD collection.

A not very taxing, and inevitably somewhat misogynstic, comedy with the experienced and rather typecast leading artistes hamming it up for all they can. Worth it for the sunny street views of England in the early 1960's. Fleeting bit parts by a number of big name British comedians - one wonders why more use was not made of them. Liberties are taken with a vintage Bentley in lots of sight gags that simply could not be afforded these days....

A blast form the past, one of those innocent films enjoyed so much for its innocence and charm of the early 1960's, an hour and a half of sheer escapeism. The cast members warm to their roles and and give added charm to the film. And, as for the car, i'd give it a good home any day !!

As a child of about 8 I had a mania for cars. This was back in the late 70s, when there were still a lot of cars from the 50s and 60s on the roads. I remember this film came on the telly one afternoon and I was absolutely hooked, loads of great cars...and it was really funny too!

The film is a bit patchy (the daydream near the start is a bit overdone) but overall it's a real cracker of a film, you definitely come away from it with a big smile on your face. It's also a real 'spot the actor' film.

Personally I love seeing all the bygone street scenery (the black and white striped signposts, the North Thames Gas Board shop with all the old fridges in the window, etc) and the great old British cars. I now live in the States and seeing this film makes me pine for the Old Country a bit!

The film's now out on DVD, well worth another look.

Honestly the Fast Lady is a transition film - shades of 50s comedies like School For Scoundrels or the Doctor films, and shades of 60 with touches of Carry On.

For my money this falls uncomfortably between the two stools - what should be a major hit with a great cast drag awfully in places - though the comedy is not bad it's just not at its best. A little crude perhaps? All in all, great to watch if there's nothing else on a Saturday afternoon but a long way from being my favourite - and I normally love anything with James Robertson Justice in it - curmudgeon at its best.

The script can't decide whether it's New Britain 60s cool or a flashback to the 50s, but it has it moments. Stanley Baxter is the Scottish Norman Wisdom and if that's your cup of tea you'll love it.