Rattle of a Simple Man

Difficult to believe that in the era of the British new wave that they were making films as clichéd and patronising as this,not to say generally unfunny.It is clear that Percy is a close relative to Harold with the sole exception of the fact that he is hen pecked by his mother rather than scolded by his father.The characters are all clichés,P_ercy the virgin meeting up with the tart with a heart of gold.The only dark lining being the hint at incest.There has been an attempt to open out the play,the trouble is that sooner or later we come back to the bedroom and have to put up with the antics of Percy.No wonder the British cinema was in such decline if this is the sort of film that they were making.

I first saw this film as an impressionable teenager and after the scene where the gorgeous Diane Cilento dances around her bed sitting room she overtook Alexandra Bastedo of The Champions as the most beautiful woman ever.

The plot is simple. Group of Manchester United footy fans go down to London for a big match. The quiet, shy northern oik played by Harry H Corbett, accepts a drunken bet to spend the night with the classy Diane Cilento.

What follows is an amusing comedy dialogue between the experienced worldly prostitute and shy and awkward Corbett as they dance around the issue. Can she entice him to bed? or will he lose his bet and return, ashamed, back to his friends before the coach leaves at midnight?

While this dialogue is going on, the sub plot involves his mates going from pub to pub getting more and more drunk. This is quite amusing also as you warm to the characters as the evening progresses.

If you like old films and gentle comedy then this one is a gem.

The story line is almost irrelevant in this touching tale of two completely unrelated people who, by chance, come together and find that, indeed, opposites do attract.

Harry H.Corbett, literally on the verge of debuting the role of Harold Steptoe, preludes facets of that character in his role as Percy, the "simple" man who turns out to be anything but. Diane Cilento as Cyrenne excels as the world-wise lady of the night who, possibly, craves the stability of a life she's overly quick to deride.

I love this charming little character study - and it includes one of the most poignant lines in the history of movies, hidden away as it is in a film long since forgotten.

"I'm 39. You came along too late" he says to Cyrenne , as he realises the opportunity of a life outwith the confines of the cotton mill and his mother's strings could only ever be a fantasy....or is it? Cue the delightful last scene.

Don't miss this. Do what you have to do to view it.

I've seen this film twice over the years on the late night movies and would gladly buy a copy but it doesn't seem to be available on VHS anywhere from anybody - and believe me, I've looked! This is a pity because for a low budget film in black and white, most of which takes place between two people in one room, it succeeds in holding your interest as you really care what happens to the two principals. The movie takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride as you laugh and cry with them through their hopes, anger, fears and dreams. I would rate this as a 10 out of 10.

I saw the "The Rattle of A Simple Man" probably in the North Atlantic in December of 1965 and still sit up when I hear or read the name of Diane Cilento. She and the movie made that big an impression on me! I've certainly been a fan of British film ever since.

As a 21 year old soldier coming back from Europe on the troop ship USNS General Maurice Rose, I saw the film sitting on the cold hard floor of one of the ship's spaces. I'm not even sure there was a screen; the film may just have been projected on one of the walls of the compartment, and as the ship rocked and rolled over the waves, so, too, did the film. Besides immediately falling in love with Diane Cilento, I can still remember being amazed that the U.S. military - not exactly a paragon of intellect or sophistication, especially in those years - was actually showing this English film to the troops. After all, I had just spent several years of enduring the Army's favoring the commentary of Paul Harvey on Armed Forces Radio and of reading the Army's self-serving coverage in the European Stars and Stripes newspaper.

There is an atmosphere of Britain transmitted in this film that doesn't even exist in Britain, itself, anymore. I hope you enjoy the film now as much as I did then.