Not Now, Comrade

I think its one of the most funniest films I've ever seen, makes a pleasant change to have a film with NO BAD LANGUAGE in it. Makes me laugh from start to finish,and sadly not many films do that for me these days. I would love to get a copy of it on any format I can get, preferably DVD though, but video would do. There are a lot of famous people in it which play their part perfectly, and the music is enjoyable too. I don't know why every one gives it such a bad write-up, I would sure like to see it over and over again, hence why I want a copy from somewhere. The TV stations don't even seen to want to show it, its most frustrating. Can any one help me find a copy?

NOT NOW, COMRADE is a Cold War-themed British farce adapted from his own play by Ray Cooney, who also co-directs alongside TV veteran Harold Snoad (the guy later behind KEEPING UP APPEARANCES). Most of it is set inside a household where various characters are trying to evade the authorities and some are planning to defect to Britain and back to Russia again. It all gets rather complicated, as you'd expect, so it's best to think of this as a film about a bunch of oddballs and their high-energy interactions.

I think the film works well because it has a clear CARRY ON influence in its lightness of touch and slapstick jokes. I particularly enjoyed the endless innuendos which are mild enough to remain clean and yet humorous at the same time. Plus, there's a who's who British cast to enjoy. Leslie Phillips plays an older variation of his usual characters while Ian Lavender is a toffish buffoon. Roy Kinnear has some of the funniest moments as the exasperated gardener. Windsor Davies and Don Estelle have good cameos and the latter sings the title song. Carol Hawkins has little to do other than show her charms but she does that well enough and Michele Dotrice has some of Betty's exasperation about her. Lewis Fiander (DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE) is all camp as the ballet dancer and June Whitfield has a bit part. Richard Marner's goofy Russian seems to be a dry run for Colonel Von Strohm. It's good clean fun, and sorely underrated.

Not now, Comrade (1976, Leslie Philips, Ian Lavender etc) We've just attempted to enjoy this on Talking Pictures TV, but it was an impossible task. Sadly, this is what the British film industry was reduced to in the mid-70's, although it gave a good number of fading stars and soap personalities something to do. We enjoy a good Ray Cooney farce, but this isn't one of them. It's one of those 'sex comedies' that became popular at the time and no-one comes out of this one well, although Carol Hawkins does have some fine attributes and was good to look at. It's stage roots are very obvious, with people who must not meet coming and going from various doors and asking awkward questions. The scene following the Russian ballet dancer's release from the car boot is excruciating, you just want it to be over as soon as possible. The Triumph Stag was probably the best thing in the entire film and accounts for one of my 3 points. Carol Hawkins gets the other two. Ahem.

OK, it's not nearly as funny as NOT NOW DARLING but if you enjoy a good old fashioned farce, you'll enjoy this. It's not Carry On type humour and it's definitely not one of those appalling sex comedies, it's the sort of thing you'd watch at a theatre and laugh so hard it hurts.

Like a lot of comedy plays however which work brilliantly on the stage, it loses the intimacy when put on film. Sharing the same space, being in the same room as actors makes live comedy personal and special which can't quite be captured on celluloid. Nevertheless this almost works. Despite its slow start, it builds up to the most wonderfully silly crescendo when nobody is quite sure who they're having to pretend to be, why they're there and why a policeman is chasing them.

Sophisticated subtle and thought provoking this is not. Three dimensional believable characters acted with emotion and pathos, this does not provide. None of that matters because it's just fun in the tradition of Will Hay or The Aldwych Farces of the 1930s up to the more recent ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS. For a mid-seventies film, it's also refreshingly good clean fun - as I said, this is not one of those tawdry, smutty sex comedies popular back then. The roots of this style of comedy goes all the way back to the old music halls - the roots of this particular film was a stage play in the mid sixties.

Don't expect a traditional film with proper movie acting and traditional movie sets, except a filmed live comedy show. Expect a crazy hour and a half of traditional seaside postcard innuendo, the obligatory man losing his trousers (although not in front of the usual embarrassed vicar), exasperated people running in and out of rooms, mistaken identity and of course Leslie Phillips.

Disappointing after the first NOT NOW picture but still an absolute delight.

Critics may lambaste this low budget flick - but i love it! - and this film still remains one of my all time favourite classic comedies (alongside 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'.)Aimed primarily at a British audience - it may err on the side of British humour which other nationalities may find hard to understand the humour. I have to say that i laughed from start to finish with the script! What more can i say?..... Give it a watch - you will either love it or hate it! - but you certainly can't forget it! Lesley Phillips certainly fulfils his role as the Eccentric British funny-man. The film is not made out to be a classic but i feel that if you are after the humour and not flashy sets and Hollywood A-list actors, then its worth a watch! The film is certainly for an era gone by, but writing on behalf of the Eighties something generation - it is surprisingly hilarious!