Derek and Clive Get the Horn

When Peter Cook died, few of his obituaries mentioned the 'Derek and Clive' albums of the mid to late 70's. They were swept under the carpet as some sort of embarrassing misdemeanor by the otherwise respectable comic genius. His ex-wife claimed that he had 'turned to the dark side' as I recall, due to drink, which she regarded as inevitable, owing to his incredible sensitivity.

Whatever. The fact remains that the Derek and Clive material might have been the product of a very different Peter Cook to the revered icon of the 60's. He was drunk, disillusioned, and harbored a white-hot fury against propriety and perhaps society in general - even including his old co-conspirator Dudley Moore, who was now just breaking into Hollywood. Despite what anyone might wish were true, the Derek and Clive material shows that Cook had lost none of his genius. Beneath the surface of the outrage and profanity is a mercurial comic mind, and an unsurpassed sense of the surreal and satirical.

'Derek and Clive Get the Horn' was filmed at the recording sessions resulting from Cook's plea to Moore to come and do one last Derek and Clive album ('Ad Nauseum'). Moore was less than enthusiastic, and even less so when Cook eventually released it (it had been on the UK prohibited films list for years), but he obliged and played the straight man one last time to Cook's stream-of-consciousness tirades.

Early on it becomes apparent just how dysfunctional the love-hate relationship between Pete and Dud had become by the time of this, their last collaboration. Cook is clearly jealous of Moore's recent success (why him? Cook knows he's the comic genius. Moore's just the boyish little guy who girls dig), and at times this fact is barely restrained. At other times it isn't restrained at all, when Cook unleashes barrages of incredibly personal abuse at Moore, which at one stage results in the latter walking out, only to be cajoled back. And at times it's clear that despite this jealousy and emnity, there is some of the old friendship and magic there; it breaks out in moments of spontaneous, boyish camaraderie. Equally, if Cook could be accused of mistreating Moore, Moore could equally be accused of staying to put up with it. The fact is, despite the personal animosity, Pete can and does crack Dudley up, and frequently reduces him to almost tearful laughter, moments after insulting him.

So much for the personal relationship business. What about the material? Well, I'm assuming that anyone who wants to chase this film down has heard at least some of the Derek and Clive material, if not the Ad Nauseum album. You know pretty much what to expect. There is extra material not featured on the album, and there is material on the album which is not shown here. What does strike you as different is the dynamic between the two performers. On the record it was clear that Cook did most of the talking while Dud just says "yeah" now and again, and that if Dud does get a story of his own going, Pete usually shuts it down and carries on with whatever he had in mind - but you really don't realize just how dominant Cook was until you see them on film. Apart from a few piano pieces which never ended up on the album, Dud is basically just there so that Pete's performance isn't a monologue.

To anyone who might be an old-time Pete and Dud fan, buying this video out of curiosity - please, be warned: this stuff burns. In the near 30 years since the Derek and Clive albums, I have honestly never heard anything which goes so far. It makes the most provocative episode of 'South Park' seem about as controversial as The Two Ronnies. It's hard to give you an example without breaking IMDb's review guidelines, but I'll try. Let's just say that far from the most offensive sketch in the movie begins with Pete describing how he was sexually aroused by the Pope's funeral on TV. "He looked so f*****g vulnerable... I couldn't prevent myself having a w*nk immediately!" And you can probably imagine where a sketch ends up, which begins with the innocent remark by Cook, "You know how it says in The Bible that Jesus was, on the whole, basically nice...?"

It's a tragic film, because Cook really was in self-destruct mode; it was the last, dysfunctional fling of a brilliant comic partnership, and Cook basically did little else for the rest of his life. It's brutal for reasons I've mentioned above, and others which I couldn't even mention here. And damn it, above all, it's terribly, terribly funny. Even on his last legs, so to speak, Peter Cook was very possibly the funniest man alive.

The film drags in places, but when it's good, it's wonderful. Horribly wonderful.

When two ordinary blokes spend an hour swearing at each other, it begins to pall after the first 30 seconds. When Peter Cook and Dudley Moore do it, you realize just how incredibly funny they were. Of course it's appalling, yes it's disgusting and as for downright filthy, well, Derek and Clive invented it. As previous comments have said, this was made at the time when Moore had just broken through into Hollywood stardom while Cook was left behind, a comic genius that nobody wanted. It goes without saying that Peter Cook was indeed the funniest man that ever lived, just listen to anything he's ever recorded or filmed. Including this magnificent testimony to the most scabrous comic invention ever to say the word "Fuc-k". But was he really furious with Dud for making it big? I don't think so. Although his alter-ego Clive might have a few words to say about it. All of them prefaced with "fuc-king cun-t" Brilliant stuff, watch it if you can find it and split your sides laughing. Then spend the next couple of hours reciting the filth you have just watched. I bet you will.

Someone once described this recording, the filmic version of Ad Nauseum, as "Pete and Dud on acid." This is hilarious. It's crude and shocking and clever and insightful. In years to come, this'll be a profoundly interesting social document. If any "film" ought to be blasted off into space for aliens from the planet Z to find and watch, then this is it. I'll bet they'd laugh their socks off at it as well.

Studio stuff worth watching.

It is hard to see why people say that in this film Dudley and Peter show they dislike each other so much. My impression is that they were both very fond of one and other and at many times this shows my looks of admiration whilst one ad-libs. It is likely during their love & hate relationship that each admirers the others comic prowess. I would not ever consider them as comic genius as this sort of comedy is something that is in all of us. They just have the 'don't care' attitude to let rip. They do say things that you wouldn't usually hear yet the capacity to say it and understand it lies within us all - it's just been suppressed by the crud we endure today as 'comedy' and the political systems in place today curbing freedom of speech.

I enjoy this form of comedy Derek and CLive do and am appreciative of material such as this. Talking boll0cks and being stupid is what we need to see more of and this film delivers it - though anything else would likely be imitation.

I've no doubt that though Cook (due to his own personal feelings and struggles in his life at that time)comes out with the odd put down to Moore, my conclusion is that Moore was Cooks' rock and punching bag. I'm sure Moore knowingly accepted this whole-heartedly and this reinforced the magic chemistry of their friendship between them and appreciation of each's well of talents.

They unleash them here but it would be easy to see that they were capable of being a hell of a lot naughtier ! Sadly, all good things come to an end.

Watch it with a few beers and with your friends and feel alive.

.... and we love every minute of it. Lord Longford and Richard Branson also get a mention.

Lewd and lascivious behaviour, drinking, drug-taking and a non-stop torrent of abuse make this the most hilarious film I've ever seen.