The Rebel

It was a natural step for Tony Hancock in attempting to become successful in the medium of cinema. He longed for success in America and the only way he might have achieved this, was by making tailor-made films. "The Rebel" was the result. The year of the film's release - 1961, saw Hancock at the peak of his popularity in Britain. At one stage, about 23% of the British population were either tuning into his radio series or were watching him on television. Such an achievement is seldom. "The Rebel" is a very good effort and I always enjoy the film. For the first time in his distinguished career, Hancock appeared in technicolour after four years of performing in black and white. I shall forever recall my inital surprise and slight bewilderment at seeing this comedy legend in colour. It took me a while to adapt to seeing Hancock in anything except monochrome. The story wisely has the comedian playing the same character of 23 Railway Cuttings and with the identical character traits. Hancock is wanting to better himself after feeling he has denied himself his true potential and calling in his life. He has endeavours in wanting to become a painter and so, he leaves his job as an office clerk and moves to Paris. Whilst there, "The Lad Himself" meets a fellow struggling artist and they share digs, hoping that success might beckon. It does but in ways Hancock never expected...... I am glad that Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote the script as who better to write for Hancock than those two individuals? The comedian collaborated with the writers on the story and whose name is listed during the opening credits under story. There are some great scenes here, such as watching Hancock attempting to paint various buildings around Paris, befriending the Avant Garde characters, getting mixed up with a criminal mob and other highlights. Watching "The Rebel," I sense a kind of loneliness with Hancock in his character. The way he has no family to speak of, not many friends, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with his lot in life, embarking upon his adventures in Paris alone and not knowing a single soul in France anywhere. However, he comes across as self-reliant, independent and determined to realise his dream as an artist. This film would mark the final time that Tony Hancock worked with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. One of the most talented and successful collaborations in British comedy history would draw to a close. The film did respectable business at the British box office and a Gala reception was held in London for the films release. Unfortunately, America took little notice. Their loss! I highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Hancock or of British comedy in general.

Despite the fact that it's written by Tony himself with Galaton and Simpson's assitance, and that it's beginning and ending are set at the hotel where Hancock resided in the last season, this film feels quite different from "Hancock's Half hour".

However it overcomes it's shortcomings, has a good number of laughs with snappy one-liners and makes me look foward to seeing "The Punch and Judy man" ( another Hancock film ).

7.5/10

( Rated G/U due to the absence of offensive content )

Tony is trapped in the drudgery of a 9-5:30 office job. But at night he is an artist who has great talent and vision (he believes). When he decides to quit his job and move to France he falls in with a group of artists who admire the `childlike' quality to his work. However when he passes another artists work off as his own and gets signed by a major agent he begins to get over his head in trouble.

For fans of Hancock's Half Hour on the BBC this film will represent strange new ground – an extension of the short concise stories with depression being the overriding source of Hancock's comedy. Here the story sees him less put down and more of a winner – this removes a lot of what made him funny.

However the story still has wit as Hancock makes fun of the pretentious art crowd and makes fun of his own inability to paint. However the running time is perhaps too long to sustain and much of the comedy is such that it could easily have been done by anyone – rarely is Hancock's unique style allowed material to work with.

Hancock is still good though, and him misfiring is still funny. George Sanders has an interesting role and it's always good to see John Le Mesurier in anything. However at times you can't help feeling that Sid James could have been added somewhere. In fact the whole film would have been better modelled around the format of the TV and radio shows.

Overall this is the film failing – it is stretched and, for most of the second half, it's comedy is not the usual Hancock fare that so many loved. It's funny but it'll make you seek out tapes and videos of his classic shows.

An often overlooked and underrated Hancock vehicle as the Lad from East Cheam inadvertently becomes the toast of the art world when his flatmate's paintings are accidentally attributed to him instead of his own primitive childish daubs.

Great ensemble cast with John Le Mesurier as his boss, the sublime Irene Handl as his landlady Mrs Cravat and George Sanders as his pompous artistic agent.

At the films' centre is a sharp and nicely played critique of the hypocrisy and snobbishness of the art world with the usual taut Galton and Simpson script full of smart one liners.

"What's that?" asks Mrs Cravat looking at a bright pink picture of a man in a beret. "It's a self portrait" replies Hancock. "Who of?" counters Mrs Cravat.

Look out for a very young Nanette Newman as an Existentialist acolyte in the party scene and also Oliver Reed as a cafe artist.

8/10

I remember seeing The Rebel, on general release, in Croydon - three or four miles from where the railway scenes were shot: a bygone branch line and now demolished station off Coombe Road. (We used to walk past it a couple of times each week in the 1950s in the Elmhurst 'crocodile' to play sports at Lloyd Park. Happy days, indeed.) Unfortunately, I have never been very comfortable with the film - and I have persevered with it over the years. The Hancock attitude quickly wears thin and the script is simply below par for these writers. Best scenes, apart from the nostalgia element, are those with Irene Handl; Margit Saad (best known to me from Magnificent Two)is easy on the eye, as ever, but must have been embarrassed with her banal Margot character.

Nevertheless, I am pleased that the picture has its adherents. Where is Margit Saad today? A directorial credit around 1990 and seemingly nothing since.