Dad's Army

TV shows from the 1970's which were turned into films were usually terrible. Dad's Army is the big exception. The formula from the TV show worked just as well on the big screen and with the bigger budget it's lovely to see people walking around Walmington-on-Sea. The plot is similar to parts of some of the TV episodes, but that doesn't matter because they're still as funny. Other parts like when Mainwaring, Wilson and Frazer are stranded on the raft are classic. The only thing I can criticise it for is the sometimes obvious lack of input from the TV shows creators and writers, Jimmy Perry and David Croft. But beautiful performances from Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn etc.

There is something of the swings and roundabouts in this adaptation of the cracking BBC series. On the one hand, the feature length format allows us to develop more the Perry/Croft characters, on the other it removes some of the quickly-paced potency of the humour... Either way, though, it's still an hugely enjoyable watch that reconciles great sitcom writing from these two literal geniuses with a cast and scenario that delivers potent reminders of just how those "left on the shelf" determined to make a valuable contribution to the protection of their country against the Nazi scourge. It has the same cast as the television series, and depicts the formation of their unit under the command of nitwit "Capt. Mainwaring" (Arthur Lowe). The film has a more comically militaristic theme to it - they drill, eventually with firearms (not a great idea in their gas-powered, converted, butcher's van!) before they find themselves engaged in manoeuvres under the watchful eye of the slightly bumptious "Gen. Fullard" (Bernard Arched). Of course, just about everything goes wrong - but the humour is genuinely funny; the dialogue subtly enhances what we can not only see, but frequently anticipate - and that adds bundles to the enjoyment of this. Again, it swipes at the pomposity of the upper classes, the aspiration of a newly establishing middle class and of the industriousness of the chancer - expertly epitomised by "Hodges" - part time warden/greengrocer and black-marketeer "Pte. Walker" (James Beck). The film does rehash a little of the original innovation, but it's still a great spirited depiction of some really courageous folks who did their bit!

"Dad's Army" gets off reasonably lightly here, in view of the old problem British cinema had in adapting popular sitcoms to film in the 1970s. There is a coarsening of the humour, but the historical setting perhaps provides a disincentive to the low-rent ribaldry so beloved of, say, the era's Carry Ons, Confessions..., Frankie Howerd or even Steptoe and Son films.

And, contrastingly with Brambell and Corbett, Lowe and Le Mesurier and the rest are restrained, more or less fully in tune with their television portrayals. It is only the often simplified nature of the scriptwriting which impoverishes the characters; they are otherwise present and correct. I feel it was a good decision to re-use the plot of "The Man and the Hour", the series' opening episode, which proves an excellent way to establish the setting, scenario and characters - was this possibly done to help with overseas sales? (I would hazard a bet that it was most successful in Britain overall, which would say a lot...) Such scenes as that of Mainwaring's condescending attitude to the chap in the wireless shop (as they listen to Eden's speech...), and the initial 'interviews' with Jones, Walker etc. stand up as effectively as they did on TV, and are beautifully played.

Unfortunately, a glaring error is to actually show the Germans, and mainly as purpose just to point up the plucky 'ingenuity' and 'improvisation' - themes constantly emphasises in the film - of the British Home Guard in comparison with the ruthlessly-planned German army. A contemporary reviewer rightfully mentioned that this robbed the film of the TV series' air of gentle, almost otherworldly fantasy: the Germans are always imagined, and are thus far more serious... and the TV series' focus was on the platoon's world: equally absurd and deadly serious. They are in exactly the same shoes as the older audience, present in the Home Front during WW2, who would never have *seen* actual Germans. The film takes a more 'epic' approach, which makes for a strongly nationalistic tone: most marked in John Burke's novelisation of the film, with its solemn 'and we won' ending.

The essential quality of Englishness is beautifully reflected in Godfrey's reading Edward Lear beneath a tree in the pouring rain, and in the use of location filming in the timeless, gorgeous English countryside. Unfortunately, this is double-edged; like the TV series, the 'training manoeuvres' seem just an excuse to get some nice exterior filming. Admittedly, the humour of these scenes might appeal to some, and some of the stalwart actors manage to raise laughs in me, but overall, the long section in the middle of the film is just padding between the cogent bits.

The ending in the church is terribly low-key, but fittingly in the sense of the 'stiff upper lip' heroism the film is celebrating - heroism always with a touch of the amateurish and absurd. I don't particularly like the ears-to-the-ground final scene, mind; they should have ended with the blissfully English 'going about business' routine of the platoon in civilian life: Mainwaring passing them on the street.

How can I quite summarise my feelings? While much of what I dislike is distilled in the unfortunate 'comedic' musical score, which particularly punctuates the 'training exercise' scenes, the score also contains a lyrical passage when Mainwaring and Wilson speak in silhouette against a wistful sunset:

Wilson. It's a beautiful sunset, sir.

MAINWARING. It's a beautiful land, Wilson...

This film maintains the level of acting seen in the original series, and it makes an admirable attempt to be consciously cinematic. Yes, the focus on Englishness is fairly simplistic, and the scripting notably less subtle, but at least the key elements are in harmony: characters, landscape and theme. It is overall a good encapsulation of the bumbling tenacity and inherent madness of the British; the ridiculous 'messing around' in a sublime countryside, and somehow pulling through to save the 'beautiful land' and its values, against the Nazi threat.

The second in director Cohen's trilogy of Second World War comedies (the others being ‘Till Death Do Us Part' and `Adolf Hitler - My Part In His Downfall') is a film version of the BBC's long running (and much loved) situation comedy. Like most transfers of television shows, this movie suffers from an absence of plot and is more a collection of sketches. Some of which work better than others for example the scene where a high ranking army officer floats down a river is a memorable, surreal moment.

The joy of this movie is it's representation of a past that probably never existed and an England which is defined by picturesque countryside and the chance it offers to see veteran scene-stealers such as John Le Mesurier given their biggest film roles. Arthur Lowe is superb as Captain Mainwaring, a bungler, who, when the chips are down, displays great courage and saves the day (the climax is probably the character's greatest moment).

Episodes of the television series are of course funnier but as an introduction to a British legend, you cannot find anything better.

Overall, the Dad's Army movie is very funny, although the humour isn't quite as catchy and sparkly as in the TV and radio series. So where does this leave us, the viewers? If you've never seen Dad's Army then the movie is a good way of bringing yourself up to speed and getting hooked on the mad world of Walmington o/S. The downside is that you might not "get it" because, as I said, the humour in the movie is a bit on the stolid side.

For Dad's Army buffs the movie holds nothing new as the story is more or less a cutup of the TV series, but it's a unique chance of seeing your favourites in "high def" as compared to the shitty quality of the BBC video recordings.

The movie also features what must be the lamest holdup sequence in the history of the universe. I can't make up my mind if that's a positive or a negative, though.