Camping pon pon

CARRY ON BEHIND is the last of the great Carry Ons, I think. It really shouldn't be a good film; it's a virtual remake of CARRY ON CAMPING except in caravans rather than tents, and not as good. Half of the major cast members from the series are long gone, with Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, and Charles Hawtrey, all conspicuous by their absence.

Even so, CARRY ON BEHIND manages to recapture the old-fashioned humour and hijinks of the series at its best. It's all rather lowbrow, of course, with silly jokes and sillier characters, and yet I somehow loved it all the same. It may be that the remaining cast members seem to give it their all, realising that the shared weight of the film's success is on fewer shoulders. So Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims, and Kenneth Connor in particular give it their all, and then some.

The newcomers to the series aren't so bad either. Jack Douglas and Windsor Davies have a little double act going which makes up for wit with sheer energy. The person who really feels missed is, and I say this to my surprise, Barbara Windsor, because the women they bring in to replace her just aren't very good. I did like Elke Sommer (LISA AND THE DEVIL) though; she might be an imported Euro-star, but she gives it her best with the rest of them and her character is oddly appealing; she allows Kenneth Williams to shine for sure. Ian Lavender is also good value, although it's a shame that they bring Liz Fraser in, age her with an unappealing haircut, and then keep her off-screen for a very long time.

Highlights of this film include the Mynah bird, the clever and unexpected climax which recalls the set-piece glory days of old, the water main hijinks, the shower stalls, and every scene with Peter Butterworth, who really is at his best here. Plus, the scene between him and Sims late on in the production is unexpected and probably the most moving moment ever seen in a Carry On movie.

I don't understand why this has such a low rating. I know some consider it a poor remake of Camping, but I think it is far from it. I've always thought it to be one of the best. It's such a shame that they followed up with England, Emmanuelle, and Columbus; had they ended here, I think 'Behind' would have been held in much higher regard.

There are some truly funny gags, fun performances, and great double acts: Windsor Davies and Jack Douglas, Kenneth Williams and Elke Sommer, Peter Butterworth and Joan Sims. These were great comedy teams. Elke especially did a great job; it was her first Carry On, and she was just splendid-likable, funny, with great delivery and a cheeky smile.

There are some truly funny moments: Peter Butterworth trying to coax Kenneth and Elke to hire his caravan, Elke looking for scrubbers, the striptease-lots to choose from.

Even the theme music makes me laugh; it's such a cheeky and funny tune-perfect for the film.

I've always loved the way that shower door suddenly developed a glass panel at the top, that caravan site really was advanced!

9/10.

This is my first "Carry On"-film and I really and unexpectedly enjoyed this. I mostly started watching this for completism, to have at least seen one movie from the famous franchise. And then I really enjoyed it and watched it to the end. Why? The plot is crap, basically it's a bunch of diverse characters getting together on an English campground in march, which looks about as jolly as an toxic waste site in winter, and then getting up to some horribly contrived antics.

Still, like wine, old jokes can still be good. What makes this movie so enjoyable are the many excellent actors with their impeccable delivery. And the movie always stays slightly naughty and mischievous without ever becoming sleazy.

This later Carry On is missing Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor and Charles Hawtrey. Popular regulars Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Kenneth Connor, Patsy Rowlands, Jack Douglas and Peter Butterworth are in substantial roles and are great. However the departed regulars are missed.

The story works well. It is essentially a series of sketches about various people at a campground, but the story threads form a cohesive whole.

Some characters work better than others. Ian Lavender and Adrienne Posta as a young couple with a huge dog don't seem to have been given any jokes. Their scenes are pretty limp and peter out with no punchline. This brings down the pace of the film.

The characters played by Bresslaw, Rowlands and Sims develop nicely as the film progresses. Sims starts as a battle axe but becomes more sympathetic.

The scenes with Jack Douglas and newcomer Windsor Davies as mates on a fishing holiday (with Davies hoping to hook some dolly birds) work well, and are funny. Davies does the impossible - successfully stepping into the Sid James role. Newcomers Carol Hawkins and Sherrie Hewson acquit themselves well as the young women unfortunate enough to have them in pursuit.

Kenneth Williams and guest Elke Sommer are archaeologists studying the old cesspool. Their bits are classic Carry On and very funny. Sommer fits in seamlessly and is the series' most successful guest star.

Kenneth Connor as the lusty owner of the camp site and Peter Butterworth as the scruffy odd jobs man are great too.

Liz Fraser returns after many years' absence but only has a small role.

Look out for Larry Dann as the main university student in the film. Dann had appeared in Carry On Teacher (1959) as a student, and this film saw his return. He went on to roles in England (1976) and Emmannuelle (1978), then was a long running regular in police TV series The Bill.

This has to be one of the crudest carry on's ever, I am amazed its only got a PG rating, supposedly suitable for children! The subject matter is entirely adult from beginning to end of this film

There is very little in the way of a plot, it starts off simply by explaining how the different characters find themselves at the camp site. What follows is over an hour of undiluted toilet humour of the lowest kind. Its completely smutty and the sexual innuendo never lets up, its unrelenting

Part of the story is meant to be about an archeological dig but we never see any real work going on at the site. Its just another excuse for more smut as the Roman 'artifact' turns out to feature an erotic painting. The actress playing the Russian archeologist is obviously having a good time, her accent is not very believable and of course her poor grasp of the English language is used to create yet more filthy jokes

The two up for it lads are played exactly the same as Carry On Camping, come to think of it, this is really a sequel to Carry On Camping! But the highlight for me was seeing Kenneth Williams performance, he works his usual magic and seems to be on top form. Although we are missing a few favourite characters you soon forget and begin to enjoy yourself. The sight of a man falling into a cesspool is one highlight that really sets the tone near the beginning of the film

As well as the dirty humour there are some very funny set pieces which have to be seen to be believed. The part where Kenneth Williams hits his head in the caravan is priceless, had me laughing uncontrolably! Throughout the film the jokes are predictable, you can see the outcome ages before the inevitable happens but its all so drawn out that it becomes even funnier

The film doesn't really have an ending, the constant stream of crudeness continues, later on some strippers arrive. Its almost as if the producers were concerned there wasn't enough smut in the film so they got some stippers just to be on the safe side. They needn't have worried

Eventually there is a shot of a single caravan leaving the park, which is just an excuse for the events to draw to a close

In conclusion nothing actually happens in this film, there is no plot and no character development. The earlier Carry On's at least had some kind of love interest but this is really just an excuse for a filth fest of epic proportions

I have never seen anything like it. Its crude, offensive and sex mad to the end It actually makes me proud to be British, to think we can come up with stuff like this. We're years ahead of the rest of the world!

I loved it!