The Alf Garnett Saga

I enjoyed Alf Garnet' stories for their insight into human nature. This film combined many aspects of Alf's thoughts, weaknesses, humour and humanity. It also satirises the 'tired' and relentlessly mundane family life of so many working class people. Pity the film is not available to purchase.

I should preface by saying generally speaking I have no issue with some of the broad British comedies of the 70s. Although it's probably an easy thing to say as a middle aged white male, allowances have to be made for the sensibilities of the times, during which attitudes to race and sexuality were obviously very different. I loved Mind Your Language, for instance, because it was all done with such a sense of warmth and fun, and even Love Thy Neighbour, as offensive as that is by modern standards, seemed to have a mostly light-hearted feel. If not for the constant use of racial epithets, it might even stand up today as a great working class comedy. (I'm referring to the Love thy Neighbour TV series rather than the movie spinoff). The white race-baiter Eddie Booth was in a minority of one, while the other characters, for the most part, rose above his prejudice and delighted when his attitudes brought him undone.

But not this time; in the Alf Garnett Saga, many of the characters seem to be happily swimming in the same racist sewer, and the constant, calculated, angry use of a deeply offensive racial term I found uncomfortable and disturbing.

I agree with some of the other reviewers, in that the street scenes of a changing London were of particular interest, as were the cameos of John Le Mesurier, Patsy Byrne (later Nursey in Blackadder), Kenny Lynch and Joan Sims. But otherwise, this example of what the late Australian movie critic Bill Collins referred to as "the tarnished years of British Cinema", is best forgotten.

i was 9 when this film was made and lived in john walsh tower at the time of filming, i still remember the day when they filmed the scene when they walked down the stairs outside the tower block, i had to go to school my brother was ill and watched from the stairs behind them (top left in scene). we moved into that tower block in 1965 and moved out in 1983 life in there in the 60's and 70's was great but if you were old it was a nightmare constant blackouts meant no lifts and a walk up the stairs, by the 80's things were changing and now that tower block is a gang haven a very dangerous place to be. apart from the opening title scenes and the walk down the stairs outside the block none of the other scenes were filmed there, the flat were Alf lived and all other interior scenes were filmed elsewhere, having watched the film now it is complete rubbish and the racist language in the film is prehistoric, it doesn't really depict life in an east end tower block in that period because most of the scenes were filmed in an out of London area, but it did bring back memories of life as a kid, we had to move into the tower block because we had no toilet in our post war dump of a terraced house my parents were glad to get in there, apart from sentimental value and west ham and George best this film is better avoided.

This film is a real strange one. Written by Johnny Speight and starring Warren Mitchell as ever yet the story is all over the place the support acting is terrible but there are some unforgettable scenes that are laugh out loud funny. The football match is used as an excuse to pack in as many guest stars as possible but contains some classic lines.

Uma Stubbs & Anthony Booth are absent and replaced by Adrienne Posta who gives a passable performance and Paul Angelis who is unwatchable.

It's a strangely watchable yet poor production value movie A real conundrum for the Alf Garnett fan.

The eponymous Alf Garnett stars in his own Hollywood film, as a dockworker relocated from his "lovely" (ho ho ho) little house to the top floor of a tower block in a raw looking new estate.

This curious little drama follows the story of his life and the trials of his daughters marriage. The dodgy morality is dead in period.

Cameo appearances by George Best (author of the famous quip "90% of my money I spent on loose women, fast cars and alcohol – the rest I just wasted") when he still had a functioning liver and various other soccer and political figures of the era add to the plain little story.

In one scene the newspaper headlines change within two takes. Product placements – The Daily Mirror (a very odd choice of reading material for a Conservative !), Adidas (repeatedly) and Tetley Bitter.

By the way, I direct you to the film "10 Rillington Place" for an example of a house that was considered by the British Housing Commission "too good" to be demolished to give you an insight into how "lovely" Alf's old house would have been.