Porridge

What is odd about this film is that i didnt know it existed.There are many spin off films made from British Comedy series's such as Steptoe and Son , On The Buses and Are You Being Served all of which are shown at christmas at far too shorter intervals and all are far inferior to the actual TV shows. Porridge is different. This has hardly ever been seen on TV and is very funny , even funnier than the TV series. Ronnie Barker has a fantastic knack of comedy timing. When he delivers the punch lines you cant help but smile or in the case of this film laugh out loud. The film is very true to the programme and has all the characters we have grown to love over the years.The story is nothing spectacular but it does not need to be because the interaction between wardens and lags is what makes the film. This is one of the best comedy series to film i have ever seen. 8 out of 10.

If you love the series this is based on you won't be disappointed (unlike some other tv to film adaptations). The scriptwriters have very smartly avoided the usual trap of taking the characters that work so well on the small screen and putting them in a ridiculous situation that so many other films (like On the Buses) have done with usually poor results. The photography does have a stark realism to it (it certainly looks very cold) and the colour scheme gives the film a certain bleakness but as the film is set in and around a prison it doesn't really take anything away and won't spoil the enjoyment of watching Fletcher and co get up to their normal tricks.

The story fits in well with the characters and settings. Almost all the familiar characters from the tv show are here and having Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais write (who wrote the original tv series) write the film script keeps the continuity of characterisation and wit going. As usual Ronnie Barker totally steals every scene he is in, even against veteran character actors like Fulton Mackay and Peter Vaughan (as Grouty). The whole thing is an almost seemless transition from tv to silver screen with some wonderful funny dialogue and charming supporting actors thrown in (including a very young Daniel Peacock as a newly incarcerated inmate).

There is a sadness knowing that Richard Beckinsale passed away at the ridiculously young age of 31 just weeks after filming wrapped but at least the film doesn't dishonour his memory. As a swansong to him and as an adaptation to probably Ronnie Barker's most beloved character this film doesn't disappoint, even if the tv series is still marginally superior.

Porridge concerns the lives of a group of prison inmates. The brilliant Ronnie Barker plays Fletch, cheeky, good-natured, optimistic, quick-witted and able to handle all the little foibles of the other prisoners and guards to his advantage. Think of an Ivan Denisovich without the Siberian background. The trouble begins when Mr Grout, an aristocratic crime boss at the top of the prison hierarchy, 'requests' Fletch to suggest to the guards a celebrity football match, where a team of famous faces will play a team of prisoners.

Never having seen the Porridge TV-series, I can't comment on any differences or similarities. However, it is hard to top the quality of this little comedy. The script is an excellent mix of character, witty word-play, amusing plot and some physical comedy, done in a way that only the British seem to do so competently. The situations in the prison are believable, and even the minor parts are well-rounded characters. Almost every other line contains some memorable gag. Some examples "Beware of him. He's known as the butcher of Slade Prison." "What did he do?" "Fiddled the VAT on some sausages." And then there's: "What's a peccadillo?" "South African bird that flies backwards to keep the sand out of its eyes." "No, that's not it. But I know what you're thinking of. That's called an armour-dildo." Oh, and how about that scene of the governor losing his self-respect and teeth in a huge pot of curry?

A brilliantly written and well-acted comedy. Highly recommended.

Finally got this on disk the other month. And it was worth the wait. As an avid Porridge and Ronnie Barker fan, I thought the film done justice to a really funny series. Other movie spin offs have been mundane(On the Buses, for example), but this one was well written and well acted. Starring the original cast from the series (apart from Christopher Biggins), it continued Norman Stanley Fletcher's fight against the system. Even though it did contain a couple of jokes from the program, its a mere overlook to a really funny film. Even Fletcher with his little scams (McKays teeth bein gone example) have trasferred well to the big screen version. This is one film you wouldn't want to do time!

Starts off as good as a TV episode, but the laughs fade towards the end, the escape is all a bit silly and too contrived. As usual, some great one-liners from Barker and 'Grouty' remains one of the most threatening characters you'll ever meet in a comedy!