She'll Have to Go

Brothers Bob Monkhouse and Alfred Marks have been written out of the will. Everything has been left to their second cousin, a convent-reared girl. They consider marriage, but neither of them seem very interested in the subject. Instead they decide to murder the woman. When it turns out to be Anna Karina, however, they become heterosexuals, when not botching their various murder attempts.

It's a very funny black comedy of the lowest variety, with plenty of sight gags, camera trickery, and out-and-out pratfalls. Hattie Jacques is on hand as a journalist, and Peter Butterworth is very funny as a doctor who has forgotten everything he knew about medicine, including the difference between a head and a foot. Miss Karina is present to wear an amazing strapless evening gown, to be very sweet, and to serve as the impervious target of the two inept would-be murderers.

Pleasant movie about a couple of impoverished brothers living in a mansion that get stiffed in their grandmother's will. Anna shows up as the heiress and they bounce back and forth as whether to marry or kill her to get at the money. None of the comedy works. Outcome is predictable. Karina is gorgeous.

Now I could never stand Bob Monkhouse. However I found Alfred Marks screamingly funny, especially on his chat show appearances So here we have one plus and one minus making a definite minus.

This was one of a number of films made at the time where the main plot point was murdering a relative for some good reason.

Based on a play one has to assume that audiences found it funny. If they did this film adaptation does not recreate anyof the fun times had in the theatre.

A bit like a Carry On film but with less innuendo and not quite as funny. Plenty of amusing set pieces and this film would have satisfied cinema goers at the time but less so now.

Good enough to watch if you get the chance. Anna is illegally beautiful and has a natural beauty and charm that has largely disappeared due to women in the entertainment business these days insistent upon having surgery to all look the same, and not in a good way.

A small cast but with great performances all round. Very sexist of course which would have the feminists up in arms now but it was essential to the plot of the film of course.

Following the international success of Brigitte Bardot, a glamorous continental star became de rigueur in many British films of the late fifties and early sixties. Here it's Anna Karina, standing in the way of two fortune-hunting brothers, played by Alfred Marks and Bob Monkhouse, living in unlikely circumstances with their butler in an old mansion on top of a cliff. Marriage or murder are the options, and the brothers decide on the latter. So you can split your sides laughing as Marks laces her cakes with rat poison and fall about as Monkhouse attempts to run her over. Rarely in his distinguished career can he have worked as hard in pursuit of so few laughs. Maybe a more accomplished director than Robert Asher could have wrung some more humour out of the various other assassination attempts that go awry, but such tired business as the revolving fireplace that plays no part in the plot, and Peter Butterworth's short-sighted doctor, look desperate. Far too little is seen of Hattie Jacques, whose eccentric journalist provides the few real moments of fun. Now out on DVD, and described as 'stylish' on the blurb, which was not the first word to occur to me.