Norman dans la marine

Norman Wisdom is- in all of his films- very human. The puppy-dog eagerness, willingness to do anything set before him, ability to make a mistake and then go on to make it worse- are, of course, the very stuff of the comic character that he sets up for us to laugh at. But his genius lies in the ability to make us identify with him, to 'live the life' with him, even as we guffaw.

In the Bulldog Breed there are stock characters aplenty, and the players act their roles accordingly, but Wisdom- like a wicked imp- seems to dodge and dart round the convention & hierarchy that still- in 1960- characterized much of the English way of doing things. He is like the benign counterpart of a poltergeist: causing disruption, certainly, but not as an alien or supernatural incursion, rather a human intervention into a stiff and inhuman environment. The sequence in which he gets a whole ship's crew into the water is an excellent example of this.

One thing that often goes unremarked in Wisdom's films is the sexual presence there. There is almost always some lubricious lovely in the line-up and, in this case, Wisdom (after some other amorous adventures) ends up on the beach with a girl in a grass skirt, being told to 'carry on'. By contemporary standards what is there is so laughably little that it seems distinctly odd to regard it as 'sex interest' but, in historical context, it is definitely that, and as much a part of the humour as 'dirty postcards' were a part of the English seaside holiday of the time.

Bear in mind, by the way, that in the years running up to the first moon-landing, this film is also a comment on Britain's presence in space!

Despite the advice of the scientists who built it, Admiral Ian Hunter insists that any idiot can run the controls for the first manned spaceship, so long as he has passed basic training for the Royal Naval. Unfortunately, the idiot chosen is Norman Wisdom.

It's another vehicle for Mr. Wisdom, in the sort of role that George Formby might have played in his day, minus the singing. Most of the routines are standard for a service comedy, although there are one or two that are better than usual: an early series, where he tries to commit suicide, and one where he paints a ship's hull. The women, who are just present for eye candy, include Liz Fraser and Ann Scott. If you look carefully, you can see uncredited Michael Caine and Oliver Reed in a fight.

I think the talent of Norman Wisdom has it's own unique quality.

There is only one Norman Wisdom and that is what some believe is a disadvantage because he seems to play the same character in all his films, to others this is good and of great entertainment.

Have been watching his films since I was a child up to present day, they never fail to make me laugh, no matter how many times I see them.

There seems to be a split amongst some about the talents & films of Norman Wisdom, they either hate him or love him. Personally I love him.

Our Norman is in his 90s now. I wish him continued long life and long may be reign.

From

Chiang Mai, Thailand

'The Bulldog Breed' is one of my favourite Norman Wisdom films, but not one of his best.It is interesting because of the space flight angle, and the film certainly captures the mood of the era.

In many respects this is a sad film; Puckle is portrayed as a rather tragic character, who never really finds his niche.The whole films carries a slight air of depression about it, which is not helped by the melancholy music score.

There are several funny scenes, notably the 'man overboard' scene, the diving lesson, and the mountain climbing episode. In all of these though, the comedy is diluted by the overall gloom of the film.

A hidden gem in the film are the brief, uncredited, appearances of Michael Caine and Oliver Reed in the cinema foyer scene.

I think that I first saw this on its original Odeon release.My excuse being that I was young and impressionable at the time.I normally cannot stand Norman Wisdom films,but I did laugh a few times at this.The problem with this film is that it is very episodic and that it has been through the hands of a number of writers.Often they seem to work on the basis that if a gag is funny once why not repeat it six times.The man overboard sequence being a particularly unfunny example of this.Norman Wisdom is one of those actors whom you either like or dislike.I tend to be in the later camp so the end of this film could not come quickly enough for me.