1930s_Time_Machine
Joined Dec 2021
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1930s_Time_Machine's rating
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1930s_Time_Machine's rating
That silliness, sauciness and innocent charm you find in 1930s screwball comedies is lovingly evoked in this entertaining low-budget but well made spy parody. Despite what some have said, this is NOT a smutty British 'sex comedy'.
I can see why mistakenly it might have been grouped in with those dreadful sex-comedies because, well it is a comedy and there is nudity in it but it's nothing like those tacky, humourless, sexist and generally unpleasant pictures which were popular for a while. This is a proper story with believable and likeable characters which you can really engage with. There's not even any swearing and certainly no sex.
What makes this a good watch is how quickly you'll engage - how easy it is to relate to the characters and situations. The low budget feel actually adds a degree of realism which coupled with good writing results in an enjoyable romp in the nostalgic world of our youth. If you're familiar with those 1930s comedies you'll recognise all the characteristic tropes: mistaken identity, increasing absurdity and a sexy leading lady. Also like America in the 1930s, England in the seventies had a certain shabbiness about it which this film really captures. It was however a shabbiness filled with hope and optimism - again a feeling this picture effortlessly puts across.
Anouska Hempel is perfect in this role: she's pretty but nothing out of the ordinary so is 100% believable as the sexy girl next door. A well-written, well-acted character you can believe in like Tiffany gives a film with a silly story like this the necessary anchor in reality. It's undeniable that there is gratuitous nudity in this but also it's not completely gratuitous. We've all met people like Tiffany Jones who aren't too bothered about being fully clothed inside her own house. There's nothing dirty or salacious in this film's nudity: it's just reinforcing Tiffany's casual approach to life. It's a far cry from those horrid 'sex comedies' where there's just a lifeless parade of nameless, cartoon-like bare boobs.
Lastly, you might recognise the name of the writer: Alfred Shaughnessy. He was writing UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS at the same time he was writing this!
I can see why mistakenly it might have been grouped in with those dreadful sex-comedies because, well it is a comedy and there is nudity in it but it's nothing like those tacky, humourless, sexist and generally unpleasant pictures which were popular for a while. This is a proper story with believable and likeable characters which you can really engage with. There's not even any swearing and certainly no sex.
What makes this a good watch is how quickly you'll engage - how easy it is to relate to the characters and situations. The low budget feel actually adds a degree of realism which coupled with good writing results in an enjoyable romp in the nostalgic world of our youth. If you're familiar with those 1930s comedies you'll recognise all the characteristic tropes: mistaken identity, increasing absurdity and a sexy leading lady. Also like America in the 1930s, England in the seventies had a certain shabbiness about it which this film really captures. It was however a shabbiness filled with hope and optimism - again a feeling this picture effortlessly puts across.
Anouska Hempel is perfect in this role: she's pretty but nothing out of the ordinary so is 100% believable as the sexy girl next door. A well-written, well-acted character you can believe in like Tiffany gives a film with a silly story like this the necessary anchor in reality. It's undeniable that there is gratuitous nudity in this but also it's not completely gratuitous. We've all met people like Tiffany Jones who aren't too bothered about being fully clothed inside her own house. There's nothing dirty or salacious in this film's nudity: it's just reinforcing Tiffany's casual approach to life. It's a far cry from those horrid 'sex comedies' where there's just a lifeless parade of nameless, cartoon-like bare boobs.
Lastly, you might recognise the name of the writer: Alfred Shaughnessy. He was writing UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS at the same time he was writing this!
Whilst the changes Will Hay makes to the prison aren't quite as pink and fluffy as what Paddington achieves in PADDINGTON 2, you can't help drawing comparisons. Both films are warm, silly, funny and uniquely English.
Like the Carry On films, all Will Hay's Gainsborough films including CONVICT 99 essentially have the same plot and characters as all the others. It was however such a brilliant plot with such brilliant familiar characters that they could keep remaking the same picture over and over again and they'd still feel fresh. This one has different writing team to usual and they have created a story that's slightly more sophisticated (not a word often found in a Will Hay review!) from his other pictures.
Obviously it's not as good as OH MR PORTER because that's OH MR PORTER but being from Mr Hay's golden period, this is still one of the best comedies of the 1930s. ASK A POLICEMEN and WINDBAG THE SAILOR are possibly closest in style to PORTER but this very close.
Like the Carry On films, all Will Hay's Gainsborough films including CONVICT 99 essentially have the same plot and characters as all the others. It was however such a brilliant plot with such brilliant familiar characters that they could keep remaking the same picture over and over again and they'd still feel fresh. This one has different writing team to usual and they have created a story that's slightly more sophisticated (not a word often found in a Will Hay review!) from his other pictures.
Obviously it's not as good as OH MR PORTER because that's OH MR PORTER but being from Mr Hay's golden period, this is still one of the best comedies of the 1930s. ASK A POLICEMEN and WINDBAG THE SAILOR are possibly closest in style to PORTER but this very close.
If you merged a classic gangster story with the typical rags to riches boxing movie you'd get this. It's very professionally made, it never lets your interest wane and you don't need to be a boxing fan to enjoy it.
What makes this such an entertaining film and not just something for boxing fans is superbly written, believably acted and dynamically directed characters. It's a perfect example of how a picture about a subject you might not think you're interested in can be totally engrossing because the characters just click with you. Like all good dramas, this is about interesting people - people you can believe in - people you care about.
E G Robinson was at the top of his game when he made this. You obviously know it's EGR but for an hour and a half, he's not an actor, he's Nick Donati, he is that fascinating and complex real person with real issues. Bette Davis was in that brief phase of her career when she was getting decent roles and was also something of a sex symbol. It's not really her film but for what she has to do, she's absolutely perfect - and I must admit, surprisingly hot! She's somewhat like a younger version of Tallulah Bankhead.
To see just how quickly the art of filmmaking was developing in the 1930s, compare this with THE LIFE OF JIMMY DOLAN made just four years earlier. Whilst that film is a pretty decent boxing flick, it feels decades older in its style and authenticity. Michael Curtiz's fastidious direction and realistic dialogue makes this feel like something from the 40s or even 50s.
What makes this such an entertaining film and not just something for boxing fans is superbly written, believably acted and dynamically directed characters. It's a perfect example of how a picture about a subject you might not think you're interested in can be totally engrossing because the characters just click with you. Like all good dramas, this is about interesting people - people you can believe in - people you care about.
E G Robinson was at the top of his game when he made this. You obviously know it's EGR but for an hour and a half, he's not an actor, he's Nick Donati, he is that fascinating and complex real person with real issues. Bette Davis was in that brief phase of her career when she was getting decent roles and was also something of a sex symbol. It's not really her film but for what she has to do, she's absolutely perfect - and I must admit, surprisingly hot! She's somewhat like a younger version of Tallulah Bankhead.
To see just how quickly the art of filmmaking was developing in the 1930s, compare this with THE LIFE OF JIMMY DOLAN made just four years earlier. Whilst that film is a pretty decent boxing flick, it feels decades older in its style and authenticity. Michael Curtiz's fastidious direction and realistic dialogue makes this feel like something from the 40s or even 50s.