Spike Milligan and his friends decide to go to occupied France to silence a large German gun that is firing across the channel. They bumble though encounters with Germans and the French ... See full summary »
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Spike Milligan and his friends decide to go to occupied France to silence a large German gun that is firing across the channel. They bumble though encounters with Germans and the French resistance fighters, travelling around by train and bicycle. Written by
Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
Colonel:
It's all your fault, it's you who wanted to die for France.
Debrie:
Yes, but I didn't want to be shot by Frenchmen, I wanted to be shot by Germans.
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At it's best, vintage British movie comedy knocks all other countries' humour into a cocked hat. Unfortunately, for the most part, this farce about a pair of wounded soldiers undertaking a mission into German-occupied France to prove their fitness for active service, falls far short of being a vintage comedy. There's nothing wrong with the story superior comedies to this have been crafted from much weaker material but the casting is curious to say the least. Bill Travers is not a strong enough comedy presence to lead the cast, and John le Mesurier is miscast as the leader of the Home Guard (although, in hindsight, this may be due to the fact that he is so familiar to us now as the effete Sergeant Wilson in DAD'S ARMY). Gregoire Aslan, as Travers' French sidekick, adds nothing whatsoever to the film. Only Spike Milligan, as the shell-shocked Godfrey Pringle, manages to reap a few meagre laughs from the threadbare script.
5 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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At it's best, vintage British movie comedy knocks all other countries' humour into a cocked hat. Unfortunately, for the most part, this farce about a pair of wounded soldiers undertaking a mission into German-occupied France to prove their fitness for active service, falls far short of being a vintage comedy. There's nothing wrong with the story superior comedies to this have been crafted from much weaker material but the casting is curious to say the least. Bill Travers is not a strong enough comedy presence to lead the cast, and John le Mesurier is miscast as the leader of the Home Guard (although, in hindsight, this may be due to the fact that he is so familiar to us now as the effete Sergeant Wilson in DAD'S ARMY). Gregoire Aslan, as Travers' French sidekick, adds nothing whatsoever to the film. Only Spike Milligan, as the shell-shocked Godfrey Pringle, manages to reap a few meagre laughs from the threadbare script.