Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)

Director:

Gerald Thomas

Writer:

Talbot Rothwell (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 February 1970 (Iceland)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Gales of laughter as the wind blows up the Khyber and the kilts of the 'Carry On' army! [Australia theatrical]

Plot:

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond looks after the British outpost near the Khybar pass. Protected by the kilted Third Foot and Mouth regiment...

Plot Keywords:

Carry On | Historical | British Empire | Sequel | Kilt

Cast

Sid James	...	Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond (as Sidney James)
Kenneth Williams	...	The Khasi of Kalabar
Charles Hawtrey	...	Pte. James Widdle
Roy Castle	...	Capt. Keene
Joan Sims	...	Lady Ruff-Diamond
Bernard Bresslaw	...	Bungdit Din
Peter Butterworth	...	Brother Belcher
Terry Scott	...	Sgt. Major Macnutt
Angela Douglas	...	Princess Jelhi
Cardew Robinson	...	The Fakir
Julian Holloway	...	Major Shorthouse
Peter Gilmore	...	Private Ginger Hale
Leon Thau	...	Stinghi
Wanda Ventham	...	Khasi's First Wife
Alexandra Dane	...	Busti

Also Known As:

Carry On... Up the Khyber or The British Position in India (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:M | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Heatherden Hall, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Peter Rogers Productions

Trivia:

In the dinner scene, the cast was served ham and boiled potatoes.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the real chiefs arrive, Bungdit Din walks in the room to see the fake chiefs in the fountain with the girls. Brother Belcher ducks underneath the water, then it cuts to a side view and you can still see Brother Belcher above water, then it cuts back to the front and you see Brother Belcher surface.

Quotes:

Sergeant-Major MacNutt: [McNutt are staying behind at the pass to give tiemfor the others to retreat] We don't fire until we see the whites off their eyes
Private Jimmy Widdle: I can see that that one has red eyes
Sergeant-Major MacNutt: That'll do...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Carry on Snogging (1998) (TV)

Magnificently Vulgar

This is now generally regarded as the best CARRY ON movie which,in retrospect,may not be saying that much.On the other hand,there seems to be an increasing fondness here in Britain(and perhaps even the US)for the series' persistent innuendo,cheerful vulgarity,slapstick corn,and venerable comic performers(most of whom are sadly long since gone) now nearly four decades after it's peak.Compared with much cinema gross-out humour today(as typified by the Farrelly Brothers in the US,with the UK's SEX LIVES OF THE POTATO MEN not far behind,perhaps literally!),the CARRY ON style of fun with it's saucy double entendres virtually polluting every line seems oddly charming and innocent when in previous generations appeared as crude and tasteless,certainly to many weary film critics of the time.It could come across as witless and repetitive,as it certainly did in the later CARRY ON's of the 1970's(when the series finally finished),but despite the relentless puns on view here,UP THE KHYBER executes them all with an unexpected style,panache and energy,with arguably the entire series' most memorable visual gags and genuinely funny verbal one-liners.

The talented comedians on view,Sid James,Kenneth Williams,Peter Butterworth,Joan Sims,Terry Scott,Charles Hawtrey,Bernard Bresslaw,etc. are all on fine comic form throughout,handling the timing with considerable aplomb,with the farcical plot(the film's only negative point;it is never subtle,and it's attempts at satire are fleeting to say the least,probably very deliberately)about colonial conflict in India caused by British 'Devils in Skirts' not turning out in underwear oddly seeming to work rather well.It has great confidence and courage in it's convictions,and some lines and ideas("Gone For Tiffin","Fakir,Off!!",the 'Arsitarsi' tribe),and especially the dining room sequence(perhaps the funniest in the series' entire history)are the very best examples of typical lowbrow British humour.

Even the production values seem above average for the CARRY ON's,admittedly streamlined but still fairly elaborate and convincing,only faltering in it's actual depiction of the Khyber Pass itself,which is actually Snowdonia in North Wales.The film's very non-PC racial stereotyping and impersonation could be a problem for some,but may in fact add a certain extra period charm.

UP THE KHYBER represents CARRY ON humour at it's peak,preceded as it was by some of the other best efforts in the series(CLEO,SCREAMING,DOCTOR).With the arrival of the 70's,the CARRY ON's went into gradual decline from around 1973,ending in EMMANUELLE in 1978,generally recognised as the worst,before the critically-derided COLUMBUS emerged in 1992.UP THE KHYBER,however,shows us how amusing the series could be at it's best.