Another film watched for the "House of Hammer" Podcast, "What the Butler Saw" is a "Comedy" released by Hammer in 1950. It's pretty awful and, judged by today's standards, fairly racist.
A Britsh nobleman, The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns home having overseen a South Seas Island Kingdom as part of the Empire. Whilst unpacking, he and his faithful Butler, Bembridge (Henry Mollison) discover that the Princess of the Island, Lapis (Mercy Haystead) has stowed away as she is in love with Bembridge. Whilst the household adjusts to the new arrival, the foreign office are concerned about an impending war in the region, caused by the disappearance of the Princess.
Man, it's pretty racist. "why you're not black, you're fine" is but one frankly appalling line of dialogue. Mercy Haystead looks like she comes from somewhere as cosmopolitan as Knightsbridge, despite the flower behind her ear and the flintstones-esque outfit she's wearing; and the way cast react to her is, frankly, ludicrous. They talk about love potions, cannibalism and voodoo, as well as the black magic she can cast on the house.
It's bad, but this is viewing the film through modern eyes. At the time though, it's hard to think that the film could have been much of a success. For a comedy, it's really not funny at all. Neither a farce, nor a comedy of wits, it's a tedious tread through a number of plots, none of which are properly explored and together don't add up too much. The performances are really poor, particularly from the rest of the Earl's family of upper-class twits, whose only job is to react to Lapis.
The early films of Hammer have been a mixed bag, but "What The Butler Saw" was a real low water mark.
A Britsh nobleman, The Earl (Edward Rigby) returns home having overseen a South Seas Island Kingdom as part of the Empire. Whilst unpacking, he and his faithful Butler, Bembridge (Henry Mollison) discover that the Princess of the Island, Lapis (Mercy Haystead) has stowed away as she is in love with Bembridge. Whilst the household adjusts to the new arrival, the foreign office are concerned about an impending war in the region, caused by the disappearance of the Princess.
Man, it's pretty racist. "why you're not black, you're fine" is but one frankly appalling line of dialogue. Mercy Haystead looks like she comes from somewhere as cosmopolitan as Knightsbridge, despite the flower behind her ear and the flintstones-esque outfit she's wearing; and the way cast react to her is, frankly, ludicrous. They talk about love potions, cannibalism and voodoo, as well as the black magic she can cast on the house.
It's bad, but this is viewing the film through modern eyes. At the time though, it's hard to think that the film could have been much of a success. For a comedy, it's really not funny at all. Neither a farce, nor a comedy of wits, it's a tedious tread through a number of plots, none of which are properly explored and together don't add up too much. The performances are really poor, particularly from the rest of the Earl's family of upper-class twits, whose only job is to react to Lapis.
The early films of Hammer have been a mixed bag, but "What The Butler Saw" was a real low water mark.