Summer Holiday (1963) -
Tacky and full of cheese, but fun and simple. It certainly didn't tax my brain, but it was a happy enough film.
It was much more the sort of thing that I would expect to see on stage though, because everything was so extreme and largesse, but somehow it worked.
Although the "Scene" that they put on for the Judge must surely have been too farcical even in the 1960's? I could definitely have done without it.
A lot about it was daft actually and I didn't get along with it all, including Barbara's Mother (Madge Ryan) and Agent and definitely the mistaken wedding.
The Bus scenes were enjoyable though and I would have liked more focus on what it was like to live on it, whilst exploring the countryside of Europe.
There were also a lot of bits that would be considered incredibly cliched today and it was extremely hard to believe that Bobby (Lauri Peters) was a boy, something that a modern approach could probably deliver a lot better or make irrelevant, like the Dog, whose presence was pretty pointless in this, which was a shame, because puppers or kitties are always a good thing.
I did think that with a bit of a rewrite and more scenes for the other members of the cast, the whole thing could easily be reinvented/rebooted/remade.
I believe that the story still has potential if the Mother and the other stupid elements are eliminated and it could become as popular as 'Mamma Mia!' (2008).
Cliff Richard, who played Don was quite do-able back in 1963 and Teddy Green in the role of Steve filled his jeans nicely too. Actually I fell a little bit in love with Ted and I would have liked to have seen more of his story and not just Don's.
Barbara (Lauri Peters) wasn't much to work with though and actually Una Stubbs stood out the most for the girls.
As I've said, I do believe that all of their partnerships should have been explored more. It was a short film and wouldn't have taken much to fill it out with a bit more of Cyril (Melvyn Hayes), Mimsie (Jacqueline Daryl) and Angie (Pamela Hart) as well. Of course in a modern version Cyril would have to be gay, but Melvyn basically delivered that anyway.
Overall it's a film that will keep your Granny happy and nostalgic, but don't expect too much.
631.68/1000.
