Don't Lose Your Head

19671967
1h 30m

The time of the French revolution, and Citizen Robespierre is beheading the French aristocracy. When word gets to England, two noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy take it upon themselv... Read allThe time of the French revolution, and Citizen Robespierre is beheading the French aristocracy. When word gets to England, two noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy take it upon themselves to aid there French counterparts. Sir Rodney is a master of disguise, and becomes "the ... Read allThe time of the French revolution, and Citizen Robespierre is beheading the French aristocracy. When word gets to England, two noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy take it upon themselves to aid there French counterparts. Sir Rodney is a master of disguise, and becomes "the black fingernail", scourge of Camembert and Bidet, leaders of the French secret police...

6.5/10

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Sidney James and Joan Sims in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

Dany Robin in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

Peter Butterworth, Sidney James, Joan Sims, and Kenneth Williams in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

Joan Sims in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

Sidney James in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams in Don't Lose Your Head (1967)

The time of the French revolution, and Citizen Robespierre is beheading the French aristocracy. When word gets to England, two noblemen, Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy take it upon themselves to aid there French counterparts. Sir Rodney is a master of disguise, and becomes "the black fingernail", scourge of Camembert and Bidet, leaders of the French secret police... —Simon N. McIntosh-Smith <Simon.N.Smith@cs.cf.ac.uk>

french revolution carry on beheaded france england 44 more

Taglines
- Carry On laughing until you have hysterics, but...Don't Lose Your Head!
Genres
Parents guide

Trivia
Diana MacNamara was Charles Hawtrey's stunt double in the film. and also played the role of Princess Stephanie.woman at guillotine/double of a soldier on horse/and double for Charles Hawtrey on horse.

Goofs
The modern road leading to the Chateau.

Quotes
Lady Binder: But then, you've always had magnificent balls, and I wouldn't miss one of them.
The Black Fingernail: Thank you Lady Binder.

Alternate versions
As usual with the Carry On films the BBFC objected to many of the lines when the script was submitted to them, though in the end only a few cuts were made. These included a reference to Jacqueline having 'a pluck' and a stuttered use of 'fishing' during the opening narration.

Connections
Edited into What a Carry On: Episode #1.1 (1984)

Soundtracks
Don't Lose Your Head
Written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter
Performed by Mike Sammes (as The Michael Sammes Singers)

Top review

6/10

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD (Gerald Thomas, 1966) **1/2

I've only watched 8 of the long-running and hugely popular "Carry On" films; their overall quality is quite patchy, but the most consistently entertaining so far have been CARRY ON...UP THE KHYBER (1968) and CARRY ON HENRY (1971). This one was actually in the same vein as the latter i.e. a period romp and, in fact, I find their brand of bawdy humor works best in this environment - not only because it allows for a contrast between modern times and the era being lampooned (including, in this case, parlor entertainment that features a minstrel tune whose chorus is lifted from The Beatles' "She Loves You"!) but also because it gives the low-budget films a semblance of grandeur not possible with their outings having contemporary settings.

I decided to check this film before others in the series (happily, my local DVD rental outlet carries a handful of them) because I'm currently going through a bit of a swashbuckling phase as part of my Christmas marathon. Anyway, it's an extremely typical offering (despite dropping the "Carry On" from the title, though it did get renamed CARRY ON PIMPERNEL for the U.S.) that obviously deals with the French Revolution, which is being thwarted by a Scarlet Pimpernel-type figure who calls himself "The Black Fingernail" and leaves as his calling card a drawing with the "Up Yours!" gesture: the overall effect is hit-or-miss and the pace rather sluggish for what should essentially be a zippy adventure - but the host of practiced regulars from the series are in good form, thus ensuring the occasional hilarious moment or quip (usually for this gang, these would be double entendres and even include asides to the audience!).

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