There was a time when you could rely on British comedy cinema. You knew what you were going to get: some well-known faces, some bawdy humour, and a dollop of self-deprecation. The trio of films that make up ViaVision’s British Comedy Classics 1 3-disc set delivers that in spades.
Starring the inimitable Frankie Howerd, the ‘Up’ series was a spin-off from the hugely popular BBC TV series Up Pompeii, in which Howerd played Lurcio the slave. Continuing his characteristic way of addressing the audience, the movie version of Up Pompeii (1971) took everything up a notch. Not only was the humour a little saucier, but the visuals were much more salacious. There is a story, though, as Lurcio inadvertently picks up a scroll containing plans to assassinate Nero instead of a cucumber. Set during the Roman Empire’s rule and as Vesuvius is about to erupt, it’s a star-studded romp that boasts a fantastically bouncy theme tune and plenty of ribald humour of the type we’re not allowed to find funny anymore.
Next up is Up the Chastity Belt (1971), set during the Middle Ages, Howerd plays Lurkalot, who has been brought up as a serf to a wealthy but dim baron. A twin at birth, his sibling went on to the King while Lurkalot had a sideline making chastity belts, which were popular with the menfolk as they went on to fight in the crusades. There’s a lot of laughs at the expense of the landed gentry here, and, surprisingly, a slightly bigger storyline as Lurkalot masquerades as the King while the real one is indulging in sinful pleasures. While not as consistently hilarious as Up Pompeii, there’s still plenty to enjoy and Howerd is always watchable.
The final part of the trilogy, Up the Front (1972) brings us to the start of the First World War, where after being hypnotised, cowardly boot-scrubber Lurc (Howerd) heads off to the trenches to fight ‘the Boche’. There’s a bit of a casting scoop as Zsa Zsa Gabor plays Mata Hari, but otherwise, it’s more of the same from the team.
All three films are ably directed by Bob Kellett, who helmed the Ronnie Barker classic Futtocks End (1970) as well several lesser British sex comedies and episodes of Space: 1999. Of course, it’s easy to dismiss the films as ‘of their time’, but there’s some real comedy gold here, particularly in Up Pompeii, with Howerd’s timing and ease at addressing the viewers makes for a lot of fun. It’s by no means highbrow humour, nor is it meant to be. We only wish Tarantino’s alternate history takes were this funny.
As mentioned, there are a host of familiar faces throughout the films. Bill Fraser appears in all three, while Lance Percival and Madeline Smith grace two of the movies with their respective charms. Quite how they got respected thespian Michael Hordern to appear in the first film is anyone guess, although it could be down to noted satirist Ned Sherrin being the producer.
ViaVision presents all three films in the best possible quality short of a Blu-ray release (we can but hope), but they’re highly recommended for anyone who isn’t offended by bawdy humour (there’s little else that would cause offence). And if you don’t, as the late great Frankie Howerd would often say, “Please yourselves”.
