|
Starring |
Michael Palin
,
Maggie Smith
,
Denholm Elliott
,
Liz Smith
,
Richard Griffiths
|
|
|
Directed By |
Malcolm Mowbray
|
|
|
Audio
|
Dolby Digital 2.0
|
|
Visuals
|
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
|
|
Running Time |
92 mins
|
|
UK Release Date |
January 25, 2010
|
|
Genre |
Comedy, Period Drama
|
|
Our Rating |
|
|
User Rating |
|
A 1984 film about pork might not seem like the most appetising prospect but add a pinch of British A-list talent and a teaspoon of pedigree writing and you're left with a possibility of something quite delicious and a reviewer running a food analogy right into the ground.
This story of precious resources and class-warfare takes place in a countryside village the week of Queen Elizabeth's wedding. Though Britain has been victorious in the Second World War, times are still tough and rationing is hitting the populace hard. When the local chriopodist (Michael Palin) chances on a conspiracy by the toffs to undermine the rationing laws, he hatches an ambitious plan of his own.
Palin finds himself in elite company here. Maggie Smith turns in a BAFTA winning career high performance as Palin's long-suffering wife with aspirations of climbing the class ladder. The late great Denholm Elliot is also superb, bristling with menace as the snobish village physician and combining excellently with Richard Griffiths' bumbling accountant.
As you would expect from a scribe with the skill of Allan Bennett, the piece is structurally sound. The setting and characters, whilst obviously carrying a sense of parody, are never so outrageous as to become unapproachable. Scenes that could have descended into farce are skilfully underplayed, which actually serves to highlight the humour rather than dull it.
It's not perfect, Bennett unnecessarily overdoes the eccentric yokel element of the village populace, which feels more distracting than entertaining and a few of the scenes lose their satirical vibe and become more than a little twee. Criticism must also be levelled at some of the supporting cast, who don't bring much to the table and just fade into the background as time goes on.
Period pieces are always a mixed bag and difficult to pull off. You can pack them with all the fancy costumes and accurate settings you like, but unless the story and the characters are instilled with a common human quality, the result is always somehow hollow and disappointing. It is pleasing then that here we have a splendid light comedy that shines an entertaining light on quaint post-war countryside life.
Special Features:
None
Reviewer: Alex Hall
