Aldwych Farces Vol. 1 [DVD]

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The highlight is undoubtedly Robertson Hare’s horror at being forced to shave his moustache and try on wigs to disguise himself as the burglar! Most often, the joke entails the failure ofthe attempt; but it is afailure which must also touch the audience, since the joke is on us all as members of the human race. If you are in the North America, look out for US/Canadian flag icons on popular product listings for direct links.

Of the three main principals, Robertson Hare had the most enduring career, appearing in partnership with Alfred Drayton and as a supporting actor. TURKEY TIME’ boasts much better direction, including the interesting idea of giving each character a little vignette to introduce themselves in the opening credit sequence. Tom Walls directed the films, and has been accused of directing the actors in a stage play and then pointing the camera at them. In Pinero's Dandy Dick, a rural dean succumbs to the temptation of gambling on the horses; in Travers's Plunder, two jewel thieves get away with robbery and manslaughter; and in Orton's Loot, police conspire with bank robbers to put the one innocent character behind bars. Things get a bit slow toward the end, but there are many funny sequences, including a dotty fantasy sequence that sends the whole cast back to the Stone Age.Legendary they may be, and endearingly funny in a quite unexpected way in that one is caught chuckling helplessly, but I should say that some people n the 21st century may need to readjust slightly to the comedy of yesteryear. centres around Ralph Lynn accidentally being forced to spend the night at a country inn with an old flame (Yvonne Arnaud) after they both miss their train, hire a car together and become stuck in the rain.

LESLIE SMITH Indeed, farce has a unique capacity for giving verbal and physical expression to our more anarchic imaginings or impUlses. The comic break-in scenes are excellent and this turns into maybe the funniest of all the films on the two discs. Lynn carries much of the comedy scenes, sneaking in and out to avoid the landlady, struggling to bed down on the floor, retrieving a dog in the rain, or rehearsing his excuses.They are presented here as brand-new transfers from original film elements in their original aspect ratio. Most of the Aldwych farces were adapted for film in the 1930s, starring the original stage casts as far as possible. The Aldwych farces of the 1920s and 1930s provide a classic example of a fruitful collaboration between a playwright — Ben Travers — and a team of actors, headed by Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare and Tom Walls, who managed and directed the company.