5.0 out of 5 stars Totally bonkers slice of ludicrous English fun that is pure genius

T.D. · 12 March 2016

Written by Viv Stanshall who adapted this from an album by ‘The Bonzo Dog Do Da Band’ where he created the wildly eccentric Sir Henry Rawlinson. He went on to do radio plays of this before his record company got him to make this film. He was supposedly intoxicated for the entire shoot.One of my favourite actors of all time – Trevor Howard plays the eponymous hero. He lives in a country pile with a dysfunctional group of folk who are equally bizarre – this includes ‘Old Scrotum’ the wrinkly retainer. He has a ghost of his dead brother, Humbert, who sadly died ‘sans trousers’ after an extra marital ‘roll in the hay’. He takes a mechanical bulldog for walkies at odd times as well as being a bit of a bother during dinner. Sir Henry meanwhile likes to keep his own prisoner of war camp – to indulge his fantasy that World War II is still in full swing and keep alive the detestation of spam.Alcohol is never far away and he strategically has optics in the most convenient of places i.e. everywhere. In order to travel incognito he ‘blacks up’ a la minstrels of a by gone era, whilst wearing a tutu and riding a unicycle. We also have the marvellous Patrick Magee (Surgeon Reynolds from ‘Zulu’) as a disgraced ‘Reverend Slodden’ and Stanshall himself plays Hubert Rawlinson who likes to fish for barbers in the local lake.If that is not enough there is also the local ale house – ‘The fool and Bladder’ where such festivals as ‘All Squids Day’ are celebrated. It is filmed in sepia but was meant to be in proper black and white, but due to a mishap at the processing laboratory (one hopes not to do with over imbibing) it turned out wrong. This however, makes it even more quaint. To say I loved this is an understatement of the ilk that would be comparable to saying you that were slightly miffed if your house blew up – if you get my drift. This is pure lunacy in the best possible way. Howard plays it perfectly with so many great lines that you need to do several viewings to get the full wealth of what is on offer here. One of the best films ever made and one that has taken me ages to find and recommend to the highest degree.

5.0 out of 5 stars All Ends Up!!

A.f. · 6 September 2010

This is a unique production by any definition. If you are into the "funny" bizarre then give it a try. The sepia, grainy format suits the presentation perfectly.This is no ordinary comedy. Was Trevor Howard fitted to that sort of thing anyway? Compare his roles in such films as Brief Encounter, The Third Man, Green for Danger and Mutiny on the Bounty--to sample but a few of his excellent performances--in order to understand my meaning here. Yet he is ideally suited for the role of Sir Henry since his crusty delivery is integral to the black humour of the thing.I have watched the film a good dozen times. It does pall a bit and some of the "jokes" appear a little substandard on repeated hearing. If I have any criticism it would be that from time to time the bizarre over steps the mark. Credulity stretching is a good thing, but art is about juxtaposition and to have a mounted (on horseback) billiards player (solo) plunge through the window of a first-floor room, quickly followed by Sir Henry firing his revolver at the tyres of a Minor 1000 van parked below, can seem a little on the coarse side. (Not to mention cruelty to Minor 1000s.)I once wrote (I think it's on the web somewhere) that one of my regrets in life was not to have been the author of Sir Henry at Rawlison End. I maintain that view and extend it to a Sellers masterpiece Soft Beds Hard Battles. The two films make a fine coupling with which to face this ordinarily insane world.

1.0 out of 5 stars Good programmer

s.h. · 1 September 2023

Faulty DVD

5.0 out of 5 stars Can It Be True?

S.S.L. · 8 October 2006

A DVD release for possibly the greatest and most hilarious British film of its era. Having watched a knackered old VHS copy for ages, and avoiding the usual ropey DVD pirate versions on ebay, I thought that the day would never come when Sir Henry would be available to watch again. The film has been virtually lost after getting a limited release on Tartan video in the early 90s, and since the tragic death of Vivian Stanshall, it has been caught up in wrangles over whether it could be released again...A truly joyous day! Any fan of Vivian, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and of course the original Sir Henry radio slots as broadcast by dear old Peel will HAVE to own this jewel. Similarly anyone who enjoys the seemingly random and instinctival comedy of Monty Python, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Dark Place should get a kick out of this film. Just don't expect a clear narrative, 'jokes' with punchlines or even sympathetic characters, best to just turn it on and let it take you with it.As wonderous a celebration of Englishness, and to a certain degree eccentricity as 'A Matter Of Life And Death', 'Hope and Glory' and 'Withnail and I'. I would heartily recommend it, although its clearly not for everyone (beware the 'Bridget Jones' crew!) I watched it as a child- I felt enlightened and educated by it, and I have since loved each succesive viewing more and more...

Complètement azimuté

E. · 15 December 2024

La folie british à son pinnacle. A côté de ça, le plus délirant des Monthy Python ou des Blackadder ressemble à une séance lecture de la critique de la raison pure par un commissaire européen neurasthénique.On peut le trouver à visionner gratos sur votreTube, mais sans sous-titres, c'est du brutal...Ce DVD n'est dispo qu'en langue anglaise, mais il offre des sous-titres (également anglais) qui m'ont permis de savourer pleinement cette perle d'outre manche.

Great film, shame about the shipping.

G. · 29 December 2016

The movie is great, been searching for this for years.The lack of tracking information and the fact that it took 1 month to arrive - not so hot.