My Ratings:
Story 1.25: Direction 1.50: Pace 1.75: Acting 1.50: Entertaining 1.75:
Total 7.75 out of 10.
I do believe it's a shame that you need to watch old movies to have a good laugh. However, since most of today's humour is puerile rubbish, which is by and large unamusing, then back in time I'll travel. Thank god for the time machine called video.
Hugo is an accident-prone fellow whose luck isn't too great but has a strange way of working in his favour. In this story, we catch him working as an ice-rink sweeper. However, Hugo has dreams above his station. He fantasises about becoming a Private Eye. Today could be the day his luck changes because he's just won first prize, in the monthly detective magazine he reads. A large cash reward and a fully trained bloodhound. Which is lucky, because his bad luck has just cost him his job.
No sooner has he opened the doors of his agency than a woman enters and obtains his services... though it's not to be a detective. Through a series of consequences and mishap, the woman believes Hugo to be a talent agent. Now, the conversation between her and Hugo is beautifully sculptured and written. You know the two are assuming different things. However, the exchange works. This style of chat is a hard thing to create, but T E B Clarke does it so well. What elicits amusement is the juxtaposition between the pair and their parlance. I was chuckling hardily at this scene.
Unfortunately... or fortunately, these misfortunes of happenstance continue and suddenly Hugo finds himself embroiled in an international conspiracy to blow up the worlds best scientists... and a misconstrued attempted kidnapping.
ThisWho Done It is a hell of a well-constructed story with lots of humourous twists and turns. But the humour isn't limited to dialogue and situation. No, director Basil Deardon adds more than a splash of slapstick. Of which, the catastrophe on ice and the malfunctioning weather machine were my favourites. Deardon's pacing and timing are perfect for these styles of comedy. Even the way he works the shots and scenes add to the power of the film. These are sublime, and most won't appreciate them. But the part where Hugo, who is impersonating the foreign professor, realises he's in trouble is excellent. It's shot between three rooms. The main room on the left, the hall in the centre, and a secondary lounge to the right. The section is important to drive the comedy, and Deardon nails it. However, he does it so smoothly you don't notice how excellent it is. Because your eyes are glued to the screen, and you're engrossed in the segment.
Not only are the writing and the direction good, but the cast is also great. This is the first time I'd seen Benny Hill in a movie. I'd never thought of him as a movie actor until Talking Pictures aired this film. Now, I'm going to see if there are any others I've missed.
There's nothing wrong with film at all. The only reason I didn't give it higher marks is that it feels dated. It's especially evident in the weather machine. It's funny. And, at the time, the effects would have looked great and more than passible. But, not so now. It's these small things that restrict the ratings.
I'd happily recommend this to everybody. It made me laugh out loud a few times, and that is great. Plus it's a movie for all the family. You don't have to worry if a comedian is going to throw in some inappropriate content just for a cheap laugh.
Please skate on over to my The Game Is Afoot and Just For Laughs lists to see where I've rated this lucky unlucky Private Eye.
Take Care & Stay Well
