The Battleaxe

I am making a study of B films made in the UK in the 1950's and 1960's. YouTube has a great number of them, and some are very good and some trivial. I find it socially interesting, and many are filmed largely outside and reveal daily details of British life. I find them unique and underrated as they made up programmes as second features to the A film which the audience mainly went to see. This film ' The Battleaxe ' shows the inevitable ' terrible ' potential mother-in-law who in the usual cliche way tries to make life difficult for everyone who comes close to her. Her daughter wants to marry a man with a supposedly shady past, played rather blandly by Francis Matthews in stiff upper lip form. She rejects him and he takes her to court for breach of promise. This reversal of the usual situation could have been amusing, but falls flat due to the improbable twists and turns of the plot, and the ending of course has to please the audience. A conservative formulaic kiss was the usual conclusion, and this one between Jill Ireland and Francis Matthews was one of the most unlikely I have seen. Just over one hour long and the film seemed longer. This was the usual time for a B film. I do not want to put off viewers investigating this genre of the British supporting film, and there are some gems to be found. And for those who remember this period they could bring back a lot of nostalgia.