DVD/150: CARRY ON CLEO (Gerald Thomas, 1964)

The tenth CARRY ON film jumped on CLEOPATRA's bandwagon, nabbing scenery and costumes left behind when the Taylor epic moved filming from the UK to Italy.

In hindsight, I always think it a favourite but whenever I watch it, I get increasingly inattentive as the famous moments of the film are mostly in the first half and the second half quickly dwindles away.

As usual with the CARRY ONs, the parts are more than the whole *Swanee whistle effect* with marvellous turns by Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar and Sid James, for once giving an actual performance as Mark Antony.

The always dependable Joan Sims and Jim Dale are under-used, their comedy wattage is woefully missed in the second act.

It has a perfect Cleopatra in Amanda Barrie - her sly delivery and attitude really stand out - but again, she is wasted by not appearing until well into the film.  

Shelf or charity shop?  I think it might be time to give up it's space in my collection...

Dvd/150: LADY KILLERS (Nicholas Ferguson / Philip Draycott / Kenny McBain / Joan Kemp-Welch / Brian Mills / Peter Moffatt, 1981. tv)

The second series of seven murder trial dramatisations, introduced by Robert Morley.

Where the first series concentrated on women criminals, this focusses on men killing women - except for Edith Thompson and Freddy Bywaters: he killed her husband but they were tried jointly, one of the great judicial miscarriages.

This series doesn't match the first, an obvious choice for the producer but it doesn't carry much conviction.

Chewing the scenery are Kenneth Haigh as brides-in-the-bath killer George Smith and Christopher Cazenove as mad Ronald True, while John Fraser as Crippen is colourless.

However Ian Charleson shines as fake posh cad Neville Heath, Michael Jayston is fine as arrogant Frederick Seddon, on trial for murdering his tenant, as is Carol Drinkwater as his edgy wife.

The best is the Thompson/Bywaters episode with touching performances from (miscast) Gayle Hunnicutt, Christopher Villiers and Margaret Tyzack as his stricken mother.

Shelf or charity shop? I will keep this as it's my Ian but it's also worth keeping for the Thompson/Bywaters episode and some fine supporting performances across the series from Heather Chasen, Michael Ripper, John Justin, Michael Byrne, Joan Hickson, and Joan Sims' voice-over as the virago Mrs Crippen.

Dvd/150: LADYKILLERS (Philip Draycott / Valerie Hanson / Nicholas Ferguson / Joan Kemp-Welch, 1980, tv)

A Granada series of seven dramatisations of trials of women killers from 1857 to 1955, each introduced by Robert Morley.

Trial records are used for the court scenes but supposition is used elsewhere.  Two are dull but others shine.

Elaine Paige is wonderful as vindictive Irish maid Kate Webster, particularly her last-night confession, when she relishes every gory detail with her horrified priest (Michael Kitchen).

Joanna David is also effective as hysterical Mary Pearcy, murderer of the wife and child of her lover (Paul Nicholas).

Joan Sims is an addled delight as Victorian baby-farmer/murderer Amelia Dyer while Rita Tushingham is touchingly pathetic as alledged husband-killer Charlotte Bryant

Overshadowing them all is Georgina Hale who is breathtaking as Ruth Ellis.  Maintaining her facade and clipped fake Mayfair accent until almost the end, she is magnificently brittle, kittenish, icy, and haughty allowing moments of pain to seep through.

Shelf or charity shop?  Shelf for the concise storytelling, excellent supporting performances - watch out for Doreen Mantle, Deborah Norton, Linda Polan, Leslie French, Belinda Sinclair and June Barry - but above all for Georgina Hale.

DVD/150: DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD (Gerald Thomas, 1967)

Anglo-Amalgamated released the first twelve CARRY ONs but when the franchise moved to Rank, DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD was released without the prefix due to problems over who owned the CARRY ON.. title, the words still appear on the poster...

Robespierre's Reign of Terror is interrupted by the elusive Black Fingernail who, disguised, rescues aristocrats from the guillotine and under the snooty nose of police chief, Citizen Camembert.

The rescuers are two English fops, Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy Pue so Camembert journeys to England to catch them with his bumbling assistant Citizen Bidet and his mistress Desirée.

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD, despite the tsunami of double entendres, runs out of steam about two thirds in and never recovers.

Sid James is fine while the anarchic pairing of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey fizzes and Joan Sims is glorious as the outwardly-'refained' but common-as-muck Desirée.

Shelf or charity shop?  Despite some classic CARRY ON... gags, I think I can let this one go...