"The Hornet's Nest" is the name of the barge, but it also refers to the trouble these young people inadvertently get themselves into. Coming in at just over an hour, this Brit flick can't be blamed if its charms are principally on the surface. There's an "Arsenic and Old Lace" vibe with the lovely elderly ladies watching everything from their windows, and just a hint of that kooky, beatnik ethos of the 50s in the dialog and in those Les Paul guitar licks commenting on the action. Some threads get introduced but never seem to go anywhere (I kept waiting for one of the girls to trot out a nice dinner), but mostly the plot runs fairly linearly from one end to the other. Pleasant writing of not quite memorable lines, competent if not earth-shaking, as repartee goes. You won't hate yourself in the morning for watching this, but it ain't no ten.
8 Reviews
Crime caper comedy is trivial stuff...
Doylenf21 May 2007
...but sufficiently amusing if you like British comedies from the '50s.
A thief hides his loot in an old barge while two nosy old ladies watch from their window. Plot complications ensue when he tries to retrieve the loot later on in the West-End section of London. The bungled attempts of the burglars provide mild amusement.
The story also includes a junk dealer who arranges for two girls to rent the barge when they're looking for an apartment to share. What they don't know is that the loot (twenty-thousand pounds worth of jewelry) is hidden beneath the floor boards on the barge.
It's played in good farcical fashion and the laughs are deserved because they're not hammered home as they sometimes are in these kind of British comedies. The players are all unfamiliar to me, but they do well to sustain the frantic pace of the slim story.
Summing up: Nothing special, but guaranteed to amuse.
A thief hides his loot in an old barge while two nosy old ladies watch from their window. Plot complications ensue when he tries to retrieve the loot later on in the West-End section of London. The bungled attempts of the burglars provide mild amusement.
The story also includes a junk dealer who arranges for two girls to rent the barge when they're looking for an apartment to share. What they don't know is that the loot (twenty-thousand pounds worth of jewelry) is hidden beneath the floor boards on the barge.
It's played in good farcical fashion and the laughs are deserved because they're not hammered home as they sometimes are in these kind of British comedies. The players are all unfamiliar to me, but they do well to sustain the frantic pace of the slim story.
Summing up: Nothing special, but guaranteed to amuse.
Two roadrunners, two granny's and a bunch of coyotes.
mark.waltz14 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This very enjoyable fast-moving caper comedy is very much like a live-action roadrunner / bugs Bunny cartoon. The villains are deliciously dumb, dumping off valuables they have stolen on the boat called The hornet's nest, and needing to get aboard to retrieve it when two young ladies move in. The young ladies are indeed the roadrunners, and the two grannies are two nosy little old ladies who live across the street and are a combination of the women from "Arsenic and Old Lace" and the Scrabble playing ladies from "Foul Play". A light-hearted but funny screenplay guides us along quickly, and it's fun to watch the criminals keep going over the cliff every time they plot to get the better of the girls. It's a neat little quota quickie that is easy to follow, won't tax your brain with British lingo that us square Yanks won't understand, and great characters to both root for and laugh at.
Plot of film
hmag27 February 1999
A gang of criminals hide a bag of jewels onboard an empty barge. The story follows the happenings of the local community & what happens when two models move onto the barge, helped by a local salvage operator. Much of the action is seen from the upstairs room of a pair of old ladies who view the action as quite exciting in their normally quiet neighbourhood.
Beauty and the Barge
richardchatten24 February 2021
Paul Carpenter, once described by Sean Connery as the funniest person he'd ever worked with, gets a rare opportunity to play comedy onscreen in this long-forgotten potboiler. Summarily dismissed by Chibnall & McFarlane as "a comedy-thriller bereft of laughs or excitement", it's actually quite likeable (despite Wilfred Burns's gallumphing score), and anticipates Ealing's classic of the same year 'The Ladykillers'.
In 'The Ladykillers', however, Mrs Lopsided remains sublimely obvious to the activities of those about her while old biddies Nora Nicholson & Christine Silver miss nothing.
Worth mentioning is a young Jan Holden as the cynical-looking secretary for the Society for the Reformation of Unfortunates; working under a sign reading 'Honesty is the Best Policy'.
In 'The Ladykillers', however, Mrs Lopsided remains sublimely obvious to the activities of those about her while old biddies Nora Nicholson & Christine Silver miss nothing.
Worth mentioning is a young Jan Holden as the cynical-looking secretary for the Society for the Reformation of Unfortunates; working under a sign reading 'Honesty is the Best Policy'.
Amusing crime film
malcolmgsw31 July 2017
This film was made as a support feature by Guido Coen at Twickenham studios.It is an amusing film with lots of familiar faces.Alexander Gauge just before he found fame as Friar Tuck.Paul Carpenter and June Thorburn,both playing leads in B features,who both sadly died young.Charles Starrett as the horizontal heavyweight.
Delightful!
virtual-9388826 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I am not sure why all the ratings are so low as I found this to be a perfectly charming film. It's very well cast with 2 lovely young ladies who portray models very convincingly and a charming do-good guy who gets enmeshed in their lives and their problems. The criminals aren't too rotten and the supporting cast all do their jobs with a smile. Of particular note are the 50's era fashions worn by the young women - very eye-catching. The plot isn't too far-fetched and it's got a nice twist at the end. I will definitely be re-watching soon to catch more details.
Society For The Reformation Of Unfortunates...
azathothpwiggins19 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
When jewel thief, Posh Peterson (Charles Farrell) hides his latest haul in the floorboards of an old barge, he figures it's the perfect spot. Posh has no idea how complicated this will become!
First, Posh gets pinched for an unrelated offense, and while he's cooling his heels in the clink...
Two young women (June Thorburn and Marla Landi) rent the barge as their new residence, only to find that they're victims of a flats rental racket. If that's not bad enough...
A film company has already purchased their floating home, and intends to burn it up and sink it for their next movie! Meanwhile...
Posh is released, rejoins his gang, and sets out to recover his loot. Hilarity ensues.
THE HORNET'S NEST is a fun, harmless British comedy. While not an all-out gut-buster, it does have its humorous moments...
First, Posh gets pinched for an unrelated offense, and while he's cooling his heels in the clink...
Two young women (June Thorburn and Marla Landi) rent the barge as their new residence, only to find that they're victims of a flats rental racket. If that's not bad enough...
A film company has already purchased their floating home, and intends to burn it up and sink it for their next movie! Meanwhile...
Posh is released, rejoins his gang, and sets out to recover his loot. Hilarity ensues.
THE HORNET'S NEST is a fun, harmless British comedy. While not an all-out gut-buster, it does have its humorous moments...
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