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odde63
Reviews
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
My all-time favourite comedy film
This film was made thirteen years before I was born but I still think it is the wittiest, dottiest, most harmless piece of fun ever made. It simply could not go wrong with the cast of superb British character actors it boasts.
Where to start? Alastair Sim-peerless; Margaret Rutherford-ditto;the wonderfully alkward, innocent Gossage, played to perfection by the imperious Joyce Grenfell. The caddish Victor Hyde-Brown (a Guy Middleton special) and the rest of the staff sum up post-war middle-class England to a tee.
The humour is sometimes obvious, but it is of that special "Ealing" variety and is never offensive.
I have watched this film more times than I care to remember and still laugh like a drain at the antics every time. The storming of the dorms occupied by the girls school, the magnificently-planned but ultimately doomed twin tours of the school and the chaotic ending involving the arrival of a third school to add to the anarchy, are priceless.
It's an old cliché I know, but they really do not make them like that anymore. How I wish they did. If you haven't seen it, please do, you won't be disappointed.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
THE greatest musical of all time
I think this film is the greatest musical ever made. In fact, it is in my all time top ten of any films. What is there not to like in this pic? True, there is little in the way of plot, but that is more than made up for in the singing and dancing. Gene Kelly had no equal when it came to choreography. I defy anyone to watch him in full flow and not be in awe. The title song will lift your heart on the lowest of days and I personally, will never tire of it. A great cast supports Kelly and should be given credit. I remember the first time I heard Lena say "What do they think we are, dumb or something!". Sheer joy! Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor each contribute significantly and should be congratulated for their professionalism in the face of Gene Kelly's apparent tyranny. I could go on and on, but will end by reiterating my original assertion the this is THE greatest musical ever made and will NEVER be topped. They certainly don't make them like that anymore!