The Rebel or The Punch and Judy Man?

With the release of these restored and put on Blu-ray I thought I would try a little poll to see not only which is the most popular (or neither) and how many die-hard Hancock fans we have on the forum.

For me it would be The Punch and Judy Man as I've always looked on this as a sort of "what happened next" when Tony finally got married and moved out of Earls Court.
Also, it reminds me of my carefree childhood days of late 1950s trips to the seaside, which I remember fondly through my rose-tinted specs.

The Rebel? It was OK and maybe it might like it a bit more if I watched it in Black & White. Also, as much as I love Irene Handl, for me Mrs Cravat will always be Patricia Hayes who played the part of seedy "lady who does" to perfection. The whole thing I thought was a bit silly though and not The Lad at all, and lacking the poignancy of The Punch and Judy Man, which was more Hancock's 'ammer.

The Punch and Judy Man for me too.
As you say it's more the Hancock we know from his half hours. And the delightful Sylvia Sims with the always thoughtful John Le Mesurier.
The Rebel is a good satire of the art world though, where talking the talk is more important than any skill for painting.

The Rebel for me, I do believe it made my top ten Britcom movies. It's in colour, not always essential, but for a satire on modern art it helped. It's a rare Hancock vehicle in colour and I think it highlighted his lugubriousness. Great performance as well with lots of his exasperated expressions making a mockery out of the artworld. Good script and the bloated main character really suited him.

For me, neither are very good films, and their main value is as curiosities. That said, I'd plump for The Rebel, mainly for the inclusion of fellow suicide, the mighty George Sanders.

A long time since I watched either, but I do remember enjoying The Rebel a lot more.

Definitely looking forward to checking them out in the new restored editions.

Not particularly keen on either. In the same way that I am not keen on the Are You Being Served film, the On the Buses films or the Steptoe & Son films. But "The Punch & Judy Man" was filmed in Bognor Regis so I have to go for that one.

The Rebel is a great film and Tony gives a great performance - showed the potential he had to be a world famous movie star. Sadly this wasn't to be of course...

The Punch and Judy Man was absolutely dreadful - no redeeming qualities what so ever

Actually one of the worst films I have ever watched in my entire life

Punch and Judy Man on TPTV next Saturday (22 August) 1.50pm

Quote: lofthouse @ 13th September 2019, 7:12 PM

The Punch and Judy Man was absolutely dreadful - no redeeming qualities what so ever

Actually one of the worst films I have ever watched in my entire life

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Maybe you should watch it again next Sunday just to make sure.

The Punch and Judy Man

Well I enjoyed the wallow in nostalgia, apart from being a big Hancock fan. Made even more poignant by it being a sort of death knell of his one last push. It may have worked out better if G&S had written it - c'est la vie.

Nevertheless, it had its laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed the breakfast scenes with his wife (the gorgeous and very talented Sylvia Syms), and wonderful to see John Le Mez in a part that was just made for him and which he played to perfection. Add to that, another Hancock stalwart Hugh Lloyd, and to a lesser extent the brilliant Mario Fabrizi.

Yes, it lacked the spark of past triumphs, but I loved it, preferring it to "The Rebel".

By the way, in case you're interested, the wonderful shooting brake (or Woody for those across the pond) was an unusual Lea Francis 14hp.

Did I read it on here?
But there's a story about Corbett and Brambell whilst filming Steptoe actually meeting Hancock whilst filming this film on a bit of the same beach.That would have been interesting,him having not long dumped G&S.

Yes, I read that, so probably on here. They were going to/were filming the Steptoe film and delayed it until Hancock's was finished - I think.

Quote: john tregorran @ 24th August 2020, 3:08 AM

Did I read it on here?
But there's a story about Corbett and Brambell whilst filming Steptoe actually meeting Hancock whilst filming this film on a bit of the same beach.That would have been interesting,him having not long dumped G&S.

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https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/when_hancock_met_steptoe/

Thanks Billy.Another postal order on it's way,possibly.

Thinking of something original is having read something but forgetting where you read it.(I read that somewhere)

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 23rd August 2020, 10:16 AM

Yes, it lacked the spark of past triumphs, but I loved it, preferring it to "The Rebel".

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And it had the advantage of being filmed in Bognor Regis.