British Comedy Guide

Law And Disorder (1958)

A film that could have been much funnier if they had put a bit more effort into it - they had the stars, what with Michael Redgrave, Robert Morley, Lionel Jeffries and Joan Hickson etc. etc. etc. Good story, but for me it just lacked bit of pizzazz that made say, "The Wrong Arm of the Law" a much better film.

Long-time confidence trickster Redgrave spends a lot of his life in jail and tries to make sure his son doesn't follow suit. Once a man, the son becomes a barrister and assistant to the judge Morley who is the one that keeps putting him in jail, and so all concerned try to make sure the father and son don't face each other in court.

Perhaps I haven't explained that very well, so here's the IMDb storyline:-

" When Percy Brand (Sir Michael Redgrave), a habitual confidence trickster, keeps being sent down, he goes to great lengths to ensure that his son Colin (Jeremy Burnham) does not find out about his criminal past. But when Colin becomes an assistant to Judge Sir Edward Crichton (Robert Morley), who is about to try Percy for his latest escapade, Percy and his gang have to come up with a plan, to stop them meeting in court."

Just about worth a watch - few smiles and odd giggle

To be fair I think maybe comedy has progressed a lot since then. It has evolved and so maybe at the time it was thought as being quite funny.

Quote: Chappers @ 2nd September 2020, 9:16 AM

To be fair I think maybe comedy has progressed a lot since then. It has evolved and so maybe at the time it was thought as being quite funny.

Not that old argument again - this was raised on another thread.

There were a lot of very funny films in the 1950s, such as One Too Many Crooks, The Ladykillers and I'm All Right Jack, and what about Laurel and Hardy - still hysterical today, AND I question your "comedy has progressed a lot since then" - there's a lot of crap trying to pass itself off as funny in the 21st century.

The thing is, cinema was 'telly' back then.
They churned it out and a fair amount was shit - just like today.
Movies are, if you take an average, undoubtedly of higher quality now - but they're not doing the same job as they were then.
So it's not really a fair comparison.

There are probably millions of films that aren't as good as Long Arm Of The Law. But it's like reviewing a cheese sandwich and saying it's not a prawn sandwich. It just can't be. But does it help me understand what goes wrong in Law and Disorder? Films have to be different from each other.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 2nd September 2020, 9:51 AM

There were a lot of very funny films in the 1950s, such as ... The Ladykillers

*fail alarm*

You lose, do not pass go, do not collect £200.

I've always found The Ladykillers really quite tedious, in every respect. Not funny, a bit grim, the menace never paid off with light. All round unsatisfying. The emperor's new clothes - perhaps only surmounted by Withnail & I.

Regardless of personal taste, the threshold of funny, and associated boundaries of comedy, have undoubtedly changed since the 1950s. Hell, they've changed since the 1980s. I do think the audience in that much more grey, dreary, and socially conservative era would have been tickled by far less than we are today.

Quote: Aaron @ 5th September 2020, 11:08 AM

I've always found The Ladykillers really quite tedious, in every respect. Not funny, a bit grim, the menace never paid off with light. All round unsatisfying. The emperor's new clothes - perhaps only surmounted by Withnail & I.

:O You wash your mouth out!!

(I expect he's got a box set of Police Academy, so you have to make allowances.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 5th September 2020, 11:49 AM

I expect he's got a box set of Police Academy, so you have to make allowances.

Nope!

Quote: Aaron @ 5th September 2020, 12:33 PM

Nope!

Quote: Aaron @ 5th September 2020, 11:08 AM

I've always found The Ladykillers really quite tedious, in every respect. Not funny, a bit grim, the menace never paid off with light. All round unsatisfying. The emperor's new clothes - perhaps only surmounted by Withnail & I.

Quote: Lazzard @ 5th September 2020, 11:56 AM

Personally I shall spend it watching Withnail & I on a loop - just to annoy Aaron.

Laughing out loud

I'm not toadying to sir, honest. But both The Ladykillers and Withnail & I, for me, are worth watching just for the performance of the two main characters. The films themselves are not very substantial.

:P

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