Here's a curiosity that was actually photographed on locations in New York, Great Britain and, of all places, Lebanon. All this money has been poured on to a script that, in my opinion, would hardly make the sort of film for which audiences would line up in New York, L.A. and London. True, it's moderately suspenseful and mildly amusing, and it does feature some amusing turns by Richard Attenborough in various guises. David Hemmings is likewise skillfully smooth and the romantic end is held up more than ably by the attractively costumed Aexandra Stewart. All the same, I would have thought this was not the sort of movie that would induce a box- office stampede. Even lensed on a quarter of this one's stunning budget, I can't see the producers getting their money back, let alone making a profit. Maybe they were searching for a really gigantic tax loss? Well, they certainly found it.
Mind you, I'm certainly not complaining, nor is the other second- string critic, sitting a few rows behind me. The first-release theatre is otherwise empty so far as I can see, though there may be one or two paying customers downstairs. The movie has a great cast, and the behind-the-camera credits are interesting too. Here's Basil Dearden, would you believe, working without his usual partner, Michael Relph. Perhaps this is the reason :Only When I Larf" doesn't look like his other films, although it is slickly made.
Perhaps there are a few too many close-ups and it is certainly a rather talkative script which Dearden tries to offset by stratagems like the 180 degrees turn around the breakfast table. And he certainly makes effective use of his real locations. Now, I could continue to wander through the credits and hand out jerseys, right, left and center, but I'll content myself by observing that production values are nothing short of outstanding. Everyone behind the camera does a really great job! Incidentally, the title joke is supposed to be unfunny. Would you believe that two contemporary critics missed the point? And they're supposed to be the leaders in this profession. I'm just a second- string reviewer, but at least I stay awake.
Mind you, I'm certainly not complaining, nor is the other second- string critic, sitting a few rows behind me. The first-release theatre is otherwise empty so far as I can see, though there may be one or two paying customers downstairs. The movie has a great cast, and the behind-the-camera credits are interesting too. Here's Basil Dearden, would you believe, working without his usual partner, Michael Relph. Perhaps this is the reason :Only When I Larf" doesn't look like his other films, although it is slickly made.
Perhaps there are a few too many close-ups and it is certainly a rather talkative script which Dearden tries to offset by stratagems like the 180 degrees turn around the breakfast table. And he certainly makes effective use of his real locations. Now, I could continue to wander through the credits and hand out jerseys, right, left and center, but I'll content myself by observing that production values are nothing short of outstanding. Everyone behind the camera does a really great job! Incidentally, the title joke is supposed to be unfunny. Would you believe that two contemporary critics missed the point? And they're supposed to be the leaders in this profession. I'm just a second- string reviewer, but at least I stay awake.