Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Lionel Jeffries star in "Two-Way Stretch," a wonderful British 1960 comedy. David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, Irene Handl and Beryl Reid also star. Sellers and his cronies (Lodge and Cribbins) are prisoners living the good life - milk and newspaper delivered by rope up the side of the prison daily, a stash of booze, breakfast in their cell, no work at the quarry, and an obliging guard (George Woodbridge).
The vicar from their local church visits, and it turns out it's not the vicar at all, but Soapy (Wilfrid Hyde-White), who is responsible for all of them being in prison in the first place. During the last heist, he was the only one with an alibi. Now he proposes a diamond robbery where the boys escape prison, do the robbery, and return. A perfect robbery and a perfect alibi.
Unfortunately, this is to occur after their guard is to retire, but Sellers is convinced the next guard will be a semi-retired, easygoing guy as well. Instead, it's Lionel Jeffries, whose role model seems to have been Adolph Hitler.
Very funny film, spoiled a bit for me by the fact that it was difficult to understand the dialogue. Some great scenes: visitors' day for the prisoners; Jeffries' attempts to find their escape routes; the warden missing his watch; many others. They may have said this during the movie and I didn't catch it, but at one point, they attempt to escape by using an exercise horse in the prison yard to cover the spot where they're tunneling. This device was actually used by real prisoners of war to escape during World War II.
British cinema just tossed these little gems out, and several of this type of film have gone on to become classics. This should really be another classic, if it isn't. It's great fun with marvelous characters and performances.
The vicar from their local church visits, and it turns out it's not the vicar at all, but Soapy (Wilfrid Hyde-White), who is responsible for all of them being in prison in the first place. During the last heist, he was the only one with an alibi. Now he proposes a diamond robbery where the boys escape prison, do the robbery, and return. A perfect robbery and a perfect alibi.
Unfortunately, this is to occur after their guard is to retire, but Sellers is convinced the next guard will be a semi-retired, easygoing guy as well. Instead, it's Lionel Jeffries, whose role model seems to have been Adolph Hitler.
Very funny film, spoiled a bit for me by the fact that it was difficult to understand the dialogue. Some great scenes: visitors' day for the prisoners; Jeffries' attempts to find their escape routes; the warden missing his watch; many others. They may have said this during the movie and I didn't catch it, but at one point, they attempt to escape by using an exercise horse in the prison yard to cover the spot where they're tunneling. This device was actually used by real prisoners of war to escape during World War II.
British cinema just tossed these little gems out, and several of this type of film have gone on to become classics. This should really be another classic, if it isn't. It's great fun with marvelous characters and performances.