DVD Review: GO TO BLAZES - No Carry On… Or Ealing Comedy

rating: 2

Receiving its first ever DVD release this week, classic comedy Go To Blazes is unfortunately not as wonderful as many other British farces. So before you rush to the shops €“ or indeed the cinema, where the film is also being re-released in a limited capacity €“ check out our review first! Bernard, Harry and Alfie are three charming but foolhardy crooks that smash and grab tactics rarely come off. On their way for another stint behind bars they see the traffic part for an on call fire engine and hatch a new plan. Upon their release they set out to acquire a fire engine to use as the perfect getaway vehicle on a jewellery robbery. But when they are mistaken for real firemen their plan slowly begins to unravel. When Harry gets scared by the appearance of the police, he accidentally runs into a dress salons changing room. He meets the beautiful Chantal who might just hold the key to finally pulling off a successful heist! If there€™s one genre that us Brits are renowned for, it€™s out farcical comedies. Go To Blazes tries gallantly to be exactly this, but unfortunately fails to reach the high standards of its contemporary rivals, the Carry On€ series and Ealing produced comedies. The film lacks both the charm and wit that both of these collections of films have in abundance, with many of the jokes falling flat and the wrong kind of infantile humour. This perhaps explains why it hasn€™t seen a DVD release until its 50th anniversary this year. The majority of the films humour derives from satirical dialogue that unfortunately doesn€™t induce much laughter. Most of the jokes are relatively predictable, with very few having the desired effect. Odd moments will make viewers chuckle €“ when the gang switches a scrapped fire engine for a villages unused one and switch the commemorative bell that celebrates the fact the village has been free from a fire for a great number of years, for example! - but these are much fewer and further between than in other comedies from the time. Despite these problems there still remain a handful of genuinely hilarious moments that prevent Go To Blazes from becoming a total write off. The most amusing bit comes when Bernard and Alfie take the fire engine out on the first heist. With Harry nowhere to be seen (due to hiding from the police), they are forced to go round the block in an attempt to try and catch Harry on their next round. Instead, a man whose basement flat is flooding collars them. Chaos ensues when the two crooks are forced to try and blag their way into assisting, frantically attempting to work out how to use the fire engines equipment! The physical nature of the frenetic scene generates comedy in a way that the more dialogue driven scenes don€™t and audiences will find it impossible to not fall about laughing as Bernard & Alfie end up pumping more water into the flooded flat€ Another humorous scene finds the gang calling upon an old chum who specialises in fraudulent insurance claims. The gentleman €“ played by the effervescent character actor Robert Morley €“ has a spectacular flat that doubles as a laboratory to test methods for his various scams€all of which can be hidden by the touch of a button! This solitary scene evokes all of the kitsch chic of the Swinging 60s and is a lone moment that boasts the films setting. A larger role for Morely and more of a presence for his flat would have benefitted the film immensely. Although the film falls decidedly flat narratively, the central performances are all very good. Dave King, Daniel Massey and Norman Rossington star as the trio of crooks and each imbues their character with a different personality. Massey is Harry, the dandy character, a posh fop who insinuates that he€™s part of high society when really he€™s the one who actually commits the smash and grab robberies. The actor makes Harry a likeable character who has a certain roguish charm and the gift of the gab. Massey plays the more physical scenes with aptitude too and his facial expressions whilst he tries to evade the police (leading him into the couturier changing room for the first time) are possibly funnier than any of his dialogue. King is the brains the operation, making his character Bernard a fast talker and quick thinker. King cracks the majority of the jokes, but despite his appealing €˜Jack the lad€™ screen persona his comic timing isn€™t always sound and his wisecracking is rather wet. Rossington plays Alfie as slightly dim, which does generate a certain element of comedy within the narrative. His turn during the scene where both Alfie and Bernard have to work out how to use the fire engines equipment is brilliant and his ineptitude certainly makes this one of the funniest scenes. A very young Maggie Smith plays Harry€™s love interest Chantal and the film will remind viewers of the actresses€™ great comedic abilities. Smith glides through the narrative with ease, making Chantal a likeable character who may not be exactly what she seems€ As mentioned before, Robert Morley€™s cameo is one of the highlights of the film and the ebullient, expressive actor gives his character €“ Arson Eddie €“ a larger than life persona, ultimately stealing the film from right under the noses of the other cast members! Despite these excellent turns, it€™s unfortunately not enough to save Go To Blazes from slipping too far into dull territory.

QUALITY:

The film looks remarkably good for 50 years of age, with only minor image distortion and blemishing to speak of. For the most part, images are clean and only afflicted by a small amount of grain. However, this is not sufficient enough to cause distraction or irritation. Definition does not reach its full potential here, with much of the film appearing slightly too soft, though this is undoubtedly due to the quality of the original print and not so much the transfer itself here. Colours appear rather washed out here too and everything is a little over-exposed, but there are still some striking tones that burst into life (predominantly the reds of the fire engines). The audio quality is superior to the visuals, with a nice clean track that retains perfectly clear dialogue throughout the film. A certain level of hiss remains, but like the graininess element of the visuals, this is not enough to drive viewers to distraction or become overly annoying. The musical track and sound effects are also proficient, remaining clear throughout but refraining from engulfing the dialogue. EXTRAS: Go To Blazes is unfortunately released without any bonus material, which is a real shame considering that it€™s a 50th Anniversary edition! Go To Blazes is now available on DVD.