I'm All Right Jack
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Movie Reviews of I'm All Right Jack
Movie Review: Landmark British Satire.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have already reviewed a couple of fine 50s comedies--one British ( The Man in the White Suit ) and one American ( The Solid Gold Cadillac )--where I felt that the film's theme or message was just as relevant today. You can certainly add the Boulting Brothers' brilliant comedy, "I'm All Right Jack ", to this list. Are industrial relations any less problematic today, especially if owners are greedy, managers elitist and incompetent, and unionized employees unreasonable ? It is a rhetorical question !In producing "I'm All Right Jack", the Boultings obviously took great pains to be objective--both sides, management and labour, are only interested in themselves, with a mutual lack of respect and trust. I seem to recall that, when the film was first released in Britain, the union movement loved the way that ownership/management was portrayed, but objected very much to how the British worker was represented--of course, "upper class" owners had a reverse viewpoint.
While this terrific satire has a strong message, it is also a very entertaining film, with a perfect cast. As stubborn, dogmatic Fred Kite, the union leader, Peter Sellers is marvellous, but it is a mistake to call this a Peter Sellers' movie. Actually, Ian Carmichael gets top billing as Stanley Windrush, the ultimate "upper class twit"--not the only time that he would play this kind of role ( remember "School for Scoundrels"? ). Carmichael is wonderful as the well-meaning, but very naive young man, who causes all the "trouble". Terry-Thomas is the Personnel Director--obsequious to the owners, disdainful of the workers--oozing insincere charm all over the place. Ownership is represented by Dennis Price ( smug, patrician and totally crooked ) and Richard Attenborough ( a slimy, oily weasel--and--you guessed it--totally crooked ! ). John Le Mesurier registers as the "efficiency expert", spying on the workers. Irene Handl is a scene-stealer as Kite's wife, exasperated with her husband's union-spouting nonsense, wondering if he ever does any real work. Blonde and bosomy Liz Fraser is Kite's daughter, grabbing on to Windrush as her ticket away from a boring life and preening in front of the cameras. Ms. Fraser's performance is another gem. Character actors like Victor Maddern, Sam Kydd, Cardew Robinson and David Lodge pop up here and there to enliven things even more. Finally, let us not forget Margaret Rutherford--she only has a few scenes--but when Ms. Rutherford is on the screen, she owns it.
"I'm All Right Jack" remains a highly-respected landmark film in the history of British cinema--with a superb script and cast, this DVD belongs in the collection of anyone who likes to think and laugh at the same time.
As usual, Anchor Bay gives us a good quality picture--black and white, of course. There is also a trailer and a bio of Peter Sellers( again, while he is terrific, I do not consider this to be just a Sellers vehicle ).
Thanks, Anchor Bay--hey--how about a "Terry-Thomas Collection " ? You could start with "Make Mine Mink" !
Movie Review: Sellers' best piece of work
Summary: 5 Stars
This formula Boulting Bros. satire is broad and wide swiping. No section of 1950s British society is protected from its sting. It was a very apt piece of satire, and I am very happy to say, works as well today as it did on its release. It is actually quite nostalgic to watch now, because many of the elements lampooned here are now distant memories, bad or good. The film is rich in detail and the screenplay is very well crafted, but what I like about it most is that it captures the essence of British culture at the time, the general industrial scene and the attitudes and reputations of the British worker generally, and those of the British corporate employer. It is very much 'them and us' and portrays the role of the then mighty union as the tool of the devil that damages the reputation of Great Britain itself. But it also shows the corporate employers as priveliged, detached fat cat schemers whose main aim in life is to make a lot of money without getting their hands dirty, and couldn't give a stuff about the riff raff they are forced to employ, hence the catchphrase title 'I'm Alright Jack'. It is wonderfully catty stuff that ensues between the two classes, when a couple of greedy executives conspire to use the work force's militancy to aid a crooked deal of theirs.
Sellers gives a masterclass in caricature as he plays the died in the wool 'old labour' union shop steward to a tee. His pretentions of intellectualism are hilariously accurate about that very real type of character in British society of the day. Equally as funny are his rather fastidious habits and his priggishness and sense of values. His burning sense of pride has made him as much of a snob as the chinless plutocrats who are by definition his sworn enemies. It is a magnificent and thoroughly entertaining performance within a clever and entertaining film. Highly recommended to Brit com lovers and Sellers fans alike.
Movie Review: A lot more than all right
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the greatest, and most willfully misunderstood, movie comedies ever. Although still lauded in Britain as a searing indictment of trade unionism, its greatness lies in its even-handed treatment of unions and bosses alike. Sellers's portrayal of the union leader Fred Kite was so brilliant that it tended to overshadow the performance of Dennis Price as the crooked boss, and Ian Carmichael's poor, honest scapegoat caught in the middle. But the entire cast is great. Talking of which, was there ever such a wealth of comedy acting talent as in 50s and 60s British cinema?
The title comes from a saying common at the time: "F*** you Jack, I'm all right!" which had Bowdlerized variants like "Up yours, Jack..." and "Blow you Jack..." and which reflected a self-interestedness that no longer requires a catchphrase because it is now so taken for granted. It particularly applied to the well-known phenomenon of the trade union member being promoted to management level and suddenly abandoning his working-class loyalties. As another popular phrase had it: "The working class can kiss my ***, I've got the foreman's job at last."
This movie is a sequel to "Privates Progress", which is also worth seeing, but each movie is standalone. Comedy has a way of getting beneath the skin more effectively than drama. These two movies will tell you more about wartime and post-war British society than any documentary could do. And with plenty of laughs along the way.
Movie Review: Witty and sophisticated--a masterpiece from the Boultings
Summary: 5 Stars
The Boulting Brothers films of the 1950's had great casts, well drawn characters, and a story line where the character's intentions, motives, and their nature collided. I'm All Right, Jack is among the best of these films. The cast is superb:
Ian Carmichael---the bungling, guileless laddie of a man who everyone wants to help and whose misadventures drive the story.
Dennis Price-- the too clever by half manipulative owner
Richard Attenborough---the cynical former classmate, looking after his "friend" Carmichael.
Terry-Thomas---the worldly manager caught in the middle who must ultimately fix the messes made by the owners.
Peter Sellers---the Marxist labor union official whose struggles to create working class solidarity can't even succeed in his own family.
Irene Handl---Sellers wife who decides that he needs a dose of his own medicine.
Liz Fraser---Sellers's knockout teenage daughter, who hilariously falls for Carmichael ("Are those your own teeth? They're so perfect, I thought they were dentures.")
Margaret Rutherford---Carmichael's imperious Aunty who finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Irene Handl.
This is one of my all time favorite comedy films.
Movie Review: Brilliant Satire
Summary: 5 Stars
If you enjoy satire and dialogue, then you'll love this movie, which was made in approx. 1959, and stars Peter Sellers, Ian Carmichael, and Terry-Thomas, and a teriffic supporting cast. The basic story is the clash between the British aristocracy and Labour classes in the period shortly after the end of WWII, with a subtext of missile sales to the Middle East. As you might imagine, with Peter Sellers playing both an aristrocrat and a labour organizer who is a confirmed disciple of Lenin (until circumstances collide with dogma), and with Terry-Thomas playing middle-management, the results are hilarious! You'll see the origins of Archie and Edith Bunker, and perhaps even the Beatles were inspired by this film. Remember "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? There's a reference in there to "Mr Kite", and I think that the next time any of us run into into either Paul Mc Cartney or Ringo Starr, we should ask them if they'd seen this film. Be sure to see this if you like satire/dialogue/superb acting!