The Best of Benny Hill
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Movie Reviews of The Best of Benny Hill
Movie Review: Good Xmas gift.
Summary: 5 Stars
Good gift for fans, like my friend, who doesn't have cable, DVR or something similar at home.Movie Review: "Best Of" - With a Qualification
Summary: 4 Stars
One factor for the quality of this film being as it is (not the video-to-film transfers which in and of themselves were nothing more than color kinescopes, but the quality of the material) has to do with the fact that this was drawn ONLY from shows produced between 1969 and 1972 (with the rendition of "Yakety Sax" as heard all through the picture, having originated from the Dec. 27, 1973 show), and produced/directed by one person, and one person only - John Robins. Nothing of Hill's work up to that period from other producer/directors - which, up to the point this was prepared, also included David Bell, Keith Beckett and Peter Frazer-Jones - were even considered for inclusion, unfortunately, given that (as some may have suggested) the shows from these "other" directors may have been an improvement over what's offered here.
Oh, and one more thing: In the "Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service" sketch, there was a switcheroo in the music, with the original custom-scored medley as on the original Nov. 19, 1969 airing being replaced with a loop of the aforementioned 1973 version of "Yakety Sax" in the outdoor scenes and a stock-music piece heard in the hospital scenes. This may have had something to do with music clearance issues, from one of two possibilities: a) the use in the sketch as originally aired of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag," given that many Joplin tunes were heard in the then-recently released movie "The Sting"; or, more likely, b) the last song in the custom-scored medley, a cover of John Mayall's "Room to Move," which is perhaps his best-known tune from his most famous album, "The Turning Point."
Movie Review: Of course, the humor loses something across the ocean...
Summary: 4 Stars
But, that has always been the case with comedy imported from the U.K., as well as what WE send over there, as well as the rest of the world. Some of our jokes don't have the folks in Taiwan, Nairobi, or Milan rolling in the aisles, either.
That said, "The Best of Benny Hill" is a good introduction to the late comic with his ribald brand of comedy. Sure, there are some straight slapstick sketches but most fans of his are looking for the suggestively titillating ones and these are in good supply, from his "commercials" to his double entendre songs to the AMPLE supply of well-endowed ladies.
The latter is for the fourteen-year-old in all of us guys.
Speaking of the "ladies," the highlight is in the last act when Hill dons several wigs and appropriate attire and "impersonates" some of England's most popular (at the time) female singers.
His "Shirley Bassey" is priceless!
Movie Review: Benny Hill...well ahead of his time
Summary: 4 Stars
Ah yes. Benny Hill. Now there was classic slapstick comedy at its best. Perhaps one of the coolest comedians to come out of England, Benny Hill broke new ground in his brand of humor. Often pushing the envelope with racy sexy comedy for his time, he was a refreshing comedian more or less like a modern Chaplin with his silent comedy routines/sketches. This DVD seems to include his best moments from classic shows and it looks like it's going to be very good. If you never have been exposed to Mr Hill's humor, this is as good a place as any to give it a shot.Movie Review: Would have been
Summary: 4 Stars
This should be a slam dunk 5 star rating. This is a nice compilation of Benny Hill skits and parodies. It is really a nice cross section of his work. If you remember Benny from cable and PBS, this is a nice inexpensive collection to keep on your shelf. For serious dvd collectors, the problem with the dvd has to do with the picture quality. This is a really bad transfer. Some parts look very grainy as if it was copied from an old VHS tape. That is the only thing that keeps me from giving this a perfect rating and a full recommendation.