Dad's Army - Series 5 (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Some of the most unforgettable episodes of Dad's Army, ever .
Disadvantages:	A few poor performances and silly scripts ruin it slightly .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

(Please Note: This is a TV or film only review - thank you!)

It is difficult to say really when the British Comedy, Dad's Army, reached its peak; some would argue that it gained some much needed momentum after the first couple of series, where as a viewer, you were getting use to the characters, their individual hilarities, flaws and idiosyncrasies.

By series five, with it being four years since the first season hit the BBC airwaves, the seven men who were at the focus of defending a fictional town from the threat of Nazi invasion, were very much well established, each with their own specific personality traits that would keep viewers entertained. Of course, being 'the young intellectual' (instead of an older intellectual) I can only speculate on the reaction of this particular series at the time.

However, there are a couple of reasons for me personally as to why season five sticks out in my mind. The first is that there are many utterly fantastic episodes; some of them, undoubtedly, verged on ridiculous but many were just so perfectly written and performed that no matter how many times I watch them, I shall always enjoy seeing the soldiers bumble around a make a complete hash of things!

Secondly, and somewhat sadly, I have to say that another reason as to why series five is so enjoyable is because it's the final series that features James Beck, who played Private Walker. He passed away during the filming of series six and, as a result, some of the episodes lack his witty character which is tragic on so many levels. But, in spite of this, series five was genuinely funny and, it is through some of the episodes here, that the character and actor are still as excellent to watch even now as they were the first time round.

WHAT IS IT?
Dad's Army is a hilarious tribute to the Home Guard of WWII. Comprised of the old and young alike, these men stayed in their hometowns to fend for the country, in her hour of need, whether it was through general old age or other medical reasons that would prevent some men going out to the trenches and coming face to face with the enemy in a more likely setting.

Set in the fictional beach town of Walmington-On-Sea, the show began in 1968, originally in black and white, before developing into colour by the third series. Unsurprisingly, it focuses itself on the lives of the local townsmen who would be there to save the country from disaster if ever Hitler did step foot on British soil! The show ran for nine years, including 80 episodes over the nine series and some Christmas specials. Dad's Army was filmed in the Sheperton Studios and also in Thetford, Norfolk where most of the outdoor scenes took place.

CAST AND CHARACTERS
Although there are seven main characters who act as the Home Guard brigade, there are many others who feature throughout series five in random episodes. However, the cast is led by the underrated Arthur Lowe who plays the ostentatious but lovable Captain George Mainwaring, the self appointed leader. Lowe was the perfect fit for this role and in series five, his quality performances seem to be confident and true to his wonderful acting abilities, which is only enhanced by the complete contrast between himself and his Sergeant, Arthur Wilson.

John Le Mesurier is the opposite of Lowe both in looks and personality, aspects that were really becoming more obvious during this series. John depicted the aristocratic, ladies man of Wilson in such a profound way to really make Mainwaring's character clash with his own wonderfully well. The Sergeant's relationship with the youngest member of the Platoon, Frank Pike, is mildly cross examined in this series but Private Pike, as a character, had really started coming into his own by now and getting some of the better lines. Ian Lavender will always be remembered as 'The Stupid Boy' and on so many occasions during this set, the character's naivety but also resourcefulness is acted out in a wonderfully silly way.

Mainwaring, Wilson and Pike all work in the local bank and this series is perhaps one of the most poignant in depicting their working relationship on another level. Before, it had only been in passing that we were aware that they worked in the bank together but here, there were two stand out episodes that twisted their relationships in a different direction whilst still staying true to the original characters.

The third in command, Lance-Corporal Jones, is the blithering idiot of the show; always volunteering and being a step behind in his drill, Clive Dunn does really make Jones come across as insufferable, which is exactly how the writers intended him to be. However, his competition from within the ranks, Private Frazer, let's Jonesy know exactly what he thinks on a number of occasions throughout series five. John Laurie, who had been a Shakespearian actor earlier on in his career, brought a different kind of drama to the show but the pessimistic Undertaker was another good juxtaposition against the jolly butcher of Jones.

The eldest member of the troops, Private Godfrey, had been the medical orderly since series three because of some of the physical ailments of Arnold Ridley, which he had sustained during WWI, preventing too much moving about for this character. Godfrey doesn't really evolve that much due to this but Ridley's characterisation of the gentleman is well done, so that he doesn't over shadow any of the other performers. However, there isn't too much chance of that when Walker is about. Beck played the spiv with a remarkable sense of humour which was witty without being too sarcastic to create one of the shows greatest and most endearing characters.

Along with the Home Guard, there were other folk within Walmington-On-Sea who wanted to save Great Britain from the threat of invasion. The most prominent of these is the ARP Warden, Hodges (Bill Pertwee) who continues to clash distinctly well with Captain Mainwaring. In series five, there are many episodes where the two actors really work well together; Pertwee, to me, only truly shone as Hodges when he was opposing Lowe's character in some way because of the immense amount of chemistry the two had and, undeniably, Arthur's ability to make even the most one dimensional of characters seem more spectacular was a credit to Bill's characterisation as it's not one of the strongest to feature in the show.

Frank Williams and Edward Sinclair step into the roles of the towns Vicar and Verger, respectively. The colourful duo unfortunately aren't featured in many of the episodes in this series but when they are, their gay undertones are really wonderful to watch as they both make their scenes funny but without going too outrageous either in expression or tone of voice. In addition, Janet Davies plays the over protective Mother, Mrs. Pike, who has some rather, uh, special arrangements with Sergeant Wilson. The sexual banter was mild but amplified by the innocence that their son, I mean, her son of Frank Pike displayed and is at its strongest during series five.

THE EPISODES OF SERIES FIVE
In total, there were thirteen episodes on offer in series five, each lasting roughly half an hour. The series aired originally from the 6th October 1972 until 29th December 1972. All episodes were written by the shows creators, David Croft and Jimmy Perry.

Some were arguably funnier than others, with many getting too bogged down in some of the character's stupidity to really have a good backbone of a story to it. 'The Desperate Drive of Lance Corporal Jones' is the fifth episode in the series and suffers dreadfully from the fact that Jones takes the lead here; it's bound, obviously, to be a disaster with the jittery Lance-Corporal yelling 'Don't Panic!' at the top of his lungs before doing just that. There were too many scenes where the producers tried to mask the poor plot by using 'state of the art' camera trickery although, it has to be said, is a prime example of just how far television has come along graphically in recent years.

The same is of course true for 'Getting The Bird', the show's forty-fourth episode where we explore Sergeant Wilson's somewhat shady past. The unusual prop, which in the story is a product of Walker's black market meat supply that is set to aide Jonesy's butcher shop, it has to be said, do look really fake. However, it is with that where the humour lies and I can watch this episode over and over again and still find it refreshing, even if I have a slight smirk on my face before some of the scenes occur. There is a good exchange between Wilson and an unlikely member of the platoon which, away from the more obvious aspects of hilarity here, help develop the Sergeant's past quite considerably, as subtle as it may be.

'All Is Safely Gathered In' delves into the past of Private Godfrey in even more of a restrained manner; he is the quietest of the characters, so it made sense for this episode to only mention his past in a very mischievous, tip of the wink kind of way. This episode was mainly shot in Norfolk so has a bright, outdoorsy feel to it and makes a change from the gang being stuck in the Church Hall! The same can be said for the more forgettable 'Round And Round Went The Great Big Wheel', the second to last episode which just drags on a bit and ends in a strange way. However, it did show Pike's youthfulness can come in handy sometimes, although he was primarily the reason why a solution was needed!

During 'Brain Versus Brawn' however, Mainwaring does pick on the youngest member of the Platoon to, as ever, do the messier or more physically demanding jobs. Although in this one you can see what's going to happen a mile off, it still manages to maintain a degree of charm which makes it an enjoyable watch and it was a nice change to see the soldiers in a uniform other than the khaki military suits! However, appearance was very much the focus in the second episode, 'Keep Young And Beautiful' where the Home Guard and ARP Wardens may find themselves separated from their buddies in order to create a much younger, fitter Home Guard and older group of Local Defence Volunteers. Lowe puts on another impeccable performance, as does Le Mesurier, in some of the duo's most personal but well written scenes. The writers really homed in on their individual vanities and it made for another highly entertaining episode.

The vanity of Mainwaring also comes out in full force during 'A Soldiers Farewell', an episode which many fans - including myself - treasure as being one of the greatest the sitcom had to offer. He had always viewed himself as a great leader, a notion that wavered slightly on a few occasions and this episode is no different. Lowe's slapstick mannerisms are depicted once again as the character struggles to discipline his troops in remembering that they are fighting for the King and Country. The dream like sequences, between a toasted cheese supper are fabulously directed and we do meet the Captain's 'little woman' on this occasion. All in all, an incredibly well acted and researched piece and one of my absolute favourites, across all series'.

This wasn't the only episode in the series where Mainwaring felt he was losing grip of his Platoon. 'If The Cap Fits' is another episode which again does look into the past of the sometimes forlorn Captain, and re-establishes his continual struggle against the more awkward members of the Home Guard. Laurie, in this episode, is utterly superb and dictates many emotions to the audience that some actors may fail to do, be it a mixture between humour, hatred and even sympathy. 'A Brush With The Law' once again sees Mainwaring battling out against Hodges, who is adamant that the Captain should go to jail for flashing a light. This plot was down to earth and affectionate towards the completely pompous Mainwaring, whilst maintaining a degree of merriment in the seriousness of the rules of WWII which were important to honour. Yet, it's the mocking of the characters that makes this episode work, rather than it being a criticism of the seriousness of life during the war.

The programme also focused significantly more than some others on the lives of the Platoon away from their night time duty. The main setting for this was Swallow's Bank, where Mainwaring, Wilson and Pike all worked during the day time. The first of these episodes, 'The King Was In His Counting House' did a good job beforehand of luring the viewer into the false hope that we would be seeing Mrs. Mainwaring. Alas, the bombing of Walmington-On-Sea calls for drastic action to be taken - especially because of where the bomb has landed. Whilst this was a good episode, and certainly an intriguing idea, the last five to ten minutes got a bit too silly and ruined it for me as a viewer with a rather shoddy ending.

The reverse can be said for 'When Did You Last See Your Money?' where Jones is severely in debt. He is my least favourite character of the series, where Dunn is forced to overact in a way to compensate for the ridiculous scripting, although how much you can pin on that is debateable. The whole episode was the subject of a farce but it did come to life a bit by the very end where Wilson proves that he might not be all that mild mannered after all...

The first and last episodes of the series each offered something very unique; whilst they too were set in a different area to the usual destination of the Church Hall, they both used the characters in a way to express their feelings during certain, complex situations. 'Asleep In The Deep' was one of the shows best examples of this when the Platoon are trapped in a building that is slowly filling up with water. The concoction of wartime songs and the characters true, rawest personalities came across so beautifully in this particular episode, with Frazer's immense cynicism and Walker's sometimes sarcastic traits being the best executed.

The finale, 'Time On My Hands' is one of the only episodes within this series that didn't truly suffer from an over the top performance by Dunn. It was a much more composed routine and worked well in nurturing the rest of the characters into a better role here, with Lavender's depiction of Pike being truly excellent and one of the best of the show. The story of a German parachutist getting stuck on the hands of the town hall's clock might sound too over the top but it played out wonderfully, especially with the musical interludes and Lowe's once again extraordinary facial expressions!

COMPARISON TO OTHER SERIES OF DAD'S ARMY
When you go back and watch some of the very first ever episodes of Dad's Army in comparison to series five, you'll realise just how far the programme has come in a short space of time. Over only four years have we seen a complete change in the programme; gone are the original scenes from Home Guard training practises and life in the trenches of World War II. Not all of the scenes now show the characters lined up in the 'three tidy rows' as Wilson would say which implies a greater degree of confidence in the writers that the characters are established well enough in order to venture away from the obvious starting point that did open many of the episodes previously.

The way the characters have been written during this series seem to have matured a little bit; gone are Pike's over exaggerated faces and Jones' pretend bouts of heart pain and instead, it seems as if the Platoon are a lot more flexible in terms of their personalities. Mainwaring's pomposity is a lot more restrained here and doesn't dominate over some scenes. For example, the first and last episodes really showed his reliant on the rest of his men in order to solve the problems presented but it was still displayed by Lowe as being through an air of arrogance that he asked for their judgement, so this was very well acted and extremely entertaining to watch.

OVERALL - WHY IS SERIES FIVE SPECIAL?
Series five of Dad's Army was special on a number of reasons. As I've already mentioned, it was the last complete series to feature the wonderful James Beck as Walker and his death really did leave a void in the show, which is so apparent even in the very odd scenes that he didn't feature in during series six. However, here in series five, we really begin to see a real harmony - if it can really be described as such - between the unlikely bunch of the Home Guard and it seems as if the writers were becoming a little more comfortable in addressing their lives away from being local defence volunteers.

The first and last episodes in the series are particularly remarkable and are worth every ounce of praise they still get. Away from 'Asleep In The Deep' and 'Time On My Hands' though, it is obvious that there are many classic, stand alone episodes across series five that will always manage to make a viewer smile. Particular praise should be given for 'Getting The Bird' and 'A Soldier's Farewell' for this, where the characters are at their strongest and most adventurous. For Mainwaring to display softer feelings in the latter of those episodes, whilst still emitting a real sense of pomposity, is not only a credit to the writing but to the fantastic acting of Lowe who, once again, manages to maintain face in every episode of this series, even when Pertwee and perhaps Dunn fail to.

There are some poor episodes; skits such as 'The Desperate Drive of Lance Corporal Jones' are quite forgettable but a valuable part of the shows heritage and history. For the most part, even when the scripting has something to be desired, the performances are never in question; Lowe, Le Mesurier, Lavender, Laurie and Beck are particularly credible in their roles during series five, often capturing moments of comedy that would be lost or forgotten because of the tedious tendencies of the dialogue.

All in all, series five is one to own; I have them all on video - as I begged Mother to tape them at one point years ago when they were on UKTV Gold - but will I be upgrading to the DVD at some point in the future?

I'm certainly not kidding like Mr. Hitler when I say yes!