Dad's Army - The Movie (DVD)

...will not have heard of Dad's Army. It lasted for nine series and, although made back in the nineteen sixties/seventies, there are frequently repeats shown on the television. However, what I am reviewing today is a film that was based on the series and was made at the height of the show's popularity in 1971. It was popular at the time to make films based on sitcoms, rather like the seasonal specials of favourite sitcoms today.

Perhaps ...
...too much. The humour in Dad's Army is generally different - it is very subtle and of a type that catches you unawares. A good example from this film is a scene of the German Army planning their side of the battle in a very organised and high tech way, when a very important message comes in from the Fuhrer. It then cuts to Mainwaring, planning manoevres very haphazardly with the most primitive of weapons, when a message comes in from his wife to ask ... more

It is the Second World War and most of the men of Walmington-on-Sea are away fighting for their country. Because of Walminghton's proximity to the Channel (and therefore to the Germans), a small vanguard of those men left behind is needed to protect from invasion. With Captain Mainwaring, the local bank manager, at their head, the men form the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) and have to undergo a series of manoeuvres to practice their somewhat ropey defence skills with less than up-to-date weapons. However, despite training, the gang have yet to impress Major General Fullard. Will Mainwaring manage to train his men up to standard? And will they ever see the chance to put their skills into practice?

Voted as the fourth best British sitcom of all time (according to a BBC poll in 2004), few people, even the younger generations, will not have heard of Dad's Army. It lasted for nine series and, although made back in the nineteen sixties/seventies, there are frequently repeats shown on the television. However, what I am reviewing today is a film that was based on the series and was made at the height of the show's popularity in 1971. It was popular at the time to make films based on sitcoms, rather like the seasonal specials of favourite sitcoms today.

Perhaps much of the success of the film (and indeed the series) is that the focus is on several characters rather than just two or three. That isn't to say there aren't stars, because there are, it is just that there are a lot more stars than your average sitcom has. There isn't space to go into all of them in detail, and so I will highlight my favourites here.

Captain Mainwaring (pronounced Mannering - I haven't spelled it wrongly!), played by Arthur Lowe, is the local bank manager. A rather pompous man, he has never actually seen active service in either of the wars, which creates some difficulty with his men. Despite this, he is strongly patriotic, and it is clear that he will do anything for his country, even if what he does doesn't always work out as expected! I love Arthur Lowe in this role. His comic timing is very subtle, but effective, and, for those unfamiliar with the series, may take a little getting used to. Once accustomed though, he really does produce some laughs and the praise and awards Lowe received for this role are extremely well deserved.

John Le Mesurier plays Sergeant Arthur Wilson, Mainwaring's second-in-command, both in the LDV and the bank. A quiet man, he does not always agree with Mainwaring's decisions, but will never openly disagree with him, preferring to gently hint that perhaps he should rethink his decision. Yet in many ways, Wilson is Mainwaring's superior - certainly in education, social class and looks. Le Mesurier manages to portray all this with effortless ease, managing to keep everyone happy, including the audience and a certain local lady. This is an inspired performance by one of my favourite all-time actors.

Clive Dunn is Lance Corporal Jack Jones, one of the oldest members of the LDV. He is an 'old soldier' having fought in the First World War and is always enthusiastic, if a little long-winded. Clive Dunn was actually about twenty years younger than Jack Jones and so was made up to look older - I have to say the make-up department did an excellent job, because he certainly looked in his seventies rather than his fifties.

Three more characters that I love and can't resist highlighting are Private John Fraser (John Laurie), William Hodges (Bill Pertwee) and Private Joe Walker (James Beck). Fraser is a dour Scot, who perhaps is a little too stereotypically Scottish - he is tight with money for a start - but is nevertheless rather sweet. I adore Bill Pertwee as William Hodges. As the local Air Raid Warden, he is very territorial and therefore an enemy of Mainwaring and his men, and is frequently trying to get the better of them - although obviously not when it counts. This is a subtle role, but one I love and always look out for. It is just a shame that he doesn't have a little more airtime in this film. As Joe Walker, James Beck is a bit of a cad who deals in black market goods and loves the ladies a little too much. Despite this caddishness, his underhand methods often help save the day. Like Pertwee, I think he could have been given a larger part in this film, but he is still prominent enough to add his particular brand of charm!

The seventies is known for its brash, slapstick humour, the likes of which we saw in George and Mildred and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Much as I like that humour, it can sometimes become a bit too much. The humour in Dad's Army is generally different - it is very subtle and of a type that catches you unawares. A good example from this film is a scene of the German Army planning their side of the battle in a very organised and high tech way, when a very important message comes in from the Fuhrer. It then cuts to Mainwaring, planning manoevres very haphazardly with the most primitive of weapons, when a message comes in from his wife to ask him to bring the sausages home for tea. The casual way in which it is carried off is sublime and kept me chuckling for some time after the scene had passed. That is not to say that there aren't some slapstick moments in the film; there are and some very funny ones, it is just that they do not take over the film.

Most episodes of Dad's Army are 30 minutes long, so to translate the humour and characters over to a film-length episode of 95 minutes was never going to be an easy feat. And I think that that is where this film falls down. As a series of manoeuvres, the overall story is split into at least three parts and at times seems to be a little disjointed. I enjoyed the film because I have followed the series and know the characters, but for someone who is new to the whole Dad's Army thing, I think that this film could be a bit too long - much better to start off with bite-size chunks.

I have read some criticism of Dad's Army for its portrayal of the Home Guard (as the LDV became known) as a useless bunch of no-hopers. There is a certain amount of good-humoured teasing to this end. However, the message that the Home Guard did the best they could with very little is also strong and it is this that I choose to hang on to. My own grandfather was a member of the Home Guard - he was a vegetable grower and therefore needed at home to feed the population - and I have always considered that he did his duty as much as anyone that was directly involved in fighting and I think the majority of Brits do the same. If Dad's Army is guilty of anything, it is more the stereotyping - the tight Scot, the young fool, the silly old git, the 'spiv', the mean and rotten Germans - but as this is a channel for the humour, I think it can be forgiven. If you don't, then don't watch. Simple really.

I do recommend this film, but I also recommend that you don't watch until you've seen at least a bit of the series. As an accompaniment to the series, this film works well, but as a standalone, I think that a newcomer will find it a bit lacking. For an old-hand, if you haven't already seen it, I think you will be as delighted as I was.

I watched the film only version. The DVD is available from play.com for £3.99 including delivery.

Classification: U

Running time: 95 minutes 

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