Waking Ned (DVD)

This was a film, which had been lurking on my 'to watch' list for longer than the iron lady was prime minister, and I finally got around to selecting it in my local video emporium the other night. A british film with a couple of well known names and an enticing plot, it promised to be good but delivered a hell of a lot more than it promised.

THE PLOT

The film is set in a small island in a far-flung extremity of Ireland ...
...to Craggy Island and spend half the film expecting father ted to pop up). The village consists of only 50 people and is filled with interesting characters, such as the woman who won't marry the man in her life because he smells of pigs and the miserly old woman who constantly moans and lives with as many cats as imelda marcos had shoes.

Our two heroes, Jackie (Ian Bannen) and Michael (David Kelly) read in the paper that someone within ... more

This was a film, which had been lurking on my 'to watch' list for longer than the iron lady was prime minister, and I finally got around to selecting it in my local video emporium the other night. A british film with a couple of well known names and an enticing plot, it promised to be good but delivered a hell of a lot more than it promised.

THE PLOT

The film is set in a small island in a far-flung extremity of Ireland (one can't help but wonder if it is located close to Craggy Island and spend half the film expecting father ted to pop up). The village consists of only 50 people and is filled with interesting characters, such as the woman who won't marry the man in her life because he smells of pigs and the miserly old woman who constantly moans and lives with as many cats as imelda marcos had shoes.

Our two heroes, Jackie (Ian Bannen) and Michael (David Kelly) read in the paper that someone within the village has won the lottery. They decide to track down who it is by cunning means (such as plying the whole village with whiskey and questioning them), in order that they can start to ingratiate themselves in an attempt to win favour and, ultimately, cash!

it isn't long before they deduce that ned devine must Ihave bought the winning ticket. Jackie, unperturbed by the fact that it is past midnight and in the midst of a storm (the like of which I have only ever seen when camping in ireland in the middle of hurricane charlie), rushes over to Ned's house. When he enters the room, he finds Ned, sitting with the television on and still with lottery ticket in hand, stone cold dead. ned has obviously died of shock upon hearing that he is a millionaire!

Jackie and Charlie then start to cook up a plan to disguise one of them as ned and claim the winnings themselves from the lottery. They are informed that an official will come to investigate and it soon becomes clear that they will need the cooperation of the entire village if they are to be successful in their nefarious scheme.

COMEDY

The film is, without doubt, extremely funny. It has been a long time since I watched a movie that actually had me laughing out loud and at numerous moments throughout the film. This may not be a big budget movie but pound per laugh it is one of the best value one I have seen and easily beats many recent expensive Hollywood attempts.

While reading this opinion you may register the word 'funny' in your brain to be associated with this film but you cannot really gauge just how amusing it is without examples. I would like nothing more to sit down with you all and rewatch the film, sharing the humorous moments with you. Given that that is as possible as me becoming the first female Archbishop of Canterbury I would like to describe a few of the amusing scenes from the film. Imagine if you will a wind swept landscape, villagers weather beaten but warm and lifestyles simple and poor but fulfilling and happy.

Jackie and Michael (who you must realise are probably both in their 80s and not in the peak of physical condition) are taking a nude dip together on the rocky beach, when the official from the Lottery arrives to interview Ned Devine. Jackie agrees to go with him in his car to Ned's cottage and in the meantime Michael jumps on his motorcycle and taking a different route must arrive before them in order that he can impersonate the dead (but rich) man. Unfortunately Michael has no time to reclothe himself and so the picture of him racing along small country lanes riding an old motorbike wearing nothing but a helmet and a smile is embedded on my memory.

Another entertaining moment happens when Jackie and Michael look at Ned and decide that they ought to make him look less happy (as he has died with a very large smile on his face). Jackie tries to rearrange his mouth and eyes while Michael looks on giving instructions.

The final scene in the film is one of the funniest I have ever seen and kept me laughing after the end of the film and at least half way through the credits. I can't divulge this without spoiling it but let me tell you that it involves a priest, an invalid car, hayfever and a phone box.

THE ACTORS

The acting was superb, blah, blah, blah. However, what I really want to tell you and what struck me as soon as the film started is this:

David Kelly who plays Michael is none other than O'Reilly the builder from Fawlty Towers! I was bowled over and forced to start saying things like 'you, hideous great orang-utan' and making references to garden gnomes. Despite this mental association this was the only time the thought entered my head. Kelly's performance was so perfect that not once throughout the rest of the film was I distracted by images of Prunella Scales beating him with an umbrella. He was the embodiment of an old nervous man living his twilight years in the company of his friend.

Also making an appearance was James Nesbitt (the Irish one in Cold Feet). He played the man who smells of pigs. His part was not significant but I thought you might be interested to know he was in it. Also, look out for his girlfriend in the film who looks spookily like Helen Baxendale (but with an even more hooked and witchlike nose).

The whole cast work together to produce the perfect atmosphere of a small rural community and they were totally convincing.

ANOTHER BRITISH TRIUMPH

The film, written and directed by Kirk Jones, was bound to triumph with its combination of elements, which for the British usually spell a recipe for success. The scenery is breath-taking but rugged, reflecting the nature of the inhabitants. The villagers are gossipy, friendly (most of them!), down-to-earth, poor but with dreams. There is a lot of visual humour but it is not so overpowering that it descends into being a farce. In some respects it is the ordinariness of the people and the roughness of the landscape that ensures the film still seems realistic and gives the ideal environment in which the madcap schemes can take place.

The film is well paced and filled with likeable characters and gloriously funny moments. You may have enjoyed other films such as 'The Full Monty' or 'The Wrong Trousers' but until you have watched 'Waking Ned' you have not encountered the epitome of British humour.  

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