Alive and Kicking

"Alive and Kicking" begins after three old women escape from their retirement homes in search of adventure. The coppers are looking for them and they hide out in a motor boat...and they accidentally motor off to sea. There, they are picked up by a Russian trawler and the sailors are quite nice and plan on taking them back to the Soviet Union. However, they are able to convince these Russians to release them to a nearby Irish island. There, they find a seemingly abandoned house and they take refuge there. Soon, however, the new owner shows and he welcomes them. But before they can work out where the three women are going to live, it seems that the man had a heart attack and tumbled into the sea. Now, with no relatives to inherit the place, the three decide they wouldn't really be hurting one if they pretend to be his nieces. Soon they are accepted by the islanders and are quite happy. However, how can they afford to live there? After all, with no money, there's no food!

The story isn't particularly deep but it is cute and enjoyable. My only complaint was the poor use of rear projection in the motor boat sequence. Other than that, it's nice viewing...despite the old ladies being a bit larcenous. If I had to sum of the movie in a word, I'd say...charming.

In an age when most movies are noisy, violent, oversexed, bloody and generally don't do much to provide an enjoyable experience, this old black and white one is gold. No violence, funny acting, memorable characters and a simple plot that keeps you rooting for the people in it. A very enjoyable hour and a half well spent, leaving me with a smile on my face.

This piece of Irish whimsy makes "The Quiet Man" look like neo-realism. "Alive and Kicking" is a totally daft delight that finds old ladies Sybil Thorndike, Kathleen Harrison and Estelle Winwood 'escape' from their Old People's Home in England only to end up on an island off the Irish coast where, with the help of the locals, including a young Richard Harris, making his film debut, they set up a business knitting sweaters for the fashion market.

It's all very silly and, if you're Irish, probably deeply patronizing but it's also hugely likable. Harrison and Winwood are excellent but it is Thorndike who steals the show. This grand-dame of British theatre has a grand old time scurrying up and down cliffs in search of birds eggs or hunting rabbits with a shotgun, (well, at least her stand-in does). Stanley Holloway is in it, too as the rich Irish-American who proves to be their saviour. Ripe for rediscovery.

I know its a twee as hell, but maybe thats part of its charm. They dont do the cute natives too much, everybody seems to get a long in a balanced fair way. The story is pretty well written. The acting, well there are some absolute legends.

I'm not going to go into it too much, but I will say there is a very young Richard Harris as the love interest.

Enjoy it.

A rather exhausting farce probably inspired by 'The Ladykillers', showcasing three veteran actresses against a backdrop of Irish blarney.

Ironically Kathleen Harrison was eventually forced to come clean about having knocked six years off her age when 'outed' as a centenarian in 1992 (although that still made her by far the youngest of this trio); while very unusually Stanley Holloway actually ADDS five years to his real age by claiming to be 72 when he was really 67!

Richard Harris in his film debut begins as he will continue for the next forty years by being an abrasive young lover; all the appeal this pair musters residing in the charming Olive McFarland.