Next to No Time!

Not up the usual standard of film featuring Mr More as this one is thin on real comedy, and laughs, and is more of a sitcom. The makers seemed to have been unable to decide what type of film this was supposed to be, comedy, fantasy or what?

It is interesting as it's a film made in 1958 in glorious colour which helped to get me through to the end and the plot is unusual but it's just not entertaining enough to be worth looking out for.

Watch it if you can but be prepared to be disappointed, not much of it seemed to have actually been filmed aboard the Queen Elizabeth and the on board ship sets are not all that convincing.

Kenneth More is cast as planning engineer David Webb, a bland and mild mannered individual, who finds himself on board the Queen Elizabeth sailing to New York. The storyline involves our timid engineer trying to negotiate a high powered loan for his company from wealthy businessman, Roland Culver. More is in my mind miscast as the engineer who initially blunders around the ship, but then undergoes a character transformation, losing his 'stuffed shirt' persona during the voyage, becoming bright, breezy and confident. He looks and sounds too middle aged and one dimensional, hence it beggars belief he was able to win the admiration of so many passengers. His role would have suited a younger man like Donald Sinden or even Jack Lemmon, who both excelled in light comedy. More also tries too hard and his 'it's all jolly good fun' demeanour becomes tiresome. With a thin storyline, it's cardboard characters and woeful dialogue, the film quickly becomes a yawn. The two shining lights are Sid James, who plays the matter of fact, canny and astute ship's steward. Also, credit to John Welsh, who plays the Irish barman. However, despite these two exceptions, the film can only be classified as an underwhelming and tedious comedy!

Kenneth more seemed to have a lot of British films built around his film persona and of course as time moves on if more time wasn't devoted to plot and script they don't hold up well,and unfortunately this film is all about his personality but I thought Betsy drake was excellent in the little she was given.

This film was made during the era when traveling by ship was glamorous and the purview of the rich.The exterior scenes were filmed on Queen Elizabeth,which ended up on the bottom of Hong Kong harbour.The interiors seemed to have been filmed on the smallest stage on Shepperton.Kenneth Moore is woefully miscast as a scientist trying to clinch a deal with businessman Roland Culberson.Also on board is Betsy Drake whose sole claim to fame is being married to Cary Grant for thirteen years.Familiar names come and go but the script gets worse.It finally sinks with all hands.Nowadays cruises are for everyone so there is nothing special about them,like this film.

An escapist fantasy in cheerful fifties Eastmancolour (sic) that reunited the director and star of 'Genevieve' aboard the then ultra-modern and glamorous backdrop of the Queen Elizabeth recreated at Shepperton.

Described by the late David Shipman as "an odd mixture of farce and whimsy" it all gets rather wearisome. Kenneth More is his usual charming self, but Betsy Drake (then Mrs Cary Grant) is too sweet and demure to be playing a Hollywood diva temporarily "through with men", while Georges Auric's score is unusually poor.