Band of Thieves

Mr Acker Bilk is in jail!

However the jazz loving governor is keen to have Acker Bilk and his prison jazz band entertaining the inmates. They even get some hot cocoa before lights out.

When they are released, a dotty duchess hooks the band up with a socialite called Dandy.

He arranges the Band of Thieves to go on a national tour. It just happens to coincide with some stately homes being robbed. It was the reason why Dandy wanted them in the first place.

The finale will be a diamond necklace being stolen before the band hop it to Amsterdam for a gig.

This is a frothy silly story. The prison governor even plans to resign as he misses the band so much after they are released.

I was even surprised that the band members could break into a safe when they had no skills for it.

It really is a movie where Acker Bilk gets to play some trad jazz. The acting is left to the others.

Not a stranger on the shore to be heard though.

In the early 1960s trad jazz was all the rage with the likes of Kenny Ball and Acker bilk leading the charge.Here a film is fashioned round the acting ability or lack of it from Acker Bilk.There is therefore numerous musical numbers intertwined with a rather nebulous and almost non existent plot about the theft of jewelery.The film is supported by a number of well known character actors of the time including Geoffrey Sumner,George Cooper and Arthur Mullard.The music is very pleasant and very nostalgic for anyone for lived through the period.given that the running time is only 69 minutes it does not outstay its welcome.It is currently being shown on Simply movies.

There's no point in watching this if you're not into Acker Bilk's distinctive style of jazz. The story itself is almost irrelevant and pretty far fetched! He and his band have been in and out of prison - using their band's touring as a front for some grand larceny, but really not having the wits to get away with anything afterwards. Luckily, the prison governor (Geoffrey Sumner) is an avid fan of the music, so they continue to get a pretty easy ride whilst behind bars plotting more daft criminal antics. All the while, we are treated to a selection of his music (co-written with Norrie Paramor who, cleverly, only features the once!) and a duet or two with Carol Deene. It's harmless fun that delivers a sort of "Carry On" feel to the crime caper aspect, but it's really just a showcase for the man and his music. Enjoy it for that.

Although credited only as the film's producer, it would be interesting to know how much influence Lance Comfort exercised over credited director Peter Bezencenet, previously an editor (which would however account for the slick way it glides along); with the photography entrusted to Nicolas Roeg, no less!

"Mr. Acker Bilk" (as he is billed in the opening credits) is plainly no actor and when not playing his clarinet is almost invisible in his own film, and more lines are wisely given to the likes of Geoffrey Sumner & Arthur Mullard.

A threadbare and absurd storyline, third rate dialogue and acting which can be best described as wooden, renders this film unwatchable! The film is essentially a homage to 'trad jazz' with a contrived, cobbled together story. There is little action and without any stand out personalities, the film ends up a real bore! It has a curiosity value, as 'trad jazz' bands like Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball, gained a substantial degree of commercial success in the charts between 1960 & 1962. However, by the autumn of 1963, that was all set to change with the arrival of the Beatles and other pop groups, who offered teenagers a far more exciting and vibrant style of music. 'Band of Thieves' when it was released in 1962, looks and sounds like a cheaply made film, quickly released to capitalise on the passing trad jazz fad! This film should be consigned to the museum of low budget early pop 60's films!