A Coming-Out Party

I've seen a few James Robertson Justice/Leslie Phillips/Stanley Baxter films recently (thanks, Amazon Rental!), such as THE FAST LADY and FATHER CAME TOO, and compared with such absurd and dated fluff this works well. The 'This is Your Life' framing device is simple but neat; Annakin keeps thing moving, without allowing any of his cast to go over the top, even James R-J's role has more depth and less bluster than usual; various comedy stalwarts (Eric Sykes, Richard Wattis, John Le Mesurier) do their thing in ways that make sense in plot terms; Baxter's dual role is brilliantly handled, with tiny adjustments in gait and expression making it quite clear which is which when they appear in the same scenes. Even Leslie Phillips (with the possible exception of Kenneth Connor the most annoying of all the British comic actors of the 50s & 60s) brings something to the party this time. In some ways it stands up better than 'serious' POW stuff like THE WOODEN HORSE.

Avoid the book of the same name clumsily written by John Foley if you ever see it, based on the film's screenplay by Jack Davies. The main thing here is that the film was a showcase for the mammoth personality of James Robertson Justice, it would be virtually nothing with someone else in his role of frosty crusty portly professor. The book is nothing without him; get the DVD.

In WW2 acidic high-up professor (JRJ) has to get into Nazi-occupied Europe to try out some scientific experiment but gets captured and sent to a POW camp in Germany to his disgust. Then he has to get out again with the help of his room-mates who eventually discover just how important he is – to Winnie in London at least. A lot of old British actors were paraded here, but particularly manic Stanley Baxter (x2), lascivious Leslie Phillips and poncey Jeremy Lloyd, all making for a comfortable familiar ride. JRJ surpassed himself, evincing stoical but disdainful contempt for everyone British or German and his surroundings, barking orders to all lesser mortals and generally displaying an organisational brainpower not usually found this side of Mount Olympus. Favourite bits: Phillips immortal impatient leg-crossed line when JRJ as a Red Cross Inspector is imperturbably wasting time in front of the German guards; and almost everything JRJ uttered during the film.

All in all, a typical British comedy from the time but turned into something special by a tour-de-force performance, and one I've seen umpteen times since the late '60's. What an original the man was – to me indeed, a Very Important Person.

Very Important Person combines elements of the Carry On films, The Great Escape and Hogan's Heroes to produce a lighthearted low budget British Comedy that is surprisingly effective. Many of the stalwarts from this era are here with John Le Mesurier, Stanley Baxter, Eric Sykes in supporting roles. I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see Sid James turning up somewhere.

James Roberson Justice is excellent in his role as the cantankerous Very Important Person. There are lots of stiff upper lips and "tickety boos" from the British and the German officers are typically cast as foolish buffoons. This must have all been an inspiration for Hogan's Heroes but a very long way from the reality of prisoner of war camps.

Overall, VIP is a fine example of British Comedy from the 60s and is well worth a look.

Very Important Person is a well-written, and enjoyable British comedy that really belongs with other classic 1950s films. 1935 - 1962s British Comedies are my absolutely favourite genre as they hold their charm and wit even now and Very Important Person has a great deal of the essentially British humour in tough straights.

The plot of the genius scientist - JRJ - who ends up in a POW camp and must escape at all costs is a good vehicle to hang some nice character acting from Stanley Baxter and let Leslie Philips do his bounder at play act.

There are a ton of recognisable faces from John Le Mesurier to Eric Sykes, and the terrific part actor Richard Wattis, who everyone in Britain would recognise but few can name, all making the time fly by to perfection.

Above all, there's James Robertson Justice. Justice ironically nearly always played characters that looked and sounded true Tory but was the child of two of Britain's better Socialists (They did a lot in educational reform). He, himself, stood for parliament in Scotland as a Labour MP. Thank goodness he lost! His curmudgeon, which he had already perfected as Sir Lancelott Spratt in the Doctor series, is at its best here; he takes rude to a comic art form - and we love him for it.

Ken Annakin directs, and given that his list include Battle of the Bulge and Those Magnificent Men in their FLying Machines and Monte Carlo or Bust you know you're in excellent hands.

All in all, this is very reminiscent in style to The Wooden Horse but with laughs, a classic of its style and one that will still bring a wry smile to the face.

VERY IMPORTANT PERSON

(USA: Coming-Out Party)

Aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Sound format: Mono

(Black and white)

Internees at a German POW camp plot the escape of a high-ranking British scientist (James Robertson Justice) who has fallen into enemy hands.

Entertaining mixture of comedy and drama, directed with cut-throat efficiency by Ken Annakin (later responsible for blockbusters like BATTLE OF THE BULGE and CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG), and headlined by some of the most popular names in contemporary British cinema, including Leslie Phillips and Jeremy Lloyd as upper-class comic relief, and Stanley Baxter playing dual roles as a temperamental Scottish prisoner and an unpleasant Nazi officer (when the German calls him a 'British swine', Baxter retorts with haughty pride: "SCOTTISH swine!"). Robertson is at his most gruff and lovable here, initially appalled by the company he's forced to keep in the POW camp, then quietly appreciative of the lengths these 'idiots' will go to secure his safety. The tone is pretty low-key, which means the film isn't always as funny or as suspenseful as it could have been, but it's a hugely enjoyable treat nonetheless. Eric Sykes, Richard Wattis and John Le Mesurier are featured in supporting roles.