Entertaining Mr Sloane

A Classic "English Black Comedy" You have to laugh Well Miss Reid.. who knew you were a tart. And she kills it. From scene ONE. We're off on a trip. It's an ageless, magnificent English comedy as only they can do. Farce, black comedy and more, so much more. The characters. How did Beryl and Harry Andrews have the guts to do it. This is Harry from Ice Cold In Alex. Played Upper Crusts all his career. Then this manic. But everyone's mad in Joe Orton world.

Confession time I watched this for the first time as a young boy with my mother as she laughed her head off. Me ... Embarrassed not a bit of it.

Back to Mr Sloan. Every word is a gem. Every word has so much meaning. Double, Multiples. It rips along and the brother/sister switch around in their affection/hate/dominant/submission/up .. down and anyway you want. The opening scene for each of the 4 lead's are brilliant. We get them. Get them in what ever works for you. McEnery, ok he's not a perfect Mr Sloan. But he is up against 2 fantastic actors revelling in what was the performance of their careers. He does have to be in almost every scene after all. Dada. Ok. He's annoying. But it's Reid and Andrews who are so funny, sad, Kath and Ed. As sad, weird, fuuny, needy pair as you'll ever find in cinema. But you have to laugh.

Watch this. You'll learn about England, the secretive, crazy people who lived in the home counties with their double lives, fantasy's and sadness.

An the theme song my Georgie Fame.

ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE is certainly an uneven adaptation of the Joe Orton play, but it does create a few sparks with the performances of BERYL REID as Kath, PETER McENERY as Sloane and HARRY ANDREWS as Ed. The trio is involved in a three-way affair with Mr. Sloane who charms them both with his good looks and apparently bi-sexual leanings.

It's certainly not the usual fare one expects to see on screen, even in the '70s when the material was considered quite daring. But the script gives the three principals some rich material to work with and the film now has a cult status with fans of black comedy.

Orton is the gay playwright who was killed by his lover who then committed suicide and was dead before this film version of his hit London play was made. Whether he would have approved of some of the changes is debatable, but it still has the power to shock and cause ripples of laughter despite the darkness of the theme.

Summing up: As oddball as they come.

Joe Orton's classic play is bought to the big screen and features just 4 eccentric characters. Young lothario, arch manipulator and potentially murderer. McEnery cons his way into love starved Beryl Reid's house by a graveyard where she lives with her old father, Webb. All is well but McEnery needs his wits about him when Reid's gay businessman brother Harry Andrews arrives.

The script is all in this witty, very dark black comedy, although the performances are spot on with Reid wonderful as the sad, past it sex mad landlady and particularly Andrews in full military swagger preaching morals to McEnery whilst still longing to get into his pants. Hilarious.

Have watched this film many times and enjoy it just as much as the first time,a mark of a good film.Joe Orton certainly had a strange sense of humour very evident in this black-comedy.A must see if never seen.Perhaps immoral,so what the blazes its entertaining to say the least.Great performances from the cast.

A worthy film adaptation from a farcical play by Joe Orton. Really as fresh as the day it was made and only dated in the most endearing of ways. To be honest I have never seen anything quite like it before or since and over the years it has certainly gained a strong, cult following. The cast including Beryl Reid, Harry Andrews and Mr Sloane himself, played by Peter McEnery, are all on great form. Top Entertainment from start to finish.