Up Pompeii

Frankie Howerd will be forever remembered as the creator of the knowing glance. He develops a relationship with the audience that lets us know that he thinks this stuff is bad too. Somehow that allows us to forgive the corny puns, lame jokes and sexist humour. "Just bear with me," he seems to be saying, "It'll all be over soon." Somehow it all worked, and Up Pompeii managed to rise above its seventies comedy contemporaries to become a classic.

The film perhaps lacks the freshness of the TV series due to the loss of the studio audience. Howerd was able to react to them in a way that made the whole show appear to be improvised. This was of course down to his genius, as everything was very well rehearsed. Despite this it's still a very enjoyable film. My only complaint is that Hammer starlet Madeline Smith is not in it more!

Frankie Howerd is a genius. This wonderful film is an unrealistic story of what might have happened in AD 79. A slave, Lurcio, accidentally picks up a scroll naming conspirators, and much British fun follows. This film has little storyline, and is not particularly funny, but it is worth watching for the theme song and Lance Percival's Roman General.

Spin off from the 70's sitcom of the same name this film spins out the same gags over an hour and twenty minutes run time and gets away with it but only just. Frankie Howerd is again Lurcio the roman slave in ancient Pompeii getting involved in the evil machinations of the emperor Nero (Patrick Cargill) and the evil Brutus and his henchmen (Lance Percival).

If you liked the TV series you'll like this is the basic rule here, to a modern audience I doubt it would play well, Frankie Howerds routine is very much of it's time and place. But its very entertaining some of the gags are sign posted miles away but Frankie's personality, playing to the audience and comic timing are what make this entertaining.

The movie feels too much like a stretched out episode to be a classic like many TV shows spun off into movies in the 70's (On the Buses, Rising Damp, Porridge etc.) but its certainly worth a look for Up Pompei or Frankie Howerd fans.

Mostly funny, occasionally hilarious 7/10

Depending on whether you like 70's britcom, you will either love this or hate it. For me it epitomizes a simpler era - one where sexist humor was acceptable and not everything had to be so PC. The thing it is most like is a series from the same era - the name escapes me but it had a black and white couple living next to each other with the men making snide racist comments across the garden fence, but respecting each other underneath, while the wives sat in the kitchen bitching about men over a cup of tea.

Frankie Howerd is, well, Frankie Howerd. He brings the audience right into the film acting as both lead actor and narrator. It is full of his classic one line wit which has never been emulated by anyone (some may say this is good thing, but not me; Nay, Nay and thrice Nay!). The sets were clearly done on a budget, and if you like whiz-bang special effects then forget it. This was clearly a Frankie Production.

So (in the words of jib-jab) if you are a left wing weenie, forget this film, but if you are a stupid dumb ass (like me), take a look.

This film has the best "hangover" scene I have ever seen. The morning after the orgy is a must.