Just rewatched this film on the Talking Pictures TV channel for the umpteenth time, and yet can't help but do it. Especially when there is naff all else on the box, even though I have the movie on DVD and can see if any time.
The TV episodes being barely thirty minutes long the stories, are necessarily structured to fit the time slot.
Unlike what may be considered more typical comedy sitcoms, these are formed more in the manner of short plays. The shows writers deliberately wanted that to be the case, they didn't want comics for the principal characters. No they wanted actors, who were used to that form of discipline. And were more than capable of handling a wider range, of emotions than in a straightforward sitcom.
All of this is relevant to the characters dynamics of father and son, in the intensely claustrophobic environs of their home and work environment.
I really cannot imagine any comic managing to handle more than one emotion at a time, especially not consecutively.
I watched all of the shows both monochrome and the latter colour ones, it was a comedic staple of my evening TV entertainment.
Part of what has always appealed to me is the natural dynamic friction, between Albert and Harold.
I enjoy watching both TV show and films however many times that is, and for a long time simply lapped up the comedy.
It took me quite a while before I finally started thinking, about the characters in rather more detail.
The more I did the less the comedy sufficed or more accurately was viewed, from a slightly different perspective.
I came to actually see the characters through my own eyes from where I was in my own life, resenting the dad and bemoaning what a pillock the son was.
Reading other reviews I see people bemoaning the film because its drearier than the TV show, that can easily be understood and explained.
That's only because the movie's longer timeframe allows, for greater character development. And they are seen through a wider prism, of the world around them.
