That's Carry On!

"That's Carry On!" is an okay compilation of the highlights from Britains' legendary "Carry On" series of theatrical farces. Series veterans Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor act as hosts, mugging their way through so-so material. She naturally is quick to point out how quick the filmmakers were to capitalize on her "assets", while he ends up having to go to the washroom very badly.

While a lot of this archive footage is indeed funny (and the footage gets more and more lively as the movie goes on), the viewer might wish for a more thorough examination of how this series got developed, and its importance to British cinema. Overall, "That's Carry On!" is rather lightweight, unless the viewer just wants to relax and enjoy memorable moments and sequences. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason as to how the footage is assembled other than it is shown in a mostly chronological order. It's certainly a likeable enough movie, and one can see how talented the various cast members were. A lot of this farce was delivered in such a riotous, breathless manner.

At the very least, it may intrigue some viewers *just* enough to check out the whole series in the proper context. As of this writing, this viewer has only seen "Carry On Sergeant". In addition to listing all of the actors & actresses featured, various technical credits are listed at the end, indicating the number of entries upon which each person worked. Director Gerald Thomas had done all 28.

Six out of 10.

This is rather a lackluster "Best Of" compilation overall; it takes a more-or-less chronological look at the series but then omits entirely the most recent effort up to that time i.e. CARRY ON ENGLAND (1976)! Linking material features stalwarts Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor mugging and witlessly chatting; however, no real discussion is made on how the series evolved to begin with…or, for that matter, any background given on individual performers.

Some of the series highlights are seen, to be sure – and Williams does single out his role in CARRY ON...UP THE KHYBER (1968; scenes from which open and close this film) as being his personal favorite – but, watched out of context, they just don't have the desired effect (even if several of them came from entries I viewed only recently)!

That's Carry On! Barely qualifies as a film, more a glorified clip show that gets occasionally interrupted by witty observations or general larking around from Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor hanging about the projection room of Pinewood Studios. It may have been a well-deserved anniversary, but this one also highlights how the series has steadily declined as the ensemble cast grew older and the gags began to wear thin. There's a definite mercenary feel to the production, the impossible-to-ignore realisation that this was purely made to wring a few more coins out of a by-then jaded movie-going public. The Carry On stable had long since been on the wane and the wraparound filler material is incredibly feeble compared to the good old days. The times had changed and That's Carry On! Feels more like a death knell than a cause for celebration. If anything it gave me time to reflect on why I enjoy watching these performers in increasingly absurdist circumstances during everyday or period settings come rain or shine. I wish ITV would bother to do a full Blu-ray release of the series given the DVD boxset I've been watching has been enormously hit-and-miss in terms of presentation.

That's Carry On is basically just a compilation of the films highlighting the best moments from them with an overview by Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor.

3/10: I can't rate it highly due to having not one good scene that hasn't been viewed before

Originally released in 1977 as B movie support to the Richard Harris film Golden Rendezvous, That's Carry On! is basically a compilation picture produced to make money for the then dwindling franchise of a much beloved series of films. The year previously had seen the risible Carry On England released, and the final nail in the coffin would come a year later in 78 with Carry On Emanuelle. Fighting different smutty cinema conventions like the "Confessions Of" run of films starring Robin Askwith, the Carry On formula was out of step and certainly now out of time with a changing British landscape. Sadly this meant that this compilation picture only serves to remind us of what was once great about the series, with the inevitable complaints about it not using certain clips proving to be loud from a disappointed and committed fan base. It's weird that in a film that runs over an hour and half in length, there still wasn't enough time to insert enough clips to provide relief for many Carry On acolytes!

The premise is wrapped around a scenario that sees Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor holed up in a projection booth. They swap weak innuendos whilst running through clips of the series. Kenny gives it a good go, as he always did, and Babs wears a tight top that showcases her assets that so dearly cheered the horny hounds in the Carry On crowds. Windsor's casting is understandable, but that doesn't necessarily make it a correct one. Where Williams was the stalwart who had up to then made 24 Carry On movies, Windsor had made 8. Joan Simms had done 23 by this time and Hattie Jacques 14, now they may not have been available? But really you feel that one of the older female guard should be there for this overview; as shallow as it ultimately is. The DVD finds its way into box sets and occasionally the film shows as a time filler in the early hours of the morning on British television, but it's far from essential viewing; either for fans or interested newcomers. It remains the lazy cash cow that it is, viewing it only makes us hanker still further for the times when Carry On really was a fun and vibrant British institution. 5/10