The Missionary

It's 1906. Reverend Charles Fortescue (Michael Palin) returns to England after 10 years as a missionary in Africa. He is to be married to the naive Deborah Fitzbanks. The Bishop (Denholm Elliott) assigns him to proselytize to the prostitutes of London's Dockland and stop them. Deborah eagerly helps him organize even thought she's ignorant of the ladies of the night. Charles needs to raise the funds and the flirtatious Lady Isabel Ames (Maggie Smith) offers to help. She's married to the callous Lord Henry Ames (Trevor Howard).

This is a terrific English comedy. The sly humor is effective. It's funny that Palin is the boy toy and Maggie Smith is the cougar. The jokes take a bit longer to tell like the butler who keeps getting lost. It's a little slow at times but there is good hilarity.

Despite the presence of Michael Palin, "The Missionary" is not a Monty Python movie. It certainly doesn't consist of the wry humor that Monty Python did. Rather, it's got the sort of humor where you sometimes have to listen hard to catch the jokes...that is, when the main stuff isn't happening. Palin plays a chaplain who returns from Africa to start a school to help the poor, but has to get on an aristocrat's (Maggie Smith) REALLY good side to acquire the funds. It appears to be the sort of movie that they made to have fun. The movies from George Harrison's company HandMade Films that I've seen (others include "Time Bandits" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels") have always been good ones. I certainly recommend this one. Worth seeing.

Also starring Trevor Howard, Denholm Elliott, Michael Hordern, Graham Crowden, David Suchet, Phoebe Nicholls, Tricia George, Valerie Whittington, Roland Culver, Rosamund Greenwood, Timothy Spall and Neil Innes.

Unlike American films where situation and reaction are usually the dominant elements of comedy, English cinema has a tendency to rely on outrageous or eccentric characterisation. It usually works well on a detailed level with typical stock characters such as irascible colonels, domineering great-aunts and frightfully keen twits but, quite often, individual actors get so caught up in their own characters that the film as a whole loses its sense of coherence.

The Missionary is a very traditional English comedy with the usual over-the-top collection of the innocent, the incompetent, the mad, the prim and proper and the sex-starved but, in this case, the characters lock well into each other like a jigsaw. Maybe it is due to a certain respect that stars like Maggie Smith, Michael Palin and Trevor Howard had for each other as they try to complement rather than overshadow each others' performances.

Once you find the pitch of the humour, this is a gem of a comedy and worth seeing alone for the batty directionally-challenged butler played by Michael Hordern.

You don't have to be a fan of Monty Python in general, or Michael Palin in particular, to enjoy "The Missionary". It's gently British humour conceals a razor sharp satirical edge, and there is something new to spot with every fresh viewing.

With Maggie Smith in the lead role, making the whole thing look as effortless as ever, it's easy to miss the outstanding performances from such icons as Michael Hordern and Tim Spall, the latter looking like a parody of himself as a servant of, shall we say, basic stock.

Phoebe Nichols delights and charms as the appalling Deborah and Denholm Elliott oozes charm as an outrageously un-Christian bishop. The characters are classics of comedy yet they still surprise. A satisfying dollop of bad taste completes the mixture. Unmissable.

A bit like "Ripping Yarns" I think you need an appreciation or at least familiarity with the mores of late Victorian/Edwardian society. This film appears to be a gentle comedy of manners but there is a hint of satire beneath.

I have liked this film since I first saw it years ago. I have had this on tape for some time but recently bought the DVD which has some nice extras.

The cinematography is good. Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott and Michael Hordern can do no wrong. Trevor Howard blusters in a suitable 'Lord Cardigan' manner and you get an early Timothy Spall role.

I gave it 8/10. Unrepentant. It's a slow burner but still has a charm of its own.