tbaltmail

Bonkers, bizarre and utterly riveting. It stands the test of time brilliantly - Over 50 years after it was made, it still looks and feels fresh and contemporary in many aspects (apart from the lingerie!) - despite the absence of computers..... Lots of surreal craziness, much of it involving food and drink, with a madcap score thrown in.

Just jump aboard and enjoy the ride, you'll get your money's worth on this one !! "This film is dedicated to all those whose only source of indignation is a trampled-on trifle"

Randolph Turpin was a tremendously gifted boxer from a famous fighting family who captured the world middleweight title in 1951, dethroning a champion who many consider to be the greatest pound for pound boxer ever - Sugar Ray Robinson.

This engrossing, biographical documentary charts his rise and fall using a mix of classic fight footage, interviews with family, friends and associates, and a bit of investigative journalism. It's an all-too-familiar fight game tale of exploitation, naive decisions and murky finances., which led to Turpin committing suicide at the tragically young age of just 38.

There's plenty of insight into his life and career here, but just "suggestions" as to what might have explained the holes in Turpin's finances which eventually came to light.

Nevertheless, this is a great watch for those interested in the fight game and it's history, from what was in many ways boxing's golden age - just not for many of the boxers, even the most talented ones.......

Primarily a vehicle for John Inman (Rula Lenska mostly plays the straight person, with Miriam Margolyes providing a recurring chaos element) - this short- lived series manages it's fair share of hilarity.

The role-reversal premise isn't really one that's played out from a female empowerment perspective - the first episode teases that line, but the payoff is set up (via a press "spin" angle in the story) to establish the theme of Inman's character (Mr Jones) as the one who is put upon to make sacrifices and deal with with various "non work" calamities on top of his normal job, in order to support his "single mum" boss who puts her own job first. This theme is present throughout the series.

Although most of the episodes follow a (very) similar formula, and it's certainly not (as it might seem from first impressions) an early example of progressive gender or cultural politics, it's a series which gives plenty of bang for your buck in terms of laughs - definitely one to check out if you like crudely stereotyped Aussies or Americans......