HOME |  CULT MOVIES | COMPETITIONS | ADVERTISE |  CONTACT US |  ABOUT US
 
 
 
Newest Reviews
American Fiction
Poor Things
Thunderclap
Zeiram
Legend of the Bat
Party Line
Night Fright
Pacha, Le
Kimi
Assemble Insert
Venus Tear Diamond, The
Promare
Beauty's Evil Roses, The
Free Guy
Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventure
Rejuvenator, The
Who Fears the Devil?
Guignolo, Le
Batman, The
Land of Many Perfumes
Cat vs. Rat
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
Naked Violence
Joyeuses Pacques
Strangeness, The
How I Became a Superhero
Golden Nun
Incident at Phantom Hill
Winterhawk
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Maigret Sets a Trap
B.N.A.
Hell's Wind Staff, The
Topo Gigio and the Missile War
Battant, Le
Penguin Highway
Cazadore de Demonios
Snatchers
Imperial Swordsman
Foxtrap
   
 
Newest Articles
3 From Arrow Player: Sweet Sugar, Girls Nite Out and Manhattan Baby
Little Cat Feat: Stephen King's Cat's Eye on 4K UHD
La Violence: Dobermann at 25
Serious Comedy: The Wrong Arm of the Law on Blu-ray
DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery and More on Blu-ray
Monster Fun: Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror on Blu-ray
State of the 70s: Play for Today Volume 3 on Blu-ray
The Movie Damned: Cursed Films II on Shudder
The Dead of Night: In Cold Blood on Blu-ray
Suave and Sophisticated: The Persuaders! Take 50 on Blu-ray
Your Rules are Really Beginning to Annoy Me: Escape from L.A. on 4K UHD
A Woman's Viewfinder: The Camera is Ours on DVD
Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on Arrow
A Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray
You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray
Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI
The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray
Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray
Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray
Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray
What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow
Keeping the Beatles Alive: Get Back
   
 
  Monte Carlo or Bust Vroom
Year: 1969
Director: Ken Annakin
Stars: Bourvil, Lando Buzzanca, Walter Chiari, Peter Cook, Tony Curtis, Mireille Darc, Marie Dubois, Gert Fröbe, Susan Hampshire, Jack Hawkins, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Dudley Moore, Peer Schmidt, Eric Sykes, Terry-Thomas, Hattie Jacques, Derren Nesbitt
Genre: ComedyBuy from Amazon
Rating:  5 (from 1 vote)
Review: The time is nigh for the famed car rally to Monte Carlo, which begins at various points around Europe, heads to the meeting place in the Alps - a hotel there - and then turns from an endurance test to a race to the finish line. We will follow a selection of the competitors as they endeavour to win, including one who is out to succeed by fair means or foul; mostly foul as he has recently inherited his father's car business, but finds he must share it with a fellow who won half in a card game. He is Sir Cuthbert Ware Armitage (Terry-Thomas) and accepts a bet to enter the race to see who wins the whole business...

If this sounds kind of familiar, it's because it was an amalgam of two popular sixties hits, The Great Race, which as the name suggests featured a big cross country car competition, and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, which by no coincidence was made by many of the people who came up with this little item. Well, maybe not so little, as it was still rather large and unwieldy, a series of sketches more than a slick story that showcased some of Europe's comedic talent, this being a co-production of various countries around that continent. Oh, and Tony Curtis, your imported American star to provide a draw for those overseas.

Such is the cumbersome structure of this film that we only reach the race itself about a third of the way into the running time, as instead of introducing us to the characters as they travelled, they were brought in via a series of sequences to make what sounds simple needlessly complicated. This was a real jumble, apparently taking its cue from another elephantine, starry affair, the one that began the fad for such things which was It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World - Terry-Thomas was in that one too, although here he's playing his more usual cad role, much like he did in Flying Machines. He even had support from Eric Sykes yet again, as the assistant blackmailed into helping his nefarious schemes.

It was the Brits who emerged from this best, as they were given the most interesting things to do. Curtis was strictly on matinee idol duties, in spite of a pair of glasses which he sported throughout and a few bits of business with card tricks, and the French competitors led by Mireille Darc were soley present to be token women, with Darc even getting a brief topless scene when they all go for a swim. The Italians fared little better, with Lando Buzzanca and Walter Chiari living up to (or down to) their national stereotypes, mainly thinking about the ladies, and Gert Fröbe represented Germany as a less military character than you might have expected from him, so he did get to be cheerful as he played the buffoon.

As for those Brits, Terry-Thomas could have played this kind of role in his sleep, but was no less appreciated for that, and Susan Hampshire turned up as Curtis's hitchhiker who may not be all she seems: she's bright and a little daffy, doing something with not a lot as the requisite love interest. But for comedy fans the presence of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore may well provide the most interest as it may not have been their finest moment, but it was by no means their worst as they filled the roles of the terribly English Empire builders, and invention builders, with some grace, even in their most slapstick scenes. Their dialogue is the best at least, as if you were able to ignore the star wattage - legendary French comedian Bourvil showed up for a rare English language appearance too - you would notice that it was really the stuntmen who did the most impressive work here, as the actors were constantly cut away from to the racing and crashing. It was ideal for whiling away a couple of hours without any thought, but not much more than that. Musc by Ron Goodwin, with Jimmy Durante singing the theme.
Reviewer: Graeme Clark

 

This review has been viewed 6127 time(s).

As a member you could Rate this film

 
Review Comments (0)


Untitled 1

Login
  Username:
 
  Password:
 
   
 
Forgotten your details? Enter email address in Username box and click Reminder. Your details will be emailed to you.
   

Latest Poll
Which star probably has psychic powers?
Laurence Fishburne
Nicolas Cage
Anya Taylor-Joy
Patrick Stewart
Sissy Spacek
Michelle Yeoh
Aubrey Plaza
Tom Cruise
Beatrice Dalle
Michael Ironside
   
 
   

Recent Visitors
Enoch Sneed
Darren Jones
Mark Le Surf-hall
  Louise Hackett
Andrew Pragasam
Mary Sibley
Graeme Clark
  Desbris M
   

 

Last Updated: