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MovieMail's Review
With his great bald dome, nervous snaggle-toothed laugh, absurdly impeccable diction and a body made for physical comedy, Alastair Sim was one of British cinema's true originals. So original, in fact, that few of the directors who shoehorned his gifts into assorted light comedies and thrillers really understood how best to use him. Thankfully, two exceptions were Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, behind four-fifths of the films in this box set. The Green Man (1956) is probably the best known, and sees Sim at the height of his powers as the demented assassin Harry Hawkins, who has dedicated his life to wiping out the pompous and self-important. There's little question who we're supposed to root for, though the bumbling investigations of inept vacuum-cleaner salesman William Blake (George Cole) have a charm of their own.
Sim and Cole also play two of the quartet at the heart of Mario Zampi's Ealingesque Trouble in Paradise (1951), forced to humiliate themselves for a share of a practical joker's bequest. Sim rightly gets the lion's share of the running time as a fastidious author of hard-boiled thrillers (the scene in which he dictates a violent scene from one of these in his inimitably patrician tones is worth the price on its own) who has to commit a real-life crime, to the horror of long-term fiancée Joyce Grenfell.
Dad's Army fans will also enjoy John Laurie's performance as a miserly invalid, in what was clearly a dry run for Private Frazer.
In Folly to be Wise (1952), Sim's well-meaning army chaplain causes chaos when he takes over the job of entertaining the troops. The low-key charmer Geordie (1955) sees Sim acting in his native Scottish accent as the kindly laird who supports the Olympic ambitions of Wee Geordie (Bill Travers), while Left, Right and Centre (1959) is a romantic comedy with overtones of political satire as Tory and Labour by-election candidates (Ian Carmichael and Patricia Bredin) inadvertently fall for each other. Sim is Carmichael's uncle, whose Machiavellian scheme for capitalising on his nephew's victory is threatened with disaster unless the two are kept apart.
A collection of five films starring the wonderfully lugubrious Alastair Sim. Comprises:
The Green Man (Robert Day, 1961)
Classic British farce, and arguably Alistair Sim's funniest film, in which he plays an assassin with a nice line in fitting killings. However, bumbling vacuum-cleaner salesman George Cole stands between him and one of his targets, pompous politician Gregory Upshott (Raymond Huntley).
Folly to be Wise (Frank Launder, 1953)
With Sim as an army chaplain trying to organise entertainment for his troops.
Geordie (Frank Launder, 1955)
In which a young Scots lad is sent to the Melbourne Olympics to represent his country in hammer-throwing, kilt and all.
Left, Right and Centre (Sidney Gilliat, 1959)
Love and politics collide in this by-election comedy, as two rival candidates find they have more in common than they might admit.
Laughter in Paradise (Mario Zampi, 1951)
A Brewster's Millions for the ration book generation, Laughter in Paradise sees the desperate benefactors of deceased prankster Hugh Griffith having to complete a number of unlikely challenges before getting their hands on the loot. Look out for Audrey Hepburn in a tiny role.
His star may burn dimmer at these days, but the merest glance at this choice collection of films featuring one of Britain's most beloved comic actors would show you ju... more >
His star may burn dimmer at these days, but the merest glance at this choice collection of films featuring one of Britain's most beloved comic actors would show you just why Alistair Sim was held in such high esteem. There are classics here (such as The Green Man and Laughter in Paradise) alongside lesser movies, but even in minor fare, Alistair Sim’s comic genius never deserted him. < less
