Folly to Be Wise

While Alistair Sim as the padre gives his usual sparkling, witty performance as the chairman of a sort of 'Brains Trust' Panel programme for the soldiers In camp, sadly nothing else sparkles in this laboured and tedious film. The storyline is based around having several local well known personalities to give their personal, but somewhat idiosyncratic views on questions sent in by the young serving men and women of the British army, ostensibly to educate and entertain. However, the whole thing falls flat on its face and fails to ignite any potential humour. The panelists are essentially stuffy, unfunny, middle class stereotypes, who squabble and exchange insults in front of the audience. There are several very good actors in the cast such as Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Edward Chapman and Martita Hunt, but despite their talents, they're wasted in this unfunny and very dated film.

Alistair Sim is the stand-out in this rather claustrophobic adaptation of a slight stage play. Mr Sim is commendably restrained, more so than in some other Launder & Gilliat comedies, but he has so little to do, and so little happens that nowadays, one wonders why the whole thing was mounted anyway. The relationship between the aspirational secretary and her 'dumb' boyfriend is nicely constructed, and he, Peter Martyn, plays his part very nicely. Otherwise all the focus is on the more upper-middle class characters, who nowadays seem like caricatures. There was a tendency in most British cinema of the 50s to adapt stage plays, but very non-cinematically; this is a typical example. In terms of film study or of entertainment, this doesn't have a lot more than competence to commend it.

On hearing of this film I was looking forward to watching it. It's the typical 1950's British film, with the added bonus of Alastair Sim. He is brilliant, but the plot is weak. Social matters are highlighted that were common in Britain then, such as the Labour party versus the Tories etc. But the plot doesn't hold together well. Over all a good enough film, but no where near the St. Trinian's series or The Green Man. Watch out for a young George Cole as a soldier as well.

Saw this about twenty years ago and recall thinking it was dire. With such a talented cast, I thought I'd give it another chance on its appearance on the indispensable Talking Pictures channel the other day. But for the most part it just wasn't funny with the exception of the Brains Trust in the middle, where those entertaining eccentrics Martita Hunt, Miles Malleson, Colin Gordon and the others on the panel couldn't help but raise a few smiles. That was it. A speech close to the end by Janet Brown's dim-witted boyfriend who constantly refers to women as 'judies' - did anyone talk like that? - has to be one of the most excruciating moments in British film comedy.

The Intelligence Corps Field Security Police would have in a field day writing out the report of the whole proceedings of the Brians Trust set-up for the troops camp concert entertainment. Sim plays his beleagued camp padre role beautifully well, with his typist WRAC girl, persisting in asking the crucial question about marriage to its very extreme detail answer. She typed out the suitable questions for the BT, so in practice, had editorial control of the proceedings & the direction the show took. For those that do not remember or never heard of the Brians Trust, it was a development from a WW II BBC radio programme, which had wide audience appeal. George Cole who plays the soldier nervously offering his "vote of thanks" to the padre for his efforts in organising the show, at the end of the film, was by this time, the adopted Barnado boy son of Sim. For some good innocent Ealing comedy of the era, then this will kill 90 mins for you. John Locke

Alistair Sim was one of Britains finest comedy character actors, however even his talent could not raise this abysmal piece of cinema above the level of boring and tedious.There were some great British films made in the post war years, unfortunately this was not one of them, the story line was flimsy and predictable, the acting was wooden and the characters were stereotypes of middle class 50's middle England (with a stereotype labour politician thrown in for good measure).