I largely agree with the other review posted here; it reminded me very strongly of a silent film, but with a little dialogue thrown in.
Dr Richard Massingham's previous film outings had often been in public (health) information films; following a career in medicine, he started a film company to produce such things, since no-one else was doing this in the UK at the time.
Frequently appearing in the films himself, he most often portrayed a slightly dim-witted elderly chap who unwittingly puts himself and others in harm's way with his behaviour. When told of this, he would most often pull a variety of extraordinary facial expressions. Films on the subjects of handkerchief usage, the perils of sneezing etc are 'once seen, not forgotten' stuff. His character reminds me of elderly 'Homer Simpson meets Mr Bean' if you can imagine that.
This film appears to have been something of a hobby project for him; it appears to have been almost home-made, using his children as actors, and the other residents of Biddenden, Kent, as extras. Biddenden is where I think he lived at the time; he certainly passed away there only a year or so after this film was made.
He was only 55 years old when he died, which meant that he had been playing the part of 'an older gentleman' in those WWII era films when in his early 40's. He was sufficiently well thought of that a documentary film was made concerning him a year after his death; (http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b697b1fe1)
There may have also been a later TV retrospective as well.
This film wasn't quite his last screen outing; he appeared briefly in two more films and produced another before his untimely death.
This is a simple tale, largely told without guile or artifice. Lots of running around in the Kent countryside and so forth; it looks as if they had great fun making it, too.
Dr Richard Massingham's previous film outings had often been in public (health) information films; following a career in medicine, he started a film company to produce such things, since no-one else was doing this in the UK at the time.
Frequently appearing in the films himself, he most often portrayed a slightly dim-witted elderly chap who unwittingly puts himself and others in harm's way with his behaviour. When told of this, he would most often pull a variety of extraordinary facial expressions. Films on the subjects of handkerchief usage, the perils of sneezing etc are 'once seen, not forgotten' stuff. His character reminds me of elderly 'Homer Simpson meets Mr Bean' if you can imagine that.
This film appears to have been something of a hobby project for him; it appears to have been almost home-made, using his children as actors, and the other residents of Biddenden, Kent, as extras. Biddenden is where I think he lived at the time; he certainly passed away there only a year or so after this film was made.
He was only 55 years old when he died, which meant that he had been playing the part of 'an older gentleman' in those WWII era films when in his early 40's. He was sufficiently well thought of that a documentary film was made concerning him a year after his death; (http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b697b1fe1)
There may have also been a later TV retrospective as well.
This film wasn't quite his last screen outing; he appeared briefly in two more films and produced another before his untimely death.
This is a simple tale, largely told without guile or artifice. Lots of running around in the Kent countryside and so forth; it looks as if they had great fun making it, too.
