l_rawjalaurence Review of Norman Wisdom: His Story

Norman Wisdom: His Story (2010)

The Story of the British Comedian's Rise from Poverty to Stardom

[7/10 · 27 December 2013]

Norman Wisdom was the Rank Organization's biggest star during the Fifties and Sixties. A series of formula films combining slapstick and sentiment drew huge audiences, despite their rudimentary plots. Filmed two years before Wisdom's death, Sally Norris' documentary takes an affectionate look at the comic's life and work, showing how his relentless determination helped him succeed, despite a childhood of absolute poverty. While the subject-matter is undoubtedly fascinating, what is perhaps more intriguing is the way in which Wisdom is shown to be a protean figure, consciously adopting the public persona of a clown in order to get laughs. It seemed that he was incapable of being serious; but there was a lot more to him than that. Like a lot of performers on both the legitimate as well as the variety stages, Wisdom was self-made; and he understood the importance of reminding his audiences of that fact. Hence he would only allow them to see what he wanted them to see. This strategy might suggest insecurity; in Wisdom's case, it had precisely the reverse effect, giving him the strength to create a good family life for his children away from the limelight, despite being a single parent for much of the time. One noteworthy aspect of the documentary left unexplored is the strong resemblances between Wisdom and his great American contemporary Jerry Lewis; it might have been worth exploring if they were inspired by one another; or, if they were not, to look instead at why audiences on both sides of the Atlantic should have responded to readily to their particular blend of comedy,