In 1961 the nation bought Goya's painting of the Duke of Wellington for £140,000, that's just over three million in today's money. Benwell (Newcastle upon Tyne) retired and disabled bus driver, Kempton Bunton, a crotchety anti-telly tax campaigner, had plenty to say on the subject.
In the fullness of time, the painting found its way into a false compartment in the spare bedroom wardrobe. The master plan was to raise money to pay for telly licences for pensioners and war veterans.
This well natured romp, replete with 1960's tropes, is well acted by Jim Broadbent in the main role, with nagging wife, Dorothy, played by Helen Mirren. Their canny son, Jackie, portrayed by Fionn Whitehead, propels the narrative with his cheeky chappy persona.
The film culminates in a court case where Bunton is brought up on charges of theft, and depriving the public of the painting for the four years he hid it in the bedroom. Facing an almost certain ten year prison sentence the outlook is gloomy. Even his clever barrister doesn't have many legal legs to stand on.
Bunton argues that he was merely borrowing the painting for the good of others.
The outcome is a surprise, with a clever twist right at the end. This is a jolly film with humour and a layer of pathos.
None of the exteriors were shot in Newcastle, and as a resident of that city, the Leeds and Bradford locations look out of place, even with the special effects department inserting the Tyne Bridge, Grey's Monument, Stella Power Station, and Scotswood Bridge in the backgrounds. Look out for a gable end advert for Beechams Pills with a spelling mistake!
In the fullness of time, the painting found its way into a false compartment in the spare bedroom wardrobe. The master plan was to raise money to pay for telly licences for pensioners and war veterans.
This well natured romp, replete with 1960's tropes, is well acted by Jim Broadbent in the main role, with nagging wife, Dorothy, played by Helen Mirren. Their canny son, Jackie, portrayed by Fionn Whitehead, propels the narrative with his cheeky chappy persona.
The film culminates in a court case where Bunton is brought up on charges of theft, and depriving the public of the painting for the four years he hid it in the bedroom. Facing an almost certain ten year prison sentence the outlook is gloomy. Even his clever barrister doesn't have many legal legs to stand on.
Bunton argues that he was merely borrowing the painting for the good of others.
The outcome is a surprise, with a clever twist right at the end. This is a jolly film with humour and a layer of pathos.
None of the exteriors were shot in Newcastle, and as a resident of that city, the Leeds and Bradford locations look out of place, even with the special effects department inserting the Tyne Bridge, Grey's Monument, Stella Power Station, and Scotswood Bridge in the backgrounds. Look out for a gable end advert for Beechams Pills with a spelling mistake!