I've only seen The Wrong Box 20 or so times so I can't claim to be the expert that many are on this film. I would rank it one of the 4 or 5 best comedies of the 1960's (behind "Dr. Strangelove" but ahead of "A Shot in the Dark". Hmm... all 3 films have Peter Sellers...). Not since "His Girl Friday" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" has there a more tightly constructed sequence of comedic scenes. The cast in incomparable; full of engaging quirky characters hearkening back to the classics of the 30's and 40's. A highlight is Seller's rendition of Dr. Pratt. How he can create a characterization that is even more extreme than Cluseau (Larry Gelbart has referred to him as "malpractice in motion") is beyond me. Wilfrid Laws on is magnificent as Peacock.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Casablanca
(1942)
The most quotable quotes of any movie in history.
26 May 2000
The most quotable quotes of any movie in history. Perfect chemistry among a cast that includes a dozen superb character actors at their best. Given the conditions under which the screenplay was written, this movie ranks (along with "It Happened One Night") as one of the most fortuitous, serendipitous events in cinematic history. Should be on everyone's list of the "Best 10 Films of All Time".
Casablanca
(1942)
The most quotable quotes of any movie in history.
26 May 2000
The most quotable quotes of any movie in history. Perfect chemistry among a cast that includes a dozen superb character actors at their best. Given the conditions under which the screenplay was written, this movie ranks (along with "It Happened One Night") as one of the most fortuitous, serendipitous events in cinematic history. Should be on everyone's list of the "Best 10 Films of All Time".
A Christmas Carol
(1951)
My selection for the finest film of all time. (B&W version only; avoid colorized version)
13 March 2000
The inimitable Alistair Sim is positively inspired, as is the entire cast. The cinematography is impossibly good. Never has the dream-like quality of a black and white composition been used to better effect.
Curiously, this film is also a negative archetype. If ever an example was needed as to the evils of "colorization" this is it. It is painful to observe the garish hues plied to this early colorized film. I sat though enough of the colorized version to know that I'd only give it 6 on the IMDB scale instead of the 10.000 for the B&W original. I'd hoped that all copies of the colorized versions had been destroyed, since it had been several years since I saw it broadcast, but it has recently re-surfaced. One copy (like the last vial of a deadly virus) should be preserved as an example of how to desecrate a work of art.
Curiously, this film is also a negative archetype. If ever an example was needed as to the evils of "colorization" this is it. It is painful to observe the garish hues plied to this early colorized film. I sat though enough of the colorized version to know that I'd only give it 6 on the IMDB scale instead of the 10.000 for the B&W original. I'd hoped that all copies of the colorized versions had been destroyed, since it had been several years since I saw it broadcast, but it has recently re-surfaced. One copy (like the last vial of a deadly virus) should be preserved as an example of how to desecrate a work of art.
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