SimonJack If one had no idea what to expect going into this movie, the opening credits should make it clear. After the usual cast list and production credits, an extra music credit appears. "Certain funeral and military airs played by Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Temperance Seven (who actually number eight)." Besides this funny allusion to a sequence with a temperance group and band, the end of the film has another hilarious scene of a band concert on the green. After I watched "The Wrong Box" a second time, it struck me that some viewers might not enjoy this movie to the fullest. A few reviews seem to attest to that. This is a bit of a mixed comedy – part thinking man (or woman), part witty and clever dialog, part chicanery and sight gags – and all with much parody, farce and spoofing. Others have summarized the plot, praised the acting, and heaped accolades on the production – set, filming, costumes, etc. All are on target, to my thinking. This is a wonderful satire and spoofing of many aspects of society and institutions in Victorian England. The temperance movement gets a few funny hits. The funeral industry gets a nice going over. The law – especially police investigation, is portrayed with little respect. The state of medical practitioners is questioned nicely. The military, the missions, the railroads, schools and more get some humorous and friendly raking over the coals. The film pokes fun at innocent, naïve love; and at philandering and eschewing of love. It equally lampoons integrity and dishonesty. It has subtle morality in its hilarious renditions of the travails of greed versus the simplicity and peace of living without envy and coveting. Again, I'm not sure all viewers would enjoy this gem of a movie to the fullest. It has taken me a couple of viewings just to catch all of the humor. And, then, I'm not sure I caught it all. So, I'll soon have to make some more popcorn. Every one of the cast excels in his or her role. And what a marvelous cast it is. The plot moves along nicely and is broken up at intervals with hilarious sequences. These include some very funny sight gags. The end of the film has a very funny chase scene. It's probably the only one that has involved funeral carriages. The very premise of the story I think is farce in itself. A tontine is nothing more than a deathbed lottery – as the school heaster says in the opening scene. After all, how many of us wouldn't want to be in a lottery to win a million dollars in our last days on earth? Ridiculous, indeed! But here, it serves nicely as the basis on which to build a great comedy. The idea came from a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson, Lloyd Osbourne.To whet the appetite for those who hasn't yet watched this film, here are a few funny lines from the script. Michael Caine plays Michael Finsbury, and Wilfrid Lawson plays Peacock, the butler. Peacock, "How's your grandfather this morning?" Michael, "He says he's dying, Peacock." Peacock, "Oh, he always says that." "Michael, "But Peacock, he wants to see his brother Joseph." … Peacock, "He must be dying."Michael, "It's from Lady Pitman. She's sending back the statue we sent her. Says it's a fraud… Was it a fraud, Peacock?" Peacock, "Life is a fraud, Master Michael."Nanette Newman plays Julia. Julia, "So, that's where you go every morning. I see you often, through the window." Michael, "Oh, what an extraordinary coincidence. I look at you through the window." Michael, "I never knew my parents. They were killed in a balloon ascension." Julia, "Well, I only knew mine vaguely. My father was a missionary. He was eaten by his Bible class." Michael, "Your mother?" Julia, "She too. They never eat one without the other."Peter Sellers is Dr. Pratt and Peter Cook plays Morris Finsbury. Morris, "Dr. Pratt? Are you Dr. Pratt?" Pratt, "Are you from the police?" Morris, "No!" Pratt, "Well, I am Dr. Pratt." A few lines later: Pratt, "Now then, take off your clothes and cough." Morris, "Doctor, it's not me." Pratt, "It's certainly not me, sir. It's probably one of my cats." A couple lines later: Morris, "I collect eggs, doctor." Pratt, "Yes, I enjoy an egg myself. They don't make good pets though. You can never get them in at night. They're too quiet."Morris, "Dr. Pratt. Rouse yourself, Dr. Pratt." Pratt, "What .. I tell you, the lady was already dead when I arrived, constable." Morris, "Dr. Pratt." Pratt, "Come in!" Morris, "I was here earlier. You asked me to return." Pratt, "Oh, yes, yes. I've got what you want. Here … black currant jelly. It contains 12 grains of arsenic. Just spread it on your mother's bread and butter." Morris, "Doctor, I wanted a death certificate." Pratt, "Oh, you've done her in already, have you?"Julia, "Oh, you haven't any furniture. … How sad. I always knew you were poor, but I never imagined anything like this." Michael, "Oh really?" Julia, "Would you mind if I looked around?" Michael, "Would you like to look around the hallway?" Julia, "I've always wanted an empty room of my own. Ours are so cluttered." Michael, "Oh, we have lots of empty rooms. Would you like to see another one?"
fedor8 The movie starts off quite well, rather quirky, with colourful and fun characters played occasionally brilliantly by an excellent cast (Caine, Cook, Newman, Dudley), and visually nice, obviously with a decent budget. However, the first half is the part of TWB that sets up the story. The problem arises when the story unfolds, in the second half. That's when the gags take a backseat to a multitude of plot-twists, which become so dominant that you almost forget you're watching a comedy.The writers of TWB would appear to have been so concerned with keeping the story clever (and it is, up to the point when it becomes a muddled mess) that somewhere along the way they must have forgotten to keep the story funny as well. There are numerous surprise twists, too many, in fact. The writers were so twist-happy, so bogged down in keeping this comedy interesting – as opposed to funny – that the twists spiral out of control toward the end, culminating in a not-so-grand finale which is just simplistic slapstick action farce, with people chasing each other and bickering in a buffoonish way.I have never understood this compulsion, this annoying tradition to nearly always end a comedy with a boring action sequence. What the hell is that all about? Hence why so many comedies start off well, sometimes work well in the middle also, but then degenerate into daft and dull chases and shoot-outs whose only purpose is to serve the (more-or-less irrelevant) story. The problem is, who CARES about the story's resolution. A comedy needs to be funny, not resolved. If you can do both, then all the power to you, but get your priorities straight.To watch Caine in an excellent comedy, as opposed to a solid one like TWB, you can do much worse than try "Without A Clue", "Blame It On Rio", or "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". As for Cook and Dudley, watch "Bedazzled", which came out just a year after TWB; it's superior to it and one of the best comedies of the 60s.There are some original ideas, such as the inheritors in a testament not trying to kill their uncle/father/whoever but dedicating their lives to prolonging their life, as is the case with "poor little orphans" Cook and Moore taking care of Richardson's health. (This is not a spoiler, as this is established very early on.)
moonspinner55 Suggested by Robert Louis Stevenson's and Lloyd Osbourne's story, this outrageous comedy involves a pair of estranged, elderly brothers in Victorian England--the last two survivors of a decades old lottery--who, at different points, are thought deceased by their relatives, two of whom will go to any lengths to retrieve the boodle. Director Bryan Forbes (who also produced) wouldn't be my pick to helm a crazy-quilt British farce involving comedic misunderstandings, a carriage race in funeral buggies, and a mad scramble for money in a cemetery! Forbes had never cut loose before (and hasn't done so since), and so his expected 'gentleman-like' pacing occasionally rears its head. Still this script, penned by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, opens with some high black comedy...and Forbes really seems to get into the general silliness of the situation. The all-star cast (including Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and Peter Sellers in a guest role as a befuddled doctor) is encouraged to play it over-the-top, and there are laughs nearly all the way through. **1/2 from ****
mark-whait It has never been lost on me that Caine's first 'big three' movies were as good a trio of introductory pictures as you could get. This was the triple whammy that set his career off onto a higher plane, and I cannot think of another actor before or since that has been fortunate enough to star in three such monumental films one after the other to launch a career into another stratosphere. The only other modern day actor that I could think of that came close was Ewan MacGregor, whose double duo of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting were phenomenal - however, sandwiched in between these was the rather forgettable Blue Juice. (Incidentally, despite the British media's attempts to turn Jude Law into the 'new' Michael Caine for the modern generation, for me Ewan MacGregor is the better bet, and for my money a better all round actor). I then looked at actors like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery - but even their breakthrough movies were interspersed with lesser known titles - Ford may have become an instant success following Star Wars, but there was still the fact that Heroes and Force 10 From Navarone came along before The Empire Strikes Back - hardly ground breaking titles that live long in the memory to this day. Similarly, despite Connery having the considerable clout of starring in Dr No and From Russia With Love back to back, his next release was Woman Of Straw before the next Bond episode hit us. Timing, release dates, whatever the cause, Caine's big three provide an insurmountable fact that moviegoers back then were hit between the eyes with a trio of films designed to leave them reeling at their sheer quality, as well as the growing stature of the very man who starred in all three. So it is reasonable to suggest that with such firepower already behind him, Caine would inevitably star in a picture that would be, not exactly a flop, but a damp squib compared to what had gone before. And that damp squib was The Wrong Box. It's a perfectly good natured light comedy, but is another example (like The Bulldog Breed) of a Caine fan suffering for his art - this film is really a showcase for the considerable talents of Ralph Richardson and John Mills. Caine's contribution is perfectly acceptable here, but overall the film is dated and tiresome, and is actually one of Caine's rarer known movies. Throw in the fact that Tony Hancock, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were also in the cast, and it is fair to say that gives you an idea of the type of movie this was. There are even turns from John Le Mesurier and Irene Handl who would of course be reunited again with Sir Michael by the end of the decade in The Italian Job.
